Ask someone to define marketing and you might get a whole raft of answers. In Yolk Marketing sessions, we have had everything from “your logos” through to “the way you sell to people”

We quite like the definition from the Chartered Institute of Marketing

Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.

No mention of logos or selling there is there?

It’s easy to get carried away with ideas for a campaign when you think about marketing; to jump straight to the tools that you might use – such as a new logo, or an updated website, but without knowing where you are and what you actually want to achieve, you aren’t going to get very far at all.

Yes you might want to launch a campaign to promote an event you are running, but without knowing your customers, how are you going to target them?

You might want a new logo to represent your brand, but what are the values behind your brand and how will they inform how you present yourself to your customers?

Your website probably does need a refresh, but do you know what you want to achieve (online sales, newsletter sign ups, an expert voice on a blog)? Only then can you can build a website to deliver against those goals.

With this in mind, before you get to the way you might carry out your marketing, you need to focus on scoping out where you are now with a strategic marketing plan. A strategic marketing plan can be the difference between success and failure; it’s the ingredient list for your recipe for success and gives a totally fresh perspective on where you are as an organisation.

Start with scoping out where you are now, who your customers are and should be, what your mission is and how your brand stacks up. You can then move onto setting measurable objectives and a reasonable budget before you get onto the all exciting implementation plan.

So don’t try and skip to the good bit too soon.

To contact Yolk Marketing about getting your marketing plan in place, click here