Today, of course, is election day in the United States , so I would like to add my two cents on how I think that this election is going to affect us all. To start, if I had my choice I would vote a resounding "none of the above." As it stands right now there is not one candidate that I would say is going to help the people of this country prosper.

I don't want you to get the wrong impression though, I will be voting.

The only problem with me going out and casting a vote for one of the candidates is which one to vote for, my first inclination is to vote for Al Gore, even though I don't agree with a lot of what he is for, but I personally think he is the lesser of the two evils.

Just the other day I was discussing, with an aid for one of the Congressional candidates here in Lexington, KY, some of my views on what I was looking for the next leader of our country to have. Of course my main concern, and it is one that Governor Bush does not share, is that freedom of religion means all religions. I mean the U.S. Constitution doesn't say you can have the freedom to worship as long as you worship in the Christian way.

There are other reasons that I will not vote for George W. Bush but the most important reason is a comment he made that he does not believe that Wicca is a religion. I, myself follow an Earth-based religion that is similar to Wicca and therefore take offence to that statement.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."
- The First Amendment, United States Constitution

Well now that I have had a chance to vent a little, let's get on to today's issue of PromoteNewz. Today our good friend Merle is going to teach us how we can use our own marketing plan to compete with the "big boys."

Sincerely
Patrick Stoddard,
PromoteNewz Editor

If you want your small business to compete with the "big boys" you should have a "strategic marketing plan." A strategic marketing plan basically spells out how you will use your available resources to meet your company's stated goals and objectives. (You do have goals right? If not, that's a topic for another article.) Here's what you need:

1) State Your Objectives
Companies usually set objectives in terms of desired profit, total sales, or market share. Profit tends to be the most popular company focus. Market share refers to how much of the market you snag compared to your competitors. Other objectives can be your total sales, number of loyal customers, or customer satisfaction. Company objectives always provide a time frame and are verifiable, which is why objectives are usually stated in percentages and dollar signs.

2) Situation Analysis
Looks at the current business environment and can be elaborate or very simple. The components examined are competition, the size of the market, types of customers, channels of distribution, and economic conditions. By taking an overview of the whole picture and stating your strengths and weaknesses, you'll have a clearer understanding of how well your company will compete.

3) Target Market
Who are your customers? Your company can't sell to everyone, so you need to decide what part of the market segment you're going to serve. A thorough understanding of who your customers are and how to find them are imperative to your company's success. Look at demographics such as how much money they make, where they live, how much education they have, etc.

4) Positioning
This is the picture created in your customer's eyes about your company's products/services. When you think of positioning, think of "image." Positioning is very important in today's competitive world. Corporate marketing teams will often use positioning strategies when trying to target different target markets.

5) Marketing Mix
The final step is to develop plans for each aspect of the marketing mix and integrate them into your company's overall strategy. So, what's in the marketing mix you ask? They consist of the "Four P's":

• Product
• Place
• Promotion
• Price

You must use all four elements of the mix in your strategy and devise a plan for each. When you're developing plans for each element, ask yourself the following types of questions.

• A) Product What new products can we introduce? What type of service do our customers expect? What should our return policy be?
• B) Place What types of places should carry our products? How will we get our products to our customers? How will we handle complaints?
• C) Promotion What am I trying to accomplish through my promotion objectives? Branding? More sales? Something else? What types of media should we use to advertise, radio, TV, print, etc?
• D) Price How will my product/service be priced in comparison to my competitors? Can I make a profit at this price level?

By keeping all of the above in mind you'll design a strategic marketing plan that allows you to win the game and compete with your competitors.

Running a business, just like a game, relies on good strategy........It's your move....

---

Merle
ezineadauction.com
"Where the Best Deals in Ezine Advertising are Made"
Subscribe to Ezine Ad Auction Authority and be kept up to date on new auctions as they're added and much more subscribe@ezineadauction.com
For advertising information send an email advertise@ezineadauction.com

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