2. Welcome to the first in a series of guides aimed at helping SMEs along
their marketing journey.
A marketing strategy is essential for ensuring that all campaigns
and material are relevant to the overall business objectives, maintain
consistency and present a unified brand across all marketing channels.
When developing a marketing strategy, businesses should always consider
5 key components:
INTRODUCTION
REMEMBER:
A brand identity
is not just a logo
Graham Hoy
07939 463607
graham@directad.co.uk
Stephanie Webb
07503 345743
stephanie.webb@pmmstrategies.com
Business
Overview
Market
Positioning
Target
Audience
Communication
Channels
Evaluation
Methods
3. Graham Hoy
07939 463607
graham@directad.co.uk
Stephanie Webb
07503 345743
stephanie.webb@pmmstrategies.com
A business overview lays the foundation for developing tone
of voice and promoting key messages.
There should be an overall mission for the business
and an understanding of what need you are trying to fulfil.
Questions to consider:
• What is the current state of the business?
• What are your business objectives?
• What are the company’s long and short term plans?
BUSINESS OVERVIEW
REMEMBER:
All communication
should relate to business
objectives; this will mean
that marketing budgets
are efficiently allocated
& there is minimal
wastage
4. Graham Hoy
07939 463607
graham@directad.co.uk
Stephanie Webb
07503 345743
stephanie.webb@pmmstrategies.com
As well as understanding the market as a whole – size, audience(s),
state of maturity, likely future demand - it is critical for any business
to understand how its product/service compares to its competitors.
A competitor matrix is a useful tool for quickly analysing key aspects
of the business and benchmarking against competitors. Regular review
of this analysis can help determine new competitors or transition
from indirect to direct competition.
Questions to consider:
• Has your company performed a competitor analysis? How often is it revised?
• What metrics does your business measure to benchmark against competitors –
e.g. sales, product/service offerings?
• Does your business have an established brand identity?
MARKET POSITIONING
REMEMBER:
Try not to be drawn into
copycat scenarios
5. Graham Hoy
07939 463607
graham@directad.co.uk
Stephanie Webb
07503 345743
stephanie.webb@pmmstrategies.com
Businesses provide goods or services to other businesses
(B2B), or consumers (B2C). It is important to segment audiences;
this is most commonly done through the use of firmographics
(e.g. turnover, industry, number of employees, job title)
or demographics (e.g. age, sex, income, location,
media consumption, behaviours, purchasing history).
Questions to consider:
• Do you work with businesses, individuals or both?
• Are you dividing these customers into relevant groups?
• Do you track the customer journey?
TARGET AUDIENCE
REMEMBER:
Different audiences may
respond in different ways
to alternative media
channels and messages
6. Graham Hoy
07939 463607
graham@directad.co.uk
Stephanie Webb
07503 345743
stephanie.webb@pmmstrategies.com
When developing a marketing strategy, most communication channels
should be considered – even those that do not appear to be obvious.
Each channel should apply the SMART objective methodology –
specific, measureable, achievable, realistic and timely.
Creating SMART objectives helps ensure that each objective
is not only purposeful but also has an impact on the overall business.
Objectives should be based upon the established aforementioned
benchmarks – e.g. leads, sales, traffic, brand awareness, etc.
Questions to consider:
• What channels are you currently using and why?
• Is there a clear, cohesive message across these channels?
• Are the messages benefit-driven with appropriate calls-to-action?
COMMUNICATION CHANNELS
REMEMBER:
There should be
a consistency
in communication,
particularly for
multi-channel
campaigns
7. Graham Hoy
07939 463607
graham@directad.co.uk
Stephanie Webb
07503 345743
stephanie.webb@pmmstrategies.com
All marketing campaigns should have a period of time for review.
There are various outcomes, so it is important to establish ways
of measurement at the planning stage.
Examples are:
• Uplift in sales revenue or volume
• Increase in lead-to-conversion ratios
• Hitting or exceeding sign up targets
With a fragmented media market – and a less than straightforward buying process –
it may be difficult to attribute a sale or single customer action without rigorous analysis.
Questions to consider:
• Are your company’s measurement techniques correlating to specific business objectives
and/or marketing goals and objectives?
• Is your company able to directly attribute sales to marketing efforts?
EVALUATION METHODS
REMEMBER:
An online purchase
may have been heavily
influenced by exposure
to other media messages,
including those from
“influencers”
