How do you define marketing?

At a fundamental level, marketing is about assessing the customer’s needs and wants and then satisfying the customer’s needs and wants in a profitable way. Impact Marcomms will utilise up to seven marketing variables to best meet your customer’s needs. They are product/service, price, promotion, place, people, physical evidence and process. With the right mix of marketing variables your business is more likely to achieve its objectives.   

What is a strategic marketing plan? How can it help my business?

When you consider marketing for your business you need to think about ways you can both grow and retain the business. There are a myriad number of strategies that you can employ to achieve these aims. This is where the marketing plan comes in. The plan will give you a clear picture of which marketing strategies will best meet your business objectives and in what order of priority you should employ them. It will also detail how best to employ them. Impact Marcomms will ensure your marketing plan is strategically aligned to your business plan and delivers an optimal commercial outcome.

What is a marketing campaign?  How can it help my business?

These are usually a by-product of the marketing plan and involve implementing a marketing strategy. For example, a strategy may be to increase the number of referrals from customers and a campaign to achieve this may be to develop an e-newsletter that customers can forward onto others. The campaign will execute the marketing strategy according to defined objectives and measure the impact post implementation so that learnings can be used for future campaigns. Impact Marcomms will ensure that your marketing campaign is planned well, executed according to plan and results measured for success.

How do you define communications? What constitutes successful communications?

Communications includes anything written or verbal that the customer receives about your business. This includes such things as branding, brochures, newsletters, sales tools, phone scripts, press releases, advertising, signage, websites, merchandise etc. Successful communications are usually derived from a proper analysis of the communications and marketing needs of the business via the marketing plan. Before undertaking any communication, you need to consider your business objectives and which type of communication, if any, will best achieve them. Impact Marcomms can help you with this analysis and ensure you get 'bang for buck' out of your communications.

What is a communications plan? How can it help my business?

Where there are multiple communications/campaigns required to achieve an objective, it is useful to have a plan that details what will be delivered, how, when and by whom. This ensures that the communications or campaigns are coordinated and delivered in the best possible way. Impact Marcomms will ensure that your communications or campaigns are properly coordinated to achieve maximum cross leverage.

What makes a good newsletter?

A successful newsletter will consider your businesses' objectives and the audience’s needs and how best to meet those needs. This will determine the content, layout, design and delivery method. If necessary, Impact Marcomms will undertake this analysis to ensure your newsletter achieves its intended purpose.

What makes a good website?

A website is an essential communications tool these days and some thought needs to go into exactly what you wish to achieve with it. As well as basic communications principles, such as readability and useability, the website needs to consider current and future business needs to ensure the technology employed is best suited to your type of business. Firstly you need to think about suitable domain names for your business, register your domain name, choose a web hosting service and a web designer. The web designer will design the site according to your objectives and customer needs but will not provide the required content or imagery. Before you can design the site, you need to consider the content, imagery, functionality, structure, layout and reporting requirements among other things. Impact Marcomms can assist with this as well as provide advice and liaison in regard to domain name registration, website hosting and web design services. Remember, a good website needs to be aligned with your business objectives and meet your customer's needs.

What makes a good brochure?

By now you will be starting to see a pattern emerging when it comes to good communications. There are basic principles that apply to all good communications but there are also unique requirements for each communication that a marketing/communications specialist is practiced in. A good brochure will demonstrate a good understanding of its purpose. This will determine what kind of information is presented, how much information is presented and what order it is presented in. It will use appropriate imagery to aid comprehension and it will include a 'call to action'.  Depending on its purpose, target audience, branding requirements, budget and delivery method, the graphic designer will choose appropriate fonts, colours, layout, imagery and printing methods. Impact Marcomms will work with you to develop the content and liaise with the graphic designer to ensure that the brochure is delivered according to the brief. 

What makes good advertising?

Just like any other communication, good advertising needs to have a clear purpose, be linked back to organisational goals and be tailored to the needs of the target audience. If advertising is considered necessary to grow the business, Impact Marcomms will develop an advertising plan that will consider the medium (ie online, print, radio, tv), placement (website, publication, program etc), frequency, message, delivery method and call to action among other things. As advertising can be a highly specialised area, an advertising agency may be engaged to develop the copy and assist with the media buying. Quotes will be obtained and a schedule developed. Responses will be monitored and evaluation of success post implementation is necessary to determine future advertising spend.

What are your fees?

Impact Marcomms will work with you to determine the best fee structure. Whether that be an hourly rate, daily rate or a project fee. Whichever method is employed, all quotes are as detailed as possible, providing utmost transparency. Any anticipated deviations from the quote are advised along the way  so there are no surprises.

If you have any other questions, please email us via our contact form.