Business Plans And Marketing Schemes

The corporate community makes use of different terms in talking about business planning - business strategy, sales planning, marketing strategy, business plans, and marketing schemes. But as different as these terms sound or spell, they cover same principles -- how to improve sales and getting the company "out there". Efficient business plans and marketing schemes need to be strong, cost-effective, and most of all, realistic. As such, an efficient business plan considers several important factors: products, services, market size, competitor activity, marketing, and production costs.

Since a business's' selling point and source of income are the kind of products and service it offers, it is logical to pay these much attention. Product and service evaluation should be part of all business plans and marketing schemes a company formulates. Product evaluation involves product testing, improving quality control, product design, and marketing. In product testing and quality control, it is important to ensure that the company's product is all it claims to be. For example, if company A wants to claim that its product washes off stains in less time than the leading brand B, it must test and improve its product A against product B. Doing this allows company A to adjust the formulation of product A to beat product B. The testing process can also serve as proof if the company A puts advantage of product A in their advertisements.

Business plans and marketing schemes are not complete without including service assessment. A company's employees can make or break the business by attracting or turning consumers and possible clients off. The company may consider hiring the services of a mystery shopper who can pretend to be a customer to get a more objective service evaluation. The mystery shopper has the advantage of anonymity and the staff would treat him as an ordinary customer. The company's head honcho will not get the same results because, naturally, the staff would act their best with the big boss around. Let us again take the example of A and B and make them competing groceries. If company A hires a mystery shopper to visit both stores, A gets the benefit of assessing its own store and that of its competitor. Company A, with the help of the evaluation, can fire unproductive employees, reward the good ones, and implement new courtesy policies that beat that of B's. Statistics show that customers are more likely to support business with efficient and courteous staff over a competing business that offers the same products. Thus, by improving service, a company has the benefit of being more cost-effective (firing unproductive employees) and increasing sales.

Expansion is one goal of entrepreneurs. It could be physical expansion or putting up new stores, or an expansion in terms of market size. Market size expansion has a great deal to do with effective marketing. It is essential for business plans and marketing schemes to have provisions for advertisements. There are several ways in which a company can advertise its services and products: paid email-reading sites, promos, print ads, radios, televisions, and other audio and visual media. Consulting statistics about the media habits of its target market, a company can identify what medium is more effective. Though taking risks is part of business, it helps to be realistic and supported by fact.

Business plans and marketing schemes play important roles in the success of a business. Business analysts affirm this by saying that by coming up with new business plans and marketing schemes regularly, businesses prevent being stagnant and are able to continuously deliver good services and products. Over time, these are the businesses that last.

The Internet has, without question, provided more opportunities and better communication between the media and business owners. However, it has also encouraged an onslaught of press releases for which the media simply can not keep up. This means, that you, the business person must either deliver press releases so compelling that they will shine through the proverbial slush pile, or find a better approach for reaching your target editors or producers.

For the very same reason that the personal approach works so well on the Internet with consumers is the same reason it works well with editors and producers. Press releases are without a doubt the easier route. Simply write and click send then sit back and hope someone with a valuable title will notice. The hard truth is that getting a press release noticed is becoming more and more of a challenge. Unless you happen to like standing in a very long line and hoping an editor will dig through a very deep slush pile to notice your news, may I suggest a more direct, successful approach to garnering press space? The pitch.

The pitch requires a little more work, research, and preparation but also nets better results. The pitch is really only a verbal press release. If you can get the phone date, you have a better chance of being heard, of personalizing the story, and therefore getting the much coveted time in the media spotlight.

Publicists have long understood the value of the pitch and in fact, the pitch is the number one reason publicists are paid the big bucks. Do they have something you do not have? No. It's a tool anyone can learn to hone. Will you mess up a few pitches? Yes, without a doubt just the same way you messed up a few press releases. The difference is that you didn't hear about it with your press release, which in reality did not help you. It is a tool that will require constant improvement but the rewards and both personal and professional.

So what does a pitch consist of? A pitch contains all the same information that a press release requires but you present it in a less formal way, over the telephone, directly to the editor or producers. It's important that you take the time to prepare your pitch and be able to discuss it without reading it. Research the publications, radio shows, or television spots to be sure that your particular story will fit in with their theme and then either write, email, or call for an appointment to present your story.

Not only does the pitch personalize your story and make you real for the editor or producer but you will also begin to build contacts within the media. These contacts will eventually become professional friends that will smooth the road to greater and greater media opportunities.

Once you have delivered your pitch, asked for a time or space slot, don't forget to thank the editor or producer both in the conversation and in writing. Be courteous and respectful at all times. Never try to talk and editor or producer into your story, as they know their market better than you do. If you get a rejection ask for a referral to a more appropriate market and keep trying.

Yes, press releases definitely have their place. A consistently distributed press release will keep you in the eye of the media, which can pave the way to a more productive pitch. So in affect, using both tools is the best approach. One is definitely weaker without the other, but together they make an impact that can't be beat.

Overall, it's persistence that wins in the long run and this is a quality every publicist has. However, you can learn the ability of persistence simply by practicing it. Keep at it and before long you will be a media hit!