by Debbie LaChusa, 6FigureWorkAtHomeMom

I was speaking to a group awhile back and one of the first questions I posed to the audience was, "Do you have a marketing plan?"

About 10 hands went up, rather tentatively. When I asked a woman in the front row, who had raised her hand, "Okay, what IS a marketing plan?" she replied nervously and with a bit of uncertainty, "Isn't it what you plan
to do to market your business?"
 

What is a Marketing Plan?

Well, certainly that IS an umbrella answer. But what does that really mean?

At that point it became very clear to me that many work at home moms don't fully understand what a marketing plan is.

They believe a marketing plan is simply what they plan to do to market their work at home business.

Is a Marketing Plan Simply What You Plan to do to Market?

I could say I plan to advertise, or I plan to use public relations, or I plan to create a website. Those are all things I plan to do to market my work at home business, yet they do NOT equal a marketing plan."

In addition to outlining the marketing activities you plan to use (that's what advertising, PR and a website are - they are not the plan itself, but rather ONE STEP in your plan), your marketing plan should establish the foundation for all of your marketing.

An Important Step in Creating Your Marketing Plan

One of the first things you need to determine is what are your goals and objectives. What do you want to accomplish over the next year in your work at home business? I call this "painting your target."

As when throwing darts, or shooting a bow and arrow, you don't just aim into the wild blue yonder, you aim at a target that has been placed on the wall.

Paint Your Target By Establishing Goals & Objectives

Without goals and objectives, you too are aiming into the wild blue yonder. Your marketing has no focus, because you haven't taken the time to determine what you are aiming for ... what results you want your marketing to achieve.

And, as a work at home mom, your time is at a premium. You can't afford to waste time on marketing that isn't going to get you results.

You Must Create Specific Goals and Objectives

To just say, I want more clients or more sales, is not enough. That's like pointing your arrow in a direction, but not knowing where the target is. There's a chance you might hit the target, but odds are you won't.

So, the big question is, do you have a marketing plan, or do you simply have a list of the marketing activities you plan to use to grow your work at home business?

I encourage you to take an important step in creating your marketing plan: paint your target. Identify your goals and objectives for your work at home business. What would you like to accomplish over the next year?

Write Them Down!

Write down your goals and objectives. Studies show that those who write down their goals have a much higher success rate when it comes to achieving them.

© Copyright 2007 Debbie LaChusa

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Debbie LaChusa feels blessed to be a work at home mom who gets to spend time with her family, do work she loves and earn a great living. She founded 10stepmarketing and 6FigureWorkAtHomeMom to help other working moms do the same. To see a free "Tribute to Work At Home Moms" video and register for free WAHM tips, visit http://www.6FigureWorkAtHomeMom.com.

 

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