Seeing the light about affordable strategic marketing

by Ed Camp

I've always loved the image of a light bulb.  When I was a kid, a light bulb always appeared above the heads of my favorite cartoon characters when a great idea was on its way!  As an adult, I gained a new respect for the amazing gift Thomas Edison gave the world.  I admired his tenacity in making attempt after attempt to create it, and understood why the light bulb signified a great idea.  After nearly 90 tries, Edison finally saw the light. 

The determination that Edison embodied also applies to starting a new business.  Taking the business idea -- that light bulb that appears when you have an amazing thought --  and making it shine requires logical thinking and lots of planning. 

The path to an affordable marketing program is not often well lighted, and there are all sorts of problems that lurk in the darkness. Here are some illuminating tips that can help:

Failing to Plan, Planning to Fail.   Operating businesses without a strategic marketing plan means you are planning to fail.  My advice is to stop being intimidated by writing a plan.  You already have one in your head.  You really can't operate a business without promoting it in some way. 

How does writing a strategic marketing plan help your business?  The answer is summed up in one word:  focus.    The plan helps you gather all your thoughts in one document that helps you understand your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to your success.  You can set goals for your business, figure out how to achieve those goals and then budget your resources accordingly.  You save money because you have a plan that helps you determine how to spend your money wisely as you implement the plan.

PR. As you may know, PR stands for public relations and can encompass everything from press releases that report exciting happenings with your business to an event you created to benefit a cause that your customers will find interesting.  Cause marketing is an aspect of the PR function, which means associating your business with a non-profit or general public issue, such as global warming.  In all cases, PR helps your business get noticed by the media for something good or exciting that you are doing.  As someone once said, there is no such thing as bad press . . . and it's pretty much free.  Whatever direction you feel called to take, be sure to include a PR section in your strategic marketing plan.

Free lancers.  You don't necessarily have to hire a full marketing staff to produce the work that a marketing staff would produce.  Free lancers often provide a more seasoned approach than the marketing staff you are able to afford.   Better yet, free lancers understand that each assignment is a temporary assignment.  There is no need to continue finding a reason to keep them employed.

The Digital Age.  It's an amazing time in which we live, especially as business persons. There are so many options available for marketing your business, many of which cost very little to do.  There are pitfalls!  Digital marketing means more than creating a pretty web site that lets the world sees your "light bulb."  Being found by prospects using search engines is the key!  Find someone who can help you with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and make sure your site is developed with that principle in mind. 

Of course, customize these broad concepts to fit your situation.  Use these suggestions as ways to make the light bulb appear for you.  Here's to casting a brilliant light!