New York SBDC Research Network

Clearly, technology has changed marketing a lot. We fast forward through ads on television and block them on our devices. We have amplified word of mouth in social media. We pour over analytics and metrics. But what about the marketing plan? Has technology changed marketing planning? One thing for sure: The fundamentals still apply. As much as ever, marketing is still getting people to know, like, and trust your business. As much as ever, marketing still needs defining target markets, knowing those market segments, reaching the right people with the right message. Pricing is still the most important message, and the lowest price is – as always – not necessarily the best price. Another thing for sure: the marketing mix, the tactics, are changing rapidly. Goodbye to the yellow pages, hello Facebook. Goodbye public relations, hello social media. Goodbye advertising, hello content marketing. And where is the marketing plan, in all this? Let me suggest x essentials of a marketing plan...

This week we’re sharing some helpful worksheets you can use to evaluate and plan your social media marketing.  They come from our “ SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING FOR SMALL BUSINESS ” planning guide.  Come in to your local SBDC for a copy of this book - 65 pages of step-by-step social media instructions.   Social Media Marketing Worksheet #5: Social Media Platforms Choose the platforms that will be best for your business and focus your energy on doing those platforms well. Don’t try to manage social media accounts on every platform out there. Select the ones that will work best with your company culture, brand vision, and available resources. Once you’ve decided which social networks you want to join, use this worksheet as an example for organizing your account information in one location. Keep this information updated and on hand. It will be especially helpful if you have multiple people managing the company’s social media accounts.

This week we’re sharing some helpful worksheets you can use to evaluate and plan your social media marketing.  They come from our “ SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING FOR SMALL BUSINESS ” planning guide.  Come in to your local SBDC  for a copy of this book - 65 pages of step-by-step social media instructions.   Social Media Marketing Worksheet #4: Social Media Goals: Your social media marketing goals should be unique to your business and overall company vision. First, determine current challenges facing your social media presence. These might include: no current content or presence, low website traffic, weak audience engagement, minimal brand awareness, or poor brand reputation or customer service. Once you’ve identified current challenges you should produce strong social media goals and clear plans of action to meet these challenges.  This worksheet shows what a completed goals worksheet would look like.

This week we’re sharing some helpful worksheets you can use to evaluate and plan your social media marketing.  They come from our “ SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING FOR SMALL BUSINESS ” planning guide.  Come in to your local SBDC  for a copy of this book - 65 pages of step-by-step social media instructions.   Social Media Marketing Worksheet #2: Current Social Media Presence: What does your social media marketing look like today? Use this worksheet to make note of the platforms you’re using, how many followers you have and their level of engagement.