Do you know what you are doing with your small business marketing? Knowing how to write a marketing plan can mean the difference between dispersal marketing that only reaches the target once in a while and well-thought-out marketing that attracts new leads and helps grow your business.

Maybe you wrote a marketing plan to include your business plan when you launched your company. But that was years ago. Perhaps you are preparing to start a business and need a marketing plan. Or maybe you never wrote a marketing plan and are marketing on the fly. Whatever the situation, every small business needs a marketing plan.

At this event, wowessays.com will tell you about the main mistakes when writing a marketing plan. They will also tell you how to create a marketing plan. Below are the main issues that we will discuss at this event.

1. What is my target market?

You can't know how to market to your target customers unless you know who they are. If you have done market research for your business plan, review that information, and update it if necessary. Gather this data about your target market:

Demographics (household income, age, sex, marital status, employment, location)
The media they use (specific websites, blogs or publications, social media channels, television or radio programs)
Motivation (What motivates them to buy? Do they want to save money, save time, look successful, or have fun?) Motivators are usually emotional.

2. How does my business fit into the marketplace?

First, describe what you sell; then, answer these questions:

What is your unique selling proposition (USP), how is it different and better than the competition?
Who are your competitors? There may be dozens or only a few. Don't forget about online competition.
What are their marketing strengths and weaknesses? If your biggest competitor has an outdated brand name, you have an opportunity to make a jump. On the other hand, if you're starting a new business, you still don't have any brand awareness, which is a weakness.
What marketing tactics do your competitors use, and how successful are those tactics?

3. What is the objective of my marketing?

Answering the questions in step 2 will help you identify your marketing objectives. If your business is new, for example, creating brand awareness should be your primary marketing objective.

Choose specific, measurable goals, such as increasing your website traffic by X percent or getting X number of prospects to fill out a prospect form on your website. All of these marketing objectives should help increase sales.

4. How big is my marketing budget?

Look for that middle ground between spending too much on marketing and too little. Marketing is an investment, not an expense. If a marketing campaign that costs $1000 generates $5000 in new business, it is well worth the cost.

In reality, small business owners have limited budgets. To keep your marketing costs manageable, look for affordable (or even free) tactics such as organic search engine optimization, public relations, and social media marketing.

5. What marketing channels should I use?

Considering your objectives and budget, determine the best marketing channels to reach your target customers. If your target market is seniors who own their own homes, direct mail postcards or door hangers might be the right marketing channels. However, for millennials, digital media such as social networking sites, online review sites, or paid search advertising may be better solutions.

Once you know which marketing channels you want to use, dig deeper into the marketing tactics and when. If you plan to use pay-per-click advertising, decide how many ads to place each month and how much money you want to spend. If you are going to send sales letters, set a date, and budget for it. Put everything in writing, so you don't forget anything.

There is still one question to ask: Is my marketing working?

Knowing how to write a marketing plan is just the beginning. To see if your marketing is working, you have to keep track of how your marketing works. Look at where your customers are coming from, which calls to action work best, and which approaches give the most return on your money.