• Smart marketing for businesses of any size

begins with a well thought-out strategic plan.

Set aside a little time to outline the plan

basics, then review weekly to keep goals and

priorities top of mind.

• There are lots of great sources for detailed

marketing and business plans out there. The

bigger your business, the more detailed your

plan should be.

• Most small businesses can concentrate on

some essential steps, outlined in these

pages, to build a profitable, thriving operation.

Here are 6 hot tips to get you started.

• A well-informed strategic plan requires knowing the market. There are countless stories of failed product introductions that clearly missed this basic step, like the Chevrolet Nova’s introduction in South America. The automaker overlooked a name change, despite the impact of labeling a car as “No-Va,” or “it doesn’t go” in Spanish. And, in fact, it didn’t, becoming a classic failed product.

• The lesson is, start with data you already have at your fingertips by analyzing your customer base. Try to understand who buys your products or services—and speak to them in language they will understand. Look at demographics, income levels, and geographic distribution, among other things.

• Use the information to create a customer profile, a powerful aid in visualizing your most likely customer. How well does your product serve the core customer, and are you doing enough to reach that person or business?

• Your brand is your identity and connects your business to customers. It should be unique visually and in the way it is used to communicate your product or service.

• Brand image and awareness are essential to success. Use the brand to build customer loyalty by associating it with positive aspects of the products or organization, and by making it a part of every contact the customer has with your company.

• Give each customer repeated exposure by placing the brand logo prominently on every packaging element and all print materials, in all online platforms, on licensed merchandise, and on company apparel or uniforms in the form of badges and patches.

• The company logo should telegraph key brand information at a glance, conveying an image that reflects core company values.

• Embroidered custom patches are a time-tested way to

spread the logo and image in every setting and in

places other advertising may not reach. Your logo

takes on a 3-D quality that enhances a good design

and strong colors.

• A logo patch on employee uniforms clearly labels

each individual as a trusted representative, increasing

consumer confidence.

• Apparel emblazoned with a logo patch is like a mobile

advertisement endorsed by the wearer. It can also be

a supplementary revenue stream if the brand image

has a certain appeal.

• When you think of classic logos like Toyota and Nike, a whole

company history, product experience, and probably one or two

favorite marketing campaigns come to mind in a flash (“Just Do

It”).

• Patches have a long life, suggesting the quality image of an

established, respected institution. Motorcycle clubs use patches

and emblems to convey information about the group and its

social norms.

• Fans trade and collect different styles of patches, spreading

awareness in the process. This early form of viral marketing

was used with great success by the Boy Scouts of America,

and can still be effective for a small business.

• Go back to your customer data set and identify

communities within it—groups that naturally

share common interests, demographics,

location or some other important rallying point.

• Plan ways to identify your brand with the group

and convey key messages that will inspire them

to share the information.

• Groups can gather around a specific cause, like

collecting backpacks for underserved

schoolchildren, or around an interest, like

motorcycle clubs. Practical advice that

promotes your useful product or service—

school backpacks or collectible club patches—

will certainly get shared.

• Unless you have invented the first of a new,

never-seen product, chances are you have

competition. Obviously, you want to excel and

offer the best version of a product or service.

How can you differentiate successfully in a

crowded marketplace?

• Be the best. Ensure that everything you offer is of

the highest possible quality, or that it offers

something unique that other brands do not.

• Identify your products’ strengths and compare

them with the competition’s weaknesses. Work on

building awareness of your brand’s advantages—

without going negative on the competition.

Artex Group has made over 30 million embroidered patches for

companies around the world. Their high quality patches are found

in Toyota and other top-name vehicles, and on apparel and

products for companies large and small, as well as government

and civic institutions. Contact them for ideas, information, and

pricing, by visiting www.artexgroup.net, or call 1-866-845-1042.