[^_^] Marketing Events: 7 Keys to Timing

^_^ has posted a new item, 'Marketing Events: 7 Keys to Timing'

Determining the "best" time to do a particular marketing event or run a
promotion is a decision fraught with indecision, incomplete information, and a
fair amount of hoping that the winds of fate don't conspire against you.One easy
way to tip the scales in your favor is to "calendarize" your marketing events
against known holidays, events, celebrations, etc.By taking the time to evaluate
major events and activities, you can plan marketing activities to exploit these
targets of opportunity. You can also prevent your marketing from conflicting
with other activities that might compromise their efficacy. A good annual
marketing calendar helps coordinate your overall marketing strategy. It helps
you determine when to implement your advertising and other promotions and often
helps you determine your marketing priorities. Understanding your annual
calendar can be dynamite when planning media releases and media events.What can
happen if you don't do a calendar? You can bump against scenarios like having a
reception on the night of the Academy Awards television show and have very few
people attend, and of those that attend, a good portion may not be your real
"target" audience. This is the type of conflict that can be avoided if you know
your target audience, have factored in their interests and have scheduled events
or advertising or other marketing efforts for a time and place where they will
see it and be receptive to it.It is highly advisable that you "block out" your
annual calendar with dates, events, occasions that are either vital to be seen
during, or times when you wish to avoid marketing efforts before you commit to
your marketing strategy. Trying to market a new organic suntan lotion to
Minneapolis residents in February would be an obvious mistake! By using a
calendar and blocking out dates, it will allow you to generate a marketing plan
that takes advantage of key events during the year.What should you consider
putting on your calendar:1) Personal Schedule. Think about what is happening in
your personal life that might impact your overall marketing and advertising
strategy. Here are some examples: Vacations Medical procedures scheduled
Family commitments2) External Events. There are lots of things going on in the
world that could impact your business. There are many events that you can plan
for or around (such as the Super Bowl, Academy Awards presentations, etc.) Here
are some examples to consider: Major elections Major sporting events Major TV
events (e.g. Award shows) Local community or city celebrations and events
Local expos, balls, social activities3) Seasonal cycles. Many businesses are
sensitive to seasonal or industry cycles. The sensitivity of the suntan lotion
to the weather is a great example. Obviously, winter is a key season for ski
resorts. Here are some other examples to consider for your calendar: Seasonal
variations that impact your business due to weather Quarterly and annual
financial reports Tax season Summer vacation Winter vacation School holidays
Government budget cycle (this is critical if you bid to the government or lobby
to preserve funding) Government procurement cycles4) Major Industry Events.
Most industries have major events that can impact businesses in that industry
and many other businesses. Here are some examples: Major tradeshows Industry
reports Annual lobbying Major corporate budget and procurement cycles5) Major
Holidays. You would be shocked at how many businesses fail to take into account
the impact of holiday seasons on their business. Depending on what you do,
holidays could mean more or less business. For example, business-to-business
advertising is often ineffective during the Christmas holiday, but consumer
advertising promoting Christmas gifts can be critical. Definitely consider the
big holidays, but don't underrate the significance of some of the smaller
holidays, particularly religious holidays.For example, if you observe one
religion, but have customers that observe another; you don't want to be
insensitive to their religious observance calendar.6) Major Competitor
Activities. Understanding your competitor's key timing for their marketing
efforts, or their strategic timing of events, it can help you create marketing
to exploit their weaknesses and mitigate their strengths. For example, if you
know your competitor will have a product release in March, you could advertise
your new product in February and get first to market advantage (razor blade
companies do this all the time. As soon as one announces a new item will come to
market, the competition floods the market with "buy-one, get-one" offers or
sends through direct mail samples, etc.). Anything that would be a major event
to your business may also be a major event for your competitors. Here are some
things to watch for: Quarterly and annual financial reports Major sales
Product releases Major annual promotional events (if you know they will occur
every year) Major procurement activities Major conferences and related events
they will attend7) Important Prospect and Customer Activities. This one is
essential. If you understand the cyclical nature of your prospects' and
customers' key annual events you can fine-tune how, when, and where to target
your marketing to them. Here are things to watch for: Preferred buying seasons
Times of the year when they won't purchase Major events they would attend
(conferences, trade shows, social events) Holidays If they are a business,
their product cycles, financial reporting cycles, R&D cycles, budgeting cycles,
vendor relations events, procurement cycles and events, and much more.Not all of
these things may apply to your industry or business. This is more of a prompt
sheet to get you thinking about how the calendar can make the difference between
success and failure when marketing. Look for conflicts with other events on your
master calendar. How can you minimize the impact of these on your results? Look
for synergies. How can you exploit these? Look for marketing opportunities you
might have missed if you hadn't laid out the master calendar. Finally, based on
the year's planned activities, anticipated return-on-investment and other
factors, and prioritize your marketing.If you haven't done an annual marketing
calendar, take some time out before you start to execute any of your marketing
plan and put one together. It can save you a lot of money and help you really
optimize your marketing strategies.David Zahn is a two-time author addressing
the issues of entrepreneurship and consulting ("How To Succeed As An Independent
Consultant, 4th Ed." and "The Quntessential Guide To Using Consultants") as well
as being a frequent interviewee and contributor to articles in publications
like, "BusinessWeekOnline, Entrepreneur, BrandWeek, Training & Development,
CTPostOnline, and others. For a free "business readiness assessment," please
click on http://www.startupbuilder.com - In order to avoid eating genetically
modified food, the best option you have is starting to buy organic food. This
type of food is the most healthy way of living one can possibly have nowadays.
Should you be eating dairy or meat products, you must be aware of the fact that
the dairy cows and farm animals are fed a dangerous cocktail of anti-biotic
stuff, growth promoting drugs, anti-parasite drugs and many other medicines on a
daily basis. This happens no matter if they are ill or not. The worse part of
all this is the fact that these drugs are passed directly onto the consumers of
their dairy produce or meat. This is the main reason why many meat-related
diseases like coronaries and high blood pressure appear each and every single
day. On the other hand, the organic food does not contain all these poisonous
chemicals. The fresh organic food contains on average 50% more vitamins,
minerals, enzymes and other micro-nutrients than intensively farmed have. Are
these enough reasons fro you to go organic? If not, here are some more facts and
figures to help you decide faster! First and foremost, the organic food simply
tastes so much better. Fruit and vegetables full of juice and flavor and there
are so many different varieties to try! There are about 100 different kinds of
organic potatoes in production only in the United Kingdom! The intensive farming
can seriously damage the health of many farm workers. There are much higher
occurrences of cancer, respiratory problems and other major diseases in farm
workers from non-organic farms. So, choosing organic food can be a way of
showing that you care about the health of other people! Organic farms can also
support wildlife. In the last few years, the practice of intensive farming in
the United Kingdom has been the cause to the dramatic erosion of the soil, the
destruction of ancient hedgerows, a fall of up to 70% of wild birds in some
areas and the near extinction of some of the most beautiful species of wild
mammals, grass-snakes and even butterflies. Last but not least, let us speak
about the extra costs of eating organic food. It is not more expensive than the
intensively farmed foods, especially when thinking about the damages that
agro-chemicals make to our natural water supply. Besides paying for these
intensively farmed foods, we also have to pay for cleaning the mess they leave
behind. So, what is the best option for us? Organic food, of course!About the
Author Looking for an Organic and Halal alternative? Top-notch, naturally reared
and Organic Halal Meat delivered to your door. Organic Halal Butcher .

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