- E-Commerce
- A Look at Your Online Customer Service
- How to Prevent Abandoned Shopping Carts
- Checkout Options for Your Online Store
- General
- 4 Great Ways to Boost Sales
- The Essential Elements of Great Customer Service
- Your Wholesale Business & Angry Customers
- Marketing
- Traffic Generating Tips for the Online Wholesaler
- Tips for Doing More With Less in a Down Economy
- Try Customized Marketing For Your Wholesale Business
- Search Engine Optimization - SEO
- Basic SEO Tips for Online Wholesalers
- The Basic Rules of Search Engine Optimization
Marketing Plan For Your Wholesale Business
By Sarah Pearson Published: 18/02/2009
A good marketing plan is absolutely essential to the success of any business, and particularly so for the small business during these hard economic times. If you are just starting out in the business world, then you absolutely must be armed with a good marketing plan before going in, but even if you're already on your way, it doesn't hurt to re-examine your current marketing plan with new eyes and see if it needs some shoring up.
With that in mind, there are some basic things all good marketing plans need to succeed, and they are:
1.) A message – In order to have your marketing materials succeed, you need to clearly put across just what it is you do, exactly, to anyone looking at those materials. You need to let potential customers know what you do, and why they need it. It should focus on your customer's needs, because what your customers think about your product and know about your business is what makes your business succeed.
2.) Branding – A memorable logo and brand are needed to show your business's personality and help people remember you. When they look at the logo, it should show them what you're about. The logo is part of your branding process, which will include all of your marketing and advertising materials, like flyers, business cards, and more.
3.) A web site – The Internet is here to stay, so don't be left behind without a presence on the web. Even if you plan to do the majority of your business out of an actual building, you need to establish yourself on the Internet so people can find you easily. As your business grows, you can also let the website grow to include other things like customer support or online ordering, whatever is needed.
4.) Exposure – Once you have your materials together, you need to get yourself out there. Contact local media, and see if they profile local businesses, and then you have some great free advertising. Use your web site to reach out to your local community and beyond.
All of these things can be done on a limited budget, so if you are just starting out or you are in something of a financial slump, you can still do it – and you absolutely must, because the only way to make more money with your business is to let people know you are there, and that's just what a good marketing plan will let you do.
