The Plan's the Thing

Many entrepreneurs and small business owners have come to me and said, "Help! I need customers now! Can you help me get some PR?"

The urgency in their voices always intrigues me, and I'm always glad to help however I can. Usually, within the first 20 minutes of our first meeting, I realize the person does not have an accurate idea of what "PR" is. I also often discover they do not have a written marketing plan. They had a great idea for a business, and believed whole-heartedly that, "if I build it, they will come." They leased space, printed up business cards, forms and invoices, maybe ran an ad or sent out a letter, and called everyone they could think of.

After the ribbon-cutting, when their doors are open and the customer's don't come, at least, not quickly enough to allay fears of failure or bankruptcy, they call me and say, "Help me NOW!"

Like I said, that's cool. I'm happy to say I can usually get such clients attracting new business within a couple of months. But they could have saved themselves weeks, even months, of agony, if they'd created a marketing plan BEFORE their doors were open. Shakespeare said, "The play's the thing, wherein we'll catch the conscience of the king." I say, "The plan's the thing, wherein we'll catch the attention of your customers."

One of the most important items a new business must have before opening its doors is a written marketing plan. This document identifies the "four P's" of your business:

1) Product. What makes your product or service unique? How big is the market? Who are your competitors? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What opportunities and threats exist for you in the marketplace? Who is going to buy from you?

2) Packaging. What does your product look like, or how is your service delivered? What are your messages? What is your value proposition?

3) Pricing. What is your pricing strategy? Are you competitively priced?

4) Promotion. How are you going to tell the world that you exist? There are literally hundreds of marketing tactics that you can employ to promote yourself or your business, as well as hundreds of business books that describe these tactics in detail. (You'll need a logo, web site and business cards for sure.) This is the section where you spell out how you will use public relations to promote your business.

But just having a marketing plan in hand before you start your business doesn't guarantee your strategy will succeed. That's okay. The marketing plan is only a blueprint -- subject to constant adjustment. When you find something that works well, stick with it. If it doesn't work, ditch it.

If marketing isn't your core competency, it's well worth your while to show your plan to a marketing professional. He/she can make adjustments, ask you the hard questions and recommend strategies and tactics that will work within your budget. Of course, if you're well capitalized, it's extremely wise to hire a marketing pro to draft the plan for you. Don't have a marketing plan? Make one -- it's important.

Of course, there are plenty of ways to attract attention to yourself now. Running naked through city hall is one way to get massive publicity, but I don't think you'll like the kind of attention you'll get. Some businesses hire people to dress as chickens and stand on busy corners with big signs. That might not work for you, either.