If you are thinking that your business could do with some fresh marketing then before you start you should have a strategy or plan. You need a solid foundation so you get the most out of your promotional activities otherwise you risk wasting precious time, effort and money on areas that will not reap benefits. For help with planning, try a Cardiff branding agency. For more information, visit http://www.elfen.co.uk/.

Consider the following before embarking on a new marketing campaign:

• Who is your customer? Remember that you can’t please all of the people all of the time so don’t even try. If you define your target market then you can pour all your efforts into those who are most likely to respond to your product or service. Think about defining by income, geographical region, age, industry or gender. This will keep your costs down and target your resources where you are most likely to see positive results.
• What are you selling? Remember that what you are selling will mean different things to the buyer. The customer might be buying into a service or product that is time saving and efficient so try to focus on why the customer is buying and hone in on that.
• Stay visible – a customer will see your product or service many times before they realise they remember it when they want or need it so you need to retain a presence. This involves keeping up a presence on any available media, for example, social media, local radio or local newspaper ads.

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• Trust – think about how you will develop trust with your potential customers. They must be assured that you will do as you say and deliver what you promise. A way to do this is to offer tests, samples, trials and try before you buy promotions.
• Niche areas – could you do well in an area of the market that is currently under-represented. This is a great way to dominate a market even if you are a small business.
• Consistency – keep your focus during the campaign and map a path to success by following a consistent approach. Narrow your efforts to a single product or service to a specific target audience and continue doing that over a period of time to truly embed your brand into their minds.
• Competitors – What is your unique selling point? Why should a customer spend their money with you and not someone else? This needs to send a clear message to the consumer. If you are unsure then don’t be afraid to survey your customers and find out why they chose you over another business. Learn from the successes of your competitors and build on their weaknesses so you can target these advantages in future marketing campaigns. Identifying a unique selling point is essential to successful branding and will demonstrate to your customers that they have made the right choice. Every part of your marketing plan should focus on the clear message of your unique selling point.