Why Your Business Needs a Communication Plan

The beginning of a brand new year presents brand new opportunities for doing things in brand new ways. As business owners it's a great time to formulate goals for the coming year and develop strategies for achieving them. For instance, you may be looking at different ways to grow your business, of increasing profits, diversifying into other markets... the list could go on and on.

A Communication Plan is one strategy you may not have considered but, when implemented, it could actually help your other business goals fall into place. Now, it may be said that communicating with clients and prospects is all part of the marketing process but, while that is true to some extent, developing a separate Communication Plan will provide a more direct connection with them.

Let's face it; all businesses rely on customers. If you don't have customers you don't make money. So it makes sense to build good relationships with your current customers and foster relationships with prospects who may become customers 'down the track'.

How to Write Marketing Communications Plans

In addition to building customer relationships, a Communication Plan has many other strategic advantages:

* It enables you to remain 'front of mind' to customers and prospects so that when they need what you provide, they'll call you instead of the competition.

* Providing relevant and useful information to your target market will help establish you as a valuable resource within your niche.

* Regular contact with your market keeps you 'in the game' and not merely a spectator.

* By 'keeping in touch' you'll become even more client-focused and seek new ways to provide extra value.

* Sending out new and interesting information requires time and research that will increase your knowledge as well as that of your market.

When developing your Communication Plan, you need to ask yourself two things:

1. Who am I going to communicate with?

2. How am I going to reach them?

The 'who' will in most cases be current customers and those in your target market who are not yet customers.

Development of a Communication's Plan

The 'how' is filled with countless options. Here are just a few:

* Advertisements: Get more 'bang for your buck' by only putting ads out there that directly target your market, both in the ad's wording and where it is placed.

* Newsletters: Sending newsletters either by email or post is a great way to stay in touch with clients and 'yet-to-be-clients' while exhibiting your knowledge and expertise. Give people an incentive to subscribe to your newsletter such as a free report or generous discount, and then provide ongoing useful information.

* Host an event: Tele-seminars, webinars and live events can dramatically increase your profile while enabling you to speak directly to your market.

* Surveys: Not sure if you're 'hitting the mark' with your customers? Need some ideas on what your market needs? Ask them. Not only will you receive valuable feedback from your target market, your clients will appreciate that you actually care enough to ask.

* Cards: Apart from the annual Christmas send-out, cards can be used for many different occasions. For instance, to say 'Thanks for that referral' or 'Congratulations on your recent award'. A handwritten card adds a personal touch of class to your communications and its power should never be underestimated.

So, the next time you sit around that conference table and brainstorm how to take your business to the next level, don't just plan to market, plan to COMMUNICATE!