Companies Can Make the Most of Limited Time and Budgets with a Marketing Plan

May 12, 2010 - PRLog -- Valley Forge, PA, May 12, 2010 – Marketing budgets and staffing are often the first areas to be cut in tough economic periods.  This means that businesses have to find creative ways to stand out in the marketplace, and attract new customers despite having less man hours and fewer dollars to spend.  According to a new white paper from Carolyn Frith Marketing the path to profitability is often a marketing plan.

“There is a lot of information out there about how to write a marketing plan, but very little that tells business managers why they should invest their time and energy in one,” says Carolyn Frith, owner of Carolyn Frith Marketing.  “The simple answer is that in the long run a well-thought-out marketing plan will not only save them time and money, it will increase sales.  Companies that lack a marketing plan, not only have lackluster sales and profitability, but their marketing programs are often costly and inefficient.  Managers tend to react to market needs as they occur rather than anticipating and planning for them.   This produces a last-minute frenzy of activity surrounding events such as trade shows and holiday promotions.  It does not, however, produce maximum results.”

The white paper explains how marketing plans promote efficient use of time by preventing the “idea of the day” from becoming the latest fire drill, helping to maximize project synergies, and planning ahead to meet deadlines.  It also illustrates how companies with a marketing plan will save money because planning ahead enables managers to evaluate their desired initiatives against a budget.  They make trade-offs among programs forcing the most critical ones to float to the top.  Also, they are able to explore cost-effective project alternatives and avoid surcharges by keeping activities on track.

In addition, companies that go through the thought process of a marketing plan take time to evaluate market trends and competitive activity.  Thus, they become more responsive to the market, a key trait of successful organizations.  
Finally, communication between internal departments is enhanced when all key stakeholders understand the plan.  The marketing department is often the central hub in an organization, supporting sales but also requiring the assistance of other departments such as engineering, manufacturing and customer service.  All departments need to understand their role in the marketing plan in order to operate together as a well-oiled machine, catering to customer needs and exceeding their expectations.  

For more details, download the white paper for free at http://www.carolynfrith.com.  

Carolyn Frith Marketing helps with anything from marketing planning, market research and new product development to brochures, ads, newsletters, direct mail campaigns, web sites, white papers, press releases, case studies, and more.  For more information call Carolyn Frith Marketing at 610-340-0622, email carolynfrith@verizon.net, or, visit Carolyn Frith Marketing at http://www.carolynfrith.com.

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Carolyn Frith Marketing, in Valley Forge, PA, helps with anything from marketing planning, market research and new product development to brochures, ads, newsletters, direct mail campaigns, web site content, white papers, press releases, case studies, and more. Business managers who feel they are working too hard and their marketing materials are hardly working can get help. Carolyn Frith, has over 25 years of marketing experience and creates persuasive marketing materials to grow businesses. http://www.carolynfrith.com