BC Metal Fabrication Marketing Plan

BC Metal Fabrication Marketing Plan

The intent of this marketing plan is to provide BC Metal Fabrication of Wilson, NC with a set of marketing objectives, recommendations in terms of segmentation and marketing strategies, situational analysis, SWOT analysis, marketing mix recommendations, implementation schedule and recommendation executive summary. BC Metal Fabrication is in the business of customizing metal design for trailers used in a variety of segments including agriculture, auto retailing, and landscaping and the company's unique strength of trailer customization and build-to-order needs to be brought out as a competitive differentiator in the marketing messages.

Marketing Objectives

The following are the main marketing objectives for BC Metal Fabrication for the year 2007. it's important to keep in mind that major initiatives including branding, advertising, and Google AdWords strategies only work if they are multi-year in scope. Changing direction too much on the fundamental messaging of any company can be detrimental, so it is recommended that BC Metal Fabrication stays consistent and on message with these objectives for the next two - three years:

To be the market leader in build-to-order trailer customization, repair and maintenance in the Wilson, Raleigh-Durham, NC and Virginia Beach, VA markets through a series of targeted and coordinated marketing programs.

To have at a minimum 50% of the entire customer base as referenceable customers by the end of 2007. By referenceable this means the customers will give a positive reference to anyone who contacts them looking for their opinion of the BC Fabrication trailers.

To define the BC Customer metal Fabrication branding as standing for excellence in workmanship, expertise in building and customizing metal trailers to order, and having a complete commitment to customer service.

To develop a series of marketing strategies that combines local television, the Internet, direct mail and direct selling to promote the unique capabilities of BC Metal Fabrication.

To invest in a website that is search-engine optimized (SEO) with keywords that specifically focus on trailer customization in the North Carolina and southern Virginia markets. This includes using Google AdWords to draw traffic to the site.

To develop a multi-phased e-commerce strategy that includes the ability to generate sales leads directly from the website, and also provide customized product quotes automatically from the website.

Segmentation and Marketing Strategies

BC Metal Fabrication has already established itself in the segments of agriculture, auto retailing, and landscaping. The company however has the unique ability to build customized trailers for a wider variety of uses that it is currently selling into. At present the company is relying solely on word-of-mouth to become known. The following table lists the current and potential segments and their associated marketing strategies to give the company more marketing emphasis in each segment:

Market Segments

Marketing Strategies

Existing Segments:

Agricultural

The following strategies need to be completed in this segment:

Attend as many local and regional trade shows as possible to generate leads

Approach every customer in this segment today and see if they will allow you to write a success story that details how they are using the trailers for their businesses.

Include on the website a section specifically focused on these trailer types including recommendations from customers in the area.

After steps 1-3 are in place develop a series of direct mail campaigns and contact lists of all the comparable businesses that fit this markets' profile.

Continue a series of campaigns and have a sales manager start calling on each targeted business.

In addition, consider getting a sixty second commercial on the Farm Report (available early in the morning) discussing the value of BC Fabrication Trailers in agriculture.

Auto Retailing

Define the current customer base and begin by working to get them 100% referenceable, as this is a much smaller market and much easier to target.

Create a high quality four color brochure that shows the customers that BC has in this segment.

Post the brochure on the website as a downloaded Adobe Acrobat file (PDF).

Develop a series of direct mail campaigns aimed at all auto dealers and retailers in a 300-mile radius.

Next, call each prospect in the 300-mile range and book appointments for a visit from a BC representative.

Landscaping

As this is a very cost sensitive market and one where landscapers can be very large companies to individual businesses, it's important to gain trust in this segment quickly. The goal of 100% referenceable accounts needs to be aggressively pursued, and then the following marketing strategies can be put into place:

Develop a series of word-of-mouth campaigns to continually reinforce landscapers telling other landscapers about the trailers. Develop a get a small trailer free for bringing in a new customer promotion to drive up word-of-mouth advertising.

As the word-of-mouth campaign is running also get brochures, testimonials and even small MPEG files for use on the Internet to further strengthen the expertise of BC in this market.

Roll out the section of the website with landscaping products including the MPEG files.

Develop a four-color brochure that is heavily weighted with customer testimonials and mail it to all landscapers within 300 miles.

Using the call center that is also calling other businesses, start calling landscapers and setting up appointments for a demonstration of the trailers.

Attend as many landscaping shows as possible to keep the name of the company active in this market.

Potential Segments:

Freight and Logistics

An entirely new market segment for BC, this is one that will require the enclosure of trailers. BC needs to do initial market research and business development in this market by doing the following:

Attend several of the freight and logistics trade shows and do competitive analysis of each product that is comparable to their own.

Define a product strategy that can be quickly implemented and build several prototypes.

Mention the concept of freight and logistics trailers on the BC website and see what type of traffic it generates.

Develop an enclosed trailer and take it around to several freight and logistics companies throughout the region to get their feedback.

Continue these processes until a sale is made.

Livestock

An entirely different segment for BC, yet one well aligned with their core strengths. The focus here needs to be on heavy-duty horse trailers and the need for developing a series of trailer configurations. The following strategies make the most sense for this market:

As this is so well aligned with the current business of BC, it would be a good idea to create two or three prototypes.

Promote them on local TV channels, and also attend all horse and livestock shows to see if leads could be generated.

Put this market on the website and stress the customization aspects of BC as it relates to special purpose horse and livestock trailers.

Recreational

Potentially the biggest and most lucrative of all segments, the recreational segment includes the need of families for bicycle, boat and motorcycle trailers. The following strategies apply to this segment:

Attend several trade shows and do extensive competitive analysis of each of the segments with a special focus on bicycle trailers.