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Editor's Note - 04.18.02 |
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Websites and Web Privacy
When you buy your goods online, do you know what that e-commerce company will
do with your information? Are they selling your e-mail address, shopping preference
and other personal information they collect from you? Many sites do as there is
money do be made from selling lists of such information...and when it contains
the names, email addresses and shopping preferences of buyers, the list becomes
more valuable.
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has tried to tackle this issue and on April
16th, approved a plan known as the Platform for Privacy Preferences (or P3P--as
if we needed another acronym in the Internet world). Anyway, this system is meant
to function like nutrition labels on food products.
If the websites objectives with your private data does not match your P3P software’s
preferences, which you configure, your browser will warn you. The Internet Education
Foundation said that over 40 percent currently implement or will use P3P.
See the Nandotimes.com article in the resource box below to learn more.
I hope that you enjoy today's article, by Charlene Rashkow, on marketing plans.
Best Wishes!
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Creating
A Successful Marketing Plan
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Planning Your Way To Success
by Charlene Rashkow
 Whether
you are a small company or a large corporation one of the primary keys to success
lies in preparing and following a good marketing plan. You can have the most awesome
product or service to offer but without a plan in place, you may flounder for
direction and waste a lot of time and energy as a result. Consider that your marketing
plan, which is separate and apart from a business plan, is an essential element
to the success of your company. The plan should contain data and specifics pertaining
to your company's goals, the product or service you're offering, how you intend
to market it and a means for measuring your success. Generally, larger companies
create plans that are extremely comprehensive in size and nature while smaller
companies will do just as well with a 5 to 10 page strategy. It's a good idea
to refer to your plan regularly so that you can track your company's progress
What A Marketing Plan Should Include
1.) Creating an Objective: As a strong proponent for creating an
objective or purpose regarding any endeavor, I recommend starting with a clear
objective for your marketing plan. Although it may mean spending a bit of time
in contemplation, it's best to be certain as to the overall purpose and objective
of your company. Take some time to focus on what you really want to achieve. As
an example, when I first began my consulting business while putting together a
rough marketing plan, I thought long and hard as to what I intended. More than
anything else, I wanted to share my skill in a positive and meaningful way. Focusing
on what I felt about my expertise, I knew that I enthusiastically enjoyed the
challenge of creating material that is powerful, well written and simple to read.
I also relished in the idea of empowering other people so with those thoughts
in mind, I created an intention that aligned with my purpose. It is as follows:
"My intention as a Writer/Consultant is to fully succeed at providing my clients
with high quality written material that uniquely reflects their objectives by
helping them stand apart from the crowd!" That intention has taken me far on the
road I contemplated many years ago.
2.) Targeting Your Audience Included in your marketing plan should
be the strategies you intend to apply for specifically reaching your targeted
market. Pay special attention as to which audience you are trying to reach. Are
there particular trends in your industry? Are you aware of your competition? Are
layoffs effecting your particular arena and if so is it to your benefit or detriment?
Have you researched the need for your product? In other words, consider how the
economy may effect people either negatively or positively when they consider purchasing
your product or service? The economy does not necessarily influence some industries,
but because it does effect many markets, you may want to narrow your focus.
3.) Your Strategy Include in your plan effective marketing strategies.
Think about some of the largest companies in the world that are constantly brainstorming
in an effort to keep the public's attention. Notice how we are collectively bombarded
with new commercials and announcements daily, in an attempt to make sure we never
forget certain products or services. I don't necessarily recommend that you do
the same, but it does hold some weight. If you're aren't promoting yourself in
some way, it's easy to forget your company. Of course while most of us cannot
compete with huge companies, there are many ways to promote your business without
it costing a lot of money. It simply requires a bit of thought and creativity.
Since marketing is a process that never ends, have a few ideas already in place
as to how you may reach your target audience. While you may hope for the day when
you can sit back reaping the benefits of your efforts, you can never stop marketing.
It's a constant challenge determining various methods and tactics that will get
you noticed but it can be fun.
For the majority of small entrepreneurial efforts, marketing can be a trial and
error effort since some methods work for a while and then seem to dry up. Based
upon my experience, when I find that one avenue isn't bearing fruit, I simply
recognize it as an opportunity to explore other avenues. For me, that primarily
means getting back to basics, so I write a new article, send out a press release,
begin an e-mail campaign or simply get quiet for a few days until I'm inspired.
But I always have something in my plan that keeps me motivated. I suggest not
putting all your eggs into one basket because if the well runs dry, you're left
with nothing. I also suggest staying open to new ideas. Very often we become set
in our ways and feel afraid to veer in a new direction. You may not have considered
a particular avenue until someone suggests it, so don't say no until you've given
it some thought.
4.) Setting Time and Accomplishment Goals. Generally your plan should
cover a period of from six months to a year. Check the plan you've prepared on
a monthly basis as a measure for meeting your goals and objectives. Ask yourself
periodically if you've taken all the steps that you planned? Are you within your
schedule? Are you attracting the clientele you had hoped? Are you making good
contacts that return or send referrals? Are you building rapport with customers?
Does the plan need some rearranging or rethinking? If you find that you're on
target keep the plan as it is. But if you obviously see that something isn't working,
rethink your marketing strategies. Primarily you want the world to beat a path
to your door so keeping a good marketing plan updated and refined is crucial to
the success of your business. Having a roadmap to success will both keep you on
track and help to maximize your outcomes.
About the Author:
Charlene Rashkow Author
of "Movin" On Up" E-book and Writing Stylist/Consultant has successfully written
outstanding business material for companies and individuals for more than 15 years.
Creating clever promotional materials, Charlene is well known for her press releases,
business plans, resumes, brochure copy, web site content and entrepreneurial e-book.
You may visit Charlene Rashkow at www.allyourwritingneeds.com
or write her at Crwriting@aol.com. You
may also call her directly at (310) 514-4844.
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