We give you the basics of developing a marketing plan here. But what if you’ve been in business for awhile and your marketing plan has grown stale or isn’t working any longer. You’ve been in your line of work for years and you can no longer see the forest for the trees. In order to generate ideas, you’ve got to set aside a few hours with your team, including your group of technicians, your admin or receptionist, your after-school help, the accountant and IT guy. It doesn’t hurt to ask in one of your top clients as well. Gather them around. Have snacks and lots of sticky white paper to generate ideas. Here’s how to get started:

Act like a reporter. Ask these questions: Who, What, Where, When, How and Why? Let’s say you own a plumbing contracting and service business. WHO are your customers? WHO are your stakeholders? WHO might use your services? WHAT do you do? WHAT do you do best? WHERE do you do this work? WHERE could you? WHERE do people find out about you? WHEN do people need your services? WHEN and HOW do they pay you? HOW do they find you? HOW do you treat them? WHY choose YOU? You get the idea…

Start generating ideas. Another way to do this is through mindmapping. Put your business in the center of the mindmap with each of these questions as a spoke off of your business. Use this structure to answer your questions.

Each question should have it’s own area. Let’s examine just one of these questions as a way to enhance marketing ideas. WHEN and HOW do people pay you? Do most customers send in payments at the middle or end of month? If you offered to change a due date or allowed them to pay in a different fashion would it enhance business? HOW do people pay you? By check, credit or debit card? Do you have an online way to pay? Could you send PayPal invoices? Could you sign up to accept PayPal? Does PayPal feature vendors….and so forth. One question. Many possibilities.

There is no right/wrong way to brainstorm. Wait. There is. Don’t shut anyone’s ideas down as stupid or useless. Accept all ideas and go until they are exhausted. Then start breaking down ideas from a variety of angles. This can help identify new revenue streams or marketing tactics. Do this no less than annually (and you can use it for other areas as well) and always include one person who is not an employee…even if that is your teenager. My Small Business Mentor can provide coaching or consulting on this process. Call us for a 30 minute free consultation.

Tagged as: brainstorming, marketing, marketing plan, mindmapping