Marketing Communications

What is a marketing communications plan (MARCOMMS)?

A Marketing Communications Plan is an extension of your Marketing and/or Business Plan and will define your target audience, determine the right message to communicate with them and choose the right media to reach them.

Which channel you use and to what extent will be determined by cost and effectiveness but also by what resonates with your customers and how your target market typically purchases.

There are three main steps Belle Sante use to formulate a successful marcomms plan:

Research
Strategy
Implementation

Research

How do your customers buy and what is the best way to reach them?

Strategy

Strategy can be broken down to three parts: objectives, message and media.

Objectives: What market segment do you want to target? What message do you want to send? The end result of marketing communications should be to engage customers, build quality relationships and make sales.

Message: Central to the business is creating value and creating customers. With this in mind we need to take a 'customers first' approach to all communications. Understand your customer first then act on their needs. The message simply communicates how your positioning strategy aligns your product or service features with the benefits your customers seek through using your product.

Media: What communication vehicles are we going to utilise to deliver your message most effectively? It is important to keep in mind how the message needs to be kept unified throughout all marketing communications so that we use a single voice to reflect your brand personality.

Implementation

The final step can be broken into three components: budget, schedule and tracking.

Budget: Getting the best return on your investment is important here so using the information discovered in the research stage will determine what is effective and also investigate new channels of communication. Having a thorough understanding of the communication channels which are used by your customers and potential customers will ensure budget is allocated correctly.

Schedule: Planning a twelve month schedule of activity will help determine who needs to know what and when in order for the marketing communications plan to succeed. Some activity will be ongoing such as a web presence but targeted communications through the web will be scheduled and executed at opportune times.

Tracking: All communications should have some form of tracking to determine if the desired customer action was achieved. Having an ongoing cycle of progressive refinement is important. Following the formula of plan, implement, track and adjust will guarantee desired results and clever budgeting.

At Belle Sante we believe that developing a communications plan before embarking on any adhoc promotions will ensure an integrated marketing approach where all touch-points of your brand are communicated consistently. Don't think of your brand as a logo or look but everything you do that affects your customer's perceptions of you.