You may have heard of SMART objectives (specific; measurable; achievable; reastic; time bound) well we also need to be SMART about our marketing objectives:

Strategic – plan your marketing activities rather than being reactive. Where are you today and where do you want to be and then plan how you are going to get there. At the same time you need to be flexible and open to opportunities.

Marketing – if you see marketing as a cost then you will be considering reducing that cost during this downturn. If you are smart and see marketing as an investment you will be maintaining your spend if not increasing it to take advantage of opportunities that do arise when the marketplace is changing.

Analyse – find out what works for your business and allocate your budget accordingly. Make your marketing budget work harder.

Research – find out what your customers want. Purchasing habits have changed, their environments have changed, have your products and services changed to meet their needs?

Target – target your most profitable customers. Don’t waste your marketing time and budget with customers who are not interested.

Be SMART – use carefully targeted campaigns with an easy to understand proposition that your customers value and a clear call to action.

Find out more at www.firstimpression.co.uk