The seven critical elements of your marketing plan

1. The benefit to consumers

The only products or services that succeed are those that offer a benefit to consumers that is greater than their cost.

2. Your positioning in the marketplace

Identify the benefits of using your product. How will you make the user's life better. Remember, list benefits not features.

3. Your target market

Once you've established the benefits of your product, you've implicitly identified a target market. Now segment your market even further. Exactly who wants and needs your product.

4. Your advertising strategy and positioning

Now that you have positioned your competitors and your product, you are ready to create your advertising strategy sheet. 

5. Computing a budget

The first step in creating a marketing budget is determining what percentage of sales you will be able to devote to marketing. 

6. Choosing your tools

Based on current information, the two best tools to market your business are radio and digital. Television, although it still has a huge audience, is too expensive and newspapers are fading away.

7. Implementing a monthly timetable

Your advertising should have a monthly timetable and be consistent in the long term.