Communications Plan Developing and Managing an Effective

Communications Plan

Developing and Managing an Effective Marketing Communications Plan

The chief focus of an effective communications plan for any company is the customer. Today's customers have high expectations for offerings that not only satisfy their needs, but also reflect their individual tastes and preferences and provide superior value. In a highly competitive marketplace, companies must consider the importance of meeting and exceeding these expectations in order to win new business and build a loyal customer base that will result in repeat sales.

Effective marketing communications create consistent and meaningful dialogue with customers over time. Regular outreach -- in the form of advertising, direct mail, email campaigns, and other strategies -- give companies the ability to communicate key branding and sales messages to new and existing customers, and also gain valuable feedback to inform new marketing strategies and enhance product lines.

One of the most popular and efficient avenues for customer outreach today is direct marketing. Highly targeted and precise, direct mail and telemarketing is now being used by more businesses to curb the ever increasing costs of reaching customers (Kotler & Keller, 2006). Research has proven that this is one of the most effective ways to increase profits and build relationships with prospects who have expressed an interest in a product.

Kudler Fine Foods will utilize direct marketing as one of its primary communication vehicles in the promotion of its organic meats. Kudler's leadership will develop a marketing flowchart detailing all promotional channels and how these channels will reach customers and achieve monthly sales goals. On a monthly basis, this chart will be updated to illustrate all increases and decreases in sales per identified channel. Careful monitoring and final evaluation of these sales trends will help Kudler identify those channels that hold the most promise for achieving sales objectives, as well as those channels that should be enhanced or eliminated based on performance.

Advertising and Promotion

Kudler's product line of organic meats offers excellent quality and outstanding value; however, a strong strategic plan is needed in order to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace and attain loyal, repeat customers. Traditional forms of advertising, such as television commercials, radio spots and newspaper ads, can be costly. It is imperative that as Kudler attempts to reach its target audience, it gives careful consideration to where promotional dollars are spent. A cost-effective marketing plan is required. Therefore, Kudler will turn its attention towards relationship marketing.

Consumers are purchasing more organic food products than ever before. This is a popular market poised for continual growth. Kudler will create partnerships with non-competitor, organic farms in the UK to expand its customer base. Customers, who purchase organic food items based on a referral from a partnered farm, will receive a 10% discount at the referred farm. In addition, Kudler will extend additional discounts to low-income families who volunteer their services on the farms. This will translate into word-of-mouth referrals for Kudler and capitalize on the true power of relationship marketing.

Technology Trends

Current technology trends can also be used to improve business capabilities. For instance, the use of shared services and data warehousing can allow more information to be disseminated within the same system and accessed by different areas of the organization. This results in improved, company-wide information sharing. In addition, tactics like third party systems integration offer the ability to capture and query data as needed from across an entire network. This means important details, such as where a product is in shipment, can be delivered to customers real-time. This offers additional value and elevates customer satisfaction.

These strategies create improved data intelligence and reporting, in both real-time and post transaction forums. Real-time analysis dashboards have increased in popularity over the past five years. They offer management an immediate, detailed view of key metrics. Similarly, in terms of analyzing post transaction detail, data warehousing provides the ideal methodology for enhanced forecasting. The benefits are far reaching and include the ability to identify areas for improvement in both business operations and supply chain environments. Most importantly, this allows marketing to make data-informed decisions when refining marketing strategies and communications as part of a continuous improvement program.

Marketing Communication Strategies

Domestic Marketing

Domestic marketing consists of four guiding principles. Knowledge-based promotion ensures that the product is promoted with messaging directed at the appropriate target audience. Of central importance is the communication of the competitive advantage which should garner attention and create an enduring value proposition and brand.

The second principle is building loyalty, which ensures that advertisers are not overshadowed by competitors or negatively impacted by the influence of fads in the market. The third principle -- parameters, not formulas -- refers to the unique selling proposition of each component of a product line and how it is aimed at precisely the right audience. The fourth principle, meeting the genuine need, focuses on the true treasure of a company -- its customers -- and how companies can ensure customer needs are met (Efroze Chemical Industries Ltd., n.d.).

International Marketing

International marketing strategies are a global extension of a company's domestic marketing, but with different considerations. Factors such as demographic size, market segmentation, distribution channels, growth, and physical environment all require research and analysis. Analysis of the competitive landscape is also important and should be examined closely to develop a successful marketing message and brand position.