The Green Marketing Manifesto

I know that we’ll be too late by now to get one of the free books up for grabs by linking to ‘The Green Marketing Manifesto’, but I wanted to do it anyway.

The book, written by John Grant from the Greenormal blog, looks at green marketing (funnily enough) and how to organise your green marketing effectively. A good few examples are also thrown in for good measure, from a variety of companies, who are already making real headway in this area (one of which being Marks & Spencer, who you should remember have made leaps in bounds in one store in particular this year).

When it comes down to it though, it’s easy to jump on the bandwagon of green marketing or just pay lip service to it, but when it comes to actually implementing real changes and maintaining them it’s a completely different story. And the hardest step is often where to even start – then after you have, where to go next. But with a book like this which gives clear and practical advice on how to ‘go green’ properly and sustain this effort permanently, it makes the whole process that little bit easier.

At only £14.99 in many good book shops or £11.49 from Amazon, it will make the perfect stocking filler for the marketer / businessperson in your life (or just as a cheeky wee present for yourself). Very nice.

P.S. I also like the wee bit at the bottom of the cover asking buyers not to put the book in a plastic bag – nice touch. I definitely wouldn’t be putting it in a plastic bag – or an ‘I’m not a plastic bag’ bag for that matter!

Just Try It Out # 6: Auditing Marketing Efficiency

We haven’t had a Just Try It Out for a wee while now, so I thought I’d throw one back in again. With the start of summer upon us (hopefully), you may be thinking about reviewing the marketing you have already conducted this year, or, alternatively, you may be thinking about starting some marketing in the following season. Either way, the following steps should give you some tips as how to start tackling this review of your business and marketing.

Step 1: Analyse this
Take a virtual snapshot of your business and analyse it (objectively) from various angles. Assess your strengths, weaknesses and any likely opportunities or threats (SWOT analysis). Next think about any environmental forces that may affect your business both internal (micro) and external (macro), the latter of which will include Political, Economic, Social and Technological (PEST) forces.

Step 2: Review
Review your business objectives and decide which marketing activities have delivered the best results (if you have already conducted marketing). Even if you haven’t conducted any formal marketing, consider referrals and Word of Mouth as these are also forms of marketing. Take note however, a few activities might take some time to have any noticeable effects. Even if you feel that some are not yielding the desired results straight away, try to maintain the momentum on those activities and fine tune them where suitable to ensure maximum results.

Step 3: Generate new ideas
Brainstorm to think of new ideas for potential marketing activity, but make sure they are appropriate to your business objectives. Use the analysis you conducted in step 1 also to help devise activities that will maximise your strengths, minimise weaknesses, manage external threats and exploit external opportunities.

Step 4: Plan Ahead (If you haven’t already)
Your planning and auditing schedule should follow a cyclical pattern and if an annual marketing plan has been agreed you will already (or at least should) have noted when your audit(s) will take place. If there is no plan, your audit should uncover the need for one, which can be formalised at the next appropriate juncture. You can then fit each activity and campaign into a suitable time-slot and begin the new season with some new marketing.

So, Auditing Marketing Efficiency - Why not try it out?

See the signs, get a marketing plan!

If you've found our blog via our web site, chances are you've already heard the good news that the À La Carte Marketing Programme - the European funded programme delivered by AME Marketing - has been extended until June 2007.

If you are serious about making the most of your marketing in 2007, it is imperative that you make the time to put a plan in place. Marketing on an ad hoc basis will never yield the same results as well thought-out, well-planned, regular activities. During the 'Plan Your Course' marketing training programme, we can take you step-by-step through the process of building a marketing plan. And because the five workshops and five days of one-to-one consultancy are spread out over several months, it allows you the chance to put aside the time needed to carry out this important activity.

Essentially, the course aims to empower Ayrshire businesses like yours with valuable marketing skills and knowledge. It teaches those who are really serious about growing their business how to plan ahead, adapt to market changes and as a result compete more effectively and profitably in the marketplace.

With this in mind, AME Marketing has launched its latest campaign to promote the programme. With the strapline, "All the signs tell us you need a marketing plan!", the campaign aims to direct businesses towards valuable support that will help them grow, compete and become more profitable.

There are three images in the campaign - "Plan Your Course", "No Direction" and "Rock and a Hard Place", so look out for them! We've given you a sneek peek at the artwork for the campaign here, as it will appear on our website, so we'd love to hear your feedback.

In the meantime, if you want more information on the 'Plan Your Course' Marketing Training programme, give us a call on 01292 678920 or click here.

'Plan Your Course'

'No Direction'

'Rock and a Hard Place'

Research, Research, Research

New Year, New Marketing? How is it all going so far?

If you are still unsure what activities to carry out this year or indeed who your customers are / what they want, then market research is the most useful activity you could carry out this year. If you don’t know what your target market’s needs and wants are, how can you market to them? Research should be the foundation of whatever you do in marketing terms. In fact, it is one of the most important aspects of marketing.

Below you will find a simple, step-by-step guide to conducting a basic research project. Try giving it a go.

1. Identify your objectives
What do you want to know about the market and why?

2. Source secondary data
You may be able to find all the information that you need through existing sources or studies, yet it is unlikely what you find will be specific enough. The data may also be dated or biased. Secondary data will however, form the basis for any primary research that you do and is an essential step.

3. Identify an appropriate sample
Think about who to talk to in order to get a representative sample of the target market. Aim to contact a cross section of your target market as well as opinion leaders and specialists.

4. Focus groups
Focus groups provide in-depth, qualitative information. You may decide that you want to carry out this activity to highlight the issues in the market and to help in designing a questionnaire. Look out over the coming weeks for a look at this topic in more depth.

5. Designing questionnaires
Topics in the questionnaire should all relate to the objectives of your research. Avoid asking ‘nice to know’ questions and keep the questionnaire short. Otherwise those completing the questionnaire might give up half way through or not complete the survey at all. We will also look at questionnaires more closely over the next few weeks should you wish to carry out one of your own.

6. Conducting the research
Make sure that it is as easy as possible for respondents to participate, and free. You may want to offer some kind of incentive to participants to encourage their involvement. Choose an optimal location, time and manner of approach. And, if appropriate, ensure confidentiality of their response.

7. Collate and analyse the information gathered
The analysis should be focused on the information needs set out by the objectives at the start of the research. Make sure that the findings are firmly based on the facts and are completely impartial.

8. Prepare the report
Your research report should follow the same basic outline every time – Objectives, Methodology, Limitations, Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations.

You wouldn’t think of making an important investment or purchase in your personal life without doing some research first. Why should it be any different when it comes to making an investment in the marketing of your business?

Why you need a marketing plan - NOW!

With the end of the year fast approaching, now is the perfect time to begin putting a marketing plan together to help start the New Year in the right direction.

A strong plan can help you create, guide and coordinate your marketing efforts. It will compel you to think about your business goals and how your marketing strategy will facilitate the realisation of these. Furthermore, preparing the document itself will allow you to examine and appraise the current state of your business and the industry it operates within. Therefore, before you sit down to actually write your marketing plan, research and make sure you have a clear idea of the following.

1. What are your products and/or services, their benefits and features?
2. Who is your target market and what are their buying habits?
3. Who are your competitors and what is their offering in comparison to yours?
4. What is the problem, need or desire your product or service solves?

Although some companies build marketing plans that are more strategic in nature, it is likely your plan will simply set out the course of one year. The document should contain information about your company, its resources, influences, products and/or services; short and long-term objectives; your marketing strategy and activities you will conduct to help achieve your objectives; your expected outputs; contingency plans and a timetable. It should also document the costs of any marketing activities as well as how you plan to measure the success of such activities.

Once the plan has been written, it will need updated each year. Take note of any changes in your market throughout the year and if you need to, alter your activities - the tactics that proved successful one year may not work so well if conditions have altered significantly. So, plan to review your marketing plan frequently and use your contingency plans if need be. Reviewing every quarter is ideal; however if that is not feasible, do so at least once each year.

These are just a few tips on where to start when putting your plan together. The task may seem overwhelming and is indeed time-consuming, but it is entirely worthwhile. If you don't already have a plan in place, now is the perfect time to do so. A well-written, comprehensive plan can be the focal point of all your ventures since it describes how you will attract and retain customers -- the most crucial aspect of a business.

Yet, should the task seem a little too daunting, don't despair. We have the answer. The 'Plan Your Course' Marketing Training programme, which is delivered by AME Marketing, offers a series of five workshops as well as five days consultancy time to assist you to research, prepare and formulate your plan.

The course empowers you with valuable marketing skills and knowledge, ranging from how to carry out a marketing audit of your business to setting budgets and allocating resources. By the end of the course, you'll not only know how to structure your plan, you'll know how to carry out each of the activities contained within its pages.

Utilising support from the À La Carte Marketing Programme, the course is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This means that the costs to businesses like yours are kept as low as possible. So, a course that should cost you £2,850 only costs you £600.

With only a month and a half left until ERDF runs out, the time to book your place on 'Plan Your Course' is NOW! Follow the link to our main website, which you will find to the left of the page, or give us a call on 01292 678920 for more information.

Can you really afford not to plan ahead next year?

All the signs tell us...

...you need a marketing plan.

A marketing plan is perhaps the most important, yet most overlooked growth tool that a business can utilise. It is crucial to all business types, of all shapes and sizes, operating in all sectors.

The truth is that a lot of marketing campaigns fail because they are ill-conceived, are not very well developed or are executed in a completely haphazard fashion. A marketing plan helps to avoid this from the outset by having you invest your time, money and energy only in pre-determined marketing activities that you know will bring about the returns that you need.

In other words, it brings a resolute order to blind business chaos. It brings clarity to your marketing activities where there was once a haze. It makes your efforts more focused, deliberate and successful!

The good news is that AME Marketing is currently offering companies in Ayrshire the chance to join the 'Plan Your Course' Marketing Training Programme. It's a heavily subsidised marketing training initiative, which culminates in each delegate producing a strategic marketing plan for his or her business. Companies also benefit from five days of consultancy time with their own dedicated marketing coach.

The programme includes the following workshops:

Introduction & Carrying out a Marketing Audit (½ day)

Market Research and Information (full day)

Objectives, Segmentation & Targeting, Positioning, Strategy (full day)

The Marketing Mix (full day)

Setting Budgets & Allocating Resources (½ day)

Roundup & Graduation (full day)

Companies in eligible areas of Ayrshire can take part in the programme for as little as £600 (plus a VAT payment). To find out if you are eligible, call us on 01292 678920.