Now is a great time to reassess your company’s marketing plan. Here are 5 things you should keep in mind as you create this marketing plan:

1) What is your goal and how will you measure success? There are many different reasons for having an effecting online marketing campaign. It is important that you analyze your business and understand what you are trying to accomplish. This may include customer service, attracting new customers, or engaging with existing customers. The next step is to understand the metrics you will use to gauge your level of success. We work with companies to identify these key metrics and set goals that reflect the goals of the company. This can include impressions, clicks, conversions, likes or follows. Each one of these metrics represents a different level of engagement. It is important to understand the value each brings. A good marketing campaign will recognize the link between, for instance, a “like” on Facebook and an increase in sales. Unlike traditional marketing, with online marketing you can instantly see what is working and what is not working. Analytics on web site traffic, Google Advertising, and Facebook advertising is updated daily if not more. You can see what advertising is bringing in returns and what is not. With TV, radio, or print advertising, you are lucky to get a 10% response. 90% of your money is wasted, but you never know where so you continue to spend. With intelligent online marketing, you will learn what is working and what is not. In a manner of days you can make adjustments to stop spending money on unsuccessful campaigns and put your energy into what campaigns are bringing you business.

2) Know your marketplace: There are hundreds of online directories, catalog, and social media platforms. Being a part of all of them is not practical or even beneficial. Being listed on the right directories or active in the right social media space is critical to your business. The first step is to decide who your customers are. Then you must understand where those customers live online. For instance, if you are a restaurant, it will be essential that you have a listing on Yelp, UrbanSpoon, and a presence on OpenTable. Yelp is a directory that features reviews of local businesses. It has 41 million visitors per month and over 15 million reviews. UrbanSpoon specializes in restaurant reviews. OpenTable allows users to browse restaurants and make a reservation right from their computer at one of over 15,000 restaurants. Clearly, if you are a restaurant that is not playing in these marketplaces in a highly effective way you are missing out on a great opportunity. Not a restaurant, there are online forums for every profession and industry you can think of. The restaurant example can be applied to your business whether you are a business-consumer or business-business company.

3) How will you utilize mobile technology in 2011? There are 45.5 million people in the United States who own a smartphone. This is augmented by the new arrival of the iPad and other tablets. More and more, people are turning to mobile devices as a source of information. How does this affect your business. Is your website optimized for mobile browsing or is it completely unusable? When someone finds your site on their phone, is it easy to click to call you? Better yet, have you create an app that is tailored to the needs of your mobile user? Is it functional across all platforms including iOS, Android, Blackberry, and Palm? Is your online advertising campaign targeting mobile users? If you are unsure of the answers to any of these question, you are leaving money on the table. Our Mobile Technology Experts at Altos Marketing Group can create a plan to meet your needs

4) How will you utilize location-based services? One of the big questions in 2011 is the future of location-based services such as Foursquare, Gowalla, and Facebook Places. As previously mentioned, mobile technology continues to grow. With it comes an opportunity to connect with customers directly through their phones and mobile devices. These location services reward customers for visiting or “checking in” to your location. You can utilize this to create brand ambassadors, grow loyalty, and attract new customers. For instance, a retail shop can target people who are near their store for a one day special. The power of location marketing is in its instant call to action. If you are a restaurant and it looks like it will be a slow night, a quick message out to your followers can offer a 2 for 1 special to bring in business. These techniques encourage people to stay engaged with your business.

5) Unleashing the power of e-mail marketing: Sending out an e-mail is a simple enough concept that anyone can do it. However, can they do it effectively? A well crafted e-mail will engage customers and give them a call to action. It will also help you build, cultivate, and maintain your customer database. This starts by writing an e-mail that appeals to the recipient. But an effective e-mail goes further. By using advanced tracking, you can find who is reading and clicking on what within your e-mail. From there you can better understand your customers and what interests them. You can then send out targeted e-mails to that segment of customers. You will also be able to see what products/services your customers are browsing. This will allow you to later circle back with them to close the deal. For instance, you will see that 200 customers that received your e-mail browsed the shoes section of your webpage. You can target those 200 with a 10% off or free shipping coupon to entice them to buy. This targeted approach is very effective because you already know that they are interested.

We want to hear from you. Which of these 5 items do you plan on focusing on?