Gathering and Researching Opportunities

Purpose:

It is important when developing your marketing plan to conduct comprehensive research of all of the opportunities that exist. This will help you:Have a clear understanding of all of the opportunities that exist to incorporate into your plan now or in the future

• Understand what your competitors are doing from an advertising perspective as well as what they are saying
• Make good decisions as to which opportunities to take advantage of

Procedure:

• Leverage the internet: There are many local sites that have comprehensive information on all aspects of your community including local papers, private schools, networking groups, homeowner associations and more. This can be a great starting point when tackling your research.
• Review your mail: Every day you receive pieces in the mail that can give you a great overview of the direct marketing opportunities in your market. Locate the contact information on those pieces and request more information to determine if they may be right for you.
• Once you’ve obtained contact information, call and request a media kit. This is a packet of information that should give you everything you need to make an informed decision including circulation information, demographic information and rates. Oftentimes this information is available online.

The three key questions the media kit should answer include:

• Who is the effort reaching: Take into consideration the target audience. Make sure that it’s consistent with the Case target client.
• Where is the effort reaching? Does the area it is reaching fall within your territory?
• What are the costs? Does this fit within your marketing budget?