Checklist[Printable Version]

When it comes to marketing in the 21st Century there are no rules. Each business is unique and must follow its own creative mandate. However, there are some standards and templates that will help to insure that your marketing strategy has a focus and direction necessary to success.

The following checklist is designed to help you evaluate your unique marketing approach and see if you are following Best Practices guidelines.

1. Mission - Do you have a clearly articulated mission statement
   
2. Value Proposition - Have you written down your value proposition – who you are and what you offer to your customers/clients - and conveyed that information to your target market?
   
3. Brand - Can you identify your brand? Is it unique? Does it truly reflect your mission and value proposition?
   
4. Positioning - Have you looked at all of the targeted niches you are focusing on and positioned yourself in those niches to take advantage of every opportunity?
   
5. Competitive Analysis – Do you understand your competition and how you compare and contrast?
   
6. Plan – Do you have a three-five year marketing strategy that is based on reality and a workable budget?
   
7. Messaging – Is your messaging clear, compelling, consistent in all of your marketing materials?
   
8. Online/Offline – Do you have both an online and offline strategy and do they compliment and reinforce one another?
   
9. Frequently updated – Are your marketing materials old and out of sync with your current positioning and product line?
   
10. Guerilla Marketing – Have you considered all the creative marketing options available to you i.e. do you think “out of the box”?

Congratulations. If you got 10 out of 10 your marketing program should be driving your business and building success. Seven or more and you are on the right track. Fewer than five means it is time for you to take a hard look at your marketing strategy. For assistance, send an email to nfinn@comcast.net