Are you tired of watching your business marketing plans fail? There is no secret formula. I’ve studied every imaginable kind of business marketing plan. I’ve discovered that there are five elements in a successful business marketing plan.

Virtually every business marketing plan failure I have seen misses the mark on one of these keys. You will need to incorporate all five of the keys in a way that allows them to support and enhance one another to achieve maximum results.

1. Goal orientation. Your business marketing plan should be created around the marketing goals you want to achieve during the period covered by the plan. This keeps all activity focused on results and provides a basis for measurement of achievements.

2. Reach potential customers where they are. Putting ads here and there and sending somewhat random promotional efforts into the world does not mean the right people will ever see them. More than ever before, you must go to where your customers are if you expect to have any hope of getting their attention.

3. Parts of the business marketing plan need to address potential customers at each stage of the buying cycle or decision making process. People need different information at each stage of the process. Your marketing plan needs to systematically move each prospect through the process.

4. Coordinate everything in the plan. Plan and time the release of each piece of your marketing plan for maximum effect and in a way that allows various pieces of the total plan to support and reinforce each other. Be clear about the customer need your product or service can alleviate, and keep that focus.

5. Continuous improvement. Analyze, re-test, adjust, update and refine. Every ad and every e-mail message will meet with a different level of success. The only way your marketing will improve is by testing, analysis. Then learn from your mistakes and make appropriate changes.

Your business marketing plan will be a winner if these five components are part of the plan. In fact, I suggest a periodic review of these components to be certain they are guiding your plan and keeping your efforts targeted.

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