Marketing Plans are Not Optional: They are Absolutely Essential by Bobbye Brooks

There is a saying in the real estate business that sums up the industry's lifeline location, location, location! The value of any piece of real estate property, commercial or residential, is directly associated with where it is located. If you do not believe me, then lets talk about a piece of swamp land I have that is going for a great price. Okay, joking aside, what is my point? In todays marketplace, there is a must-have lifeline for any business, online or offline, and that is, you must have a MARKETING PLAN.

Marketing plans are not a new term. They are a critical component of any good business plan; however, many people today seem to be starting businesses without putting much thought or planning into the ultimate vision, mission and success strategies for that business. Websites are being created within hours by people using these templates that allow them to launch a newÂœbusiness idea in a day. Great, but then what do you do? How will anyone ever find your new website? How do you know if you have all of the tools to promote and support your new business venture?

Media 4 Women Enterprises (http://media4women.com ) was launched officially in January 2010 but spent most of 2009 working on projects and testing strategies to determine effective and efficient media tools. Tonilee and I, along with an amazing team of talented professionals, started this company because we have a passion to share with others what we have learned through the years of trying to grow our nonprofit company, Daily Disciples Ministries. I think we made some major mistakes but I also know that we learned great lessons that have led us to increasing success. What has made the difference? What separates those that fail and quit versus those that fail, keep going and succeed? A Plan. Failure is not a bad thing. It is what you do with failure that leads to success.

We see people everyday that come in to our offices that have great ideas, have valid businesses, established professions, beautiful books, and even cool websites, but have no idea how to promote what they are doing. Their website is getting no traffic. Their business has stalled; no new clients. They are not making any money online, and may be seeing their offline business decreasing. They have spent their budget on the book or the products or the website and now, they need to know what to do next. Some have been in business for years; some are just starting. We are being asked to work with larger companies that are looking ahead at the online opportunities who may have never established that type of marketing plan.

I have been reading articles, blogs, forums and press releases daily. I set up some Google alerts that flag my email every time certain types of marketing and online business information are posted on the Internet. To be honest, I did this to stay up on the latest marketing trends, options and opportunities but I am finding that most of the information is just recycled stuff I already know. Nothing is going to replace the necessity of putting together a solid marketing plan. No gimmicks. No overnight miracles. Every business needs a plan that produces results and will endure as the marketplace changes.

What is involved with a Marketing Plan? A marketing plan is designed to penetrate your marketplace and do it effectively. It may take some time to see productive results but every step must be strategic and monitored. Media 4 Women is helping people develop economical, efficient and effective marketing plans. Plans that strategically work to drive traffic to their website; plans that strategically present and promote their products or services; and plans that tests, measure and refine the results. Without a Plan, success is difficult at best. How will you get to your destination without a plan to plot the course and make corrections? How do you achieve your goals without a plan?

In the old days, we could just advertise in a newspaper and that was marketing. Or, run a radio commercial or even a television commercial, those were big budget marketing plans. But today, to be successful and see results, you must use a variety to media tools including a well tagged website, an active blog, current articles and videos, social media networks, strong branding, commercials and yes, print ads as well. They all work together. Media and marketing go hand in hand. Yet, too many people are feeling overwhelmed and behind.

We offered a free webcast last week on Marketing Strategies and had over 150 people sign up. There is a sense of urgency in people knowing that they must get with it...get going...make something happen. Yes, there should be a sense of urgency, as each day brings about more new changes and more competition for online space. You must have a plan and you must have a very good company behind you providing support. Do you have a plan? Are you working with a supportive company that cares about you?

I want you to consider 5 basic questions: 1) What are your goals? 2) What is your timeframe: short term and long term? 3) What are your expectations? 4) How much can you invest in time, money and resources? and 5)Are you supported by family and friends? If you can answer these basic questions, then you are ready to get going with a plan. Media 4 Women Enterprises is here to help you.

If you need help, I highly recommend that you give us a call at 800-992-0369 or email at info@media4women.com . Time is of the essence as things are changing daily in our world of commerce. We will give you a free initial consultation and at least guide you with some sound advice and ideas. We are getting booked up quickly, so please get on the schedule soon, if you have a business in need. We can help you make some profitable business and market plan decisions, as well as help you with various media tools in the process. http://media4women.com Bobbye Brooks