Strategic Marketing

Marketing can be defined as "satisfying needs profitably". It entails identifying and meeting human and social needs.

Marketing is the most used word in business yet probably the least understood. It is, in fact, the starting point for all new revenue generating activities and the critical link between the strategic plan, and the tactical implementation of the sales plan. When management states to its sales force "go sell something", it is usually a clear indication of a lack of an effective marketing strategy.

"The benefits include a much better understanding of what makes someone want to do business with me"-- Douglas B. Carslon, Director Civil/Structural Engineering

This all goes beyond theory. In fact, without a sound marketing strategy, the sales force may go in directions contrary to the strategic plan (if one even exists). This random behavior especially on the part of small and mid size companies can cause severe problems since the quality of today's sale will have a direct impact on tomorrow's revenues and profits.

With all this in mind, Alliance Professional Group, LLC takes a more unique approach that bridges strategic planning with best practices to pull together a cohesive marketing strategy that is easy to implement tactically.

Key Areas:

  • Executive Summary - Main Goals and Recommendations.
  • Vision & Mission Statements
  • Company Values and Principles
  • Situational Analysis - Micro Analysis (markets and competitors), sales, costs, profits, current market, channels, macro-environment.
  • Competitive Analysis - Information sources and quality, predicting competitor actions, signaling (getting competitors to work for us).
  • Customer Value Analysis and Benchmarking - Customer value perceptions, perceived quality, wrong ways to view the market.
  • Competitive Advantages - Existing sources, possible sources, core competencies.
  • SWOT's - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.
  • Marketing Objectives - Financial and marketing goals expressed in sales volume, market share, profit, and other measures.
  • Marketing Strategy - Input from all functional departments.
  • Place - Segmentation strategies of geography, prospect type, etc.
  • Product - Offerings, value proposition, uniqueness & differentiation.
  • Pricing Strategy
  • Promotion and Integrated Marketing Communications -Advertising, sales promotion, publicity, direct mail, email, etc.
  • Social Media-Cutting edge Outbound and Inbound strategies , implementation, and monetization (aka ROI).
  • Packaging - Includes branding, the critical ingredient to creating an external image and customer perception consistent with strategy and goals.
  • Service Business Specific - People, Process, Physical Evidence. Action Programs -Addresses what will be done, by when, by who, how much will it cost, how will progress be measured.
  • Measuring and Managing Marketing Effectiveness - Key to justifying and sustaining marketing strategy for short and long term success. Includes financial projections.
  • Sales Department Structure - Recommendations based on the identified marketing strategies.
  • Contact Management Database - Lead sources, segmentation, available software and hardware technology.