The document outlines the steps to develop an effective marketing communication plan:
1) Analyze the market situation and purchasing environment to understand customer needs and how to position products.
2) Establish specific, measurable marketing objectives like increasing awareness, generating leads, or closing sales.
3) Select positioning concepts aligned with the product's life cycle stage.
4) Develop strategies to accomplish each objective by identifying target audiences and desired actions.
5) Create tactics, which are the specific media and activities used to implement the strategies.
The document outlines the steps to develop an effective marketing communication plan:
1) Analyze the market situation and purchasing environment to understand customer needs and how to position products.
2) Establish specific, measurable marketing objectives like increasing awareness, generating leads, or closing sales.
3) Select positioning concepts aligned with the product's life cycle stage.
4) Develop strategies to accomplish each objective by identifying target audiences and desired actions.
5) Create tactics, which are the specific media and activities used to implement the strategies.
Marcom (Marketing Communication) budgets can be considerable in amount. Leveloping a Mar-
com (Marketing Communication) plan in a systematic manner is crucial to spending this budget optimally. Some steps in preparing a plan are as Iollows: Analyze the Market Situation (Situation Analysis) Some oI the questions that need to be answered are: . \hat position do we presently hold in minds oI prospects: z. \hat position do we want to achieve: . \hat do we have to do to attain this position: . Is there an unique diBerence, \SP in our products: ,. Can a diBerence be developed, how: Dene the Purchase Environment \ho is the receiver oI the marketing communications and what is the buying inBuence pattern: Lenne their title and Iunction. Lo they recognize the need, compare brands, recommend type oI product, or recommend a vendor: Establish the Marketing Objectives Marketing objectives can vary on a product by product basis. Some objectives might be:
Finding and contacting (prospecting) customers,
Arousing interest and building awareness oI products,
InIorming about product benents and demonstrating advantages,
InIorming about applications,
Leveloping company's reputation / preIerence,
Making specinc proposals,
Closing the sale,
Keeping the customer sold,
Selling product line extensions.
Select Positioning Concepts Most Suited to Purchasing Environment Consider the liIe cycle oI the product. At what stage in its liIe cycle is the product which is to be promoted: Its introduction, initial growth, maturity, saturation, or decline: Conrm the Basic Marketing Strategy Create the Communication Objective An objective in this case, is a specinc communication task to be accomplished among a denned audience in a given period oI time. An objective should be stated in terms oI expected results, not in terms oI activities or processes, i.e. to establish a o% preIerence Ior Brand A among a target market oI j,ooo buyers." Each Objective: Specic, Realistic, and Measurable For each objective, identiIy to whom the communication should be directed, what action is desired to be stimulated, what attitudes are hoped to change, and over what period oI time are these objec- tives to be accomplished: Develop Strategy A strategy outlines how the objective is to be accomplished. Communication strategies oIten deal with the message and identiIy the overall communications approach to be used, e.g. communicate the cost savings in using Brand A via testimonial advertising to identined buying inBuences in the target markets. A wide variety oI communications can be used, space advertising, direct mail, PR Activities, trade shows, collateral, et cetera. The strategy must determine the proper allocation oI the budget Ior the categories, in order to meet the stated objectives. Develop Tactics Tactics reIer to the specinc steps to be taken. Tactics oIten deal with media, as the media plans rep- resent the actual tools which will be used to accomplish the desired result, e.g. advertise year-round in the top three industry magazines.