Your company’s marketing strategy is the catalyst in long-term business growth and customer retention.
Without a reliable marketing program, other competitors will win the attention of your ideal customer.
You may offer one of the most helpful retail products on the market, but it is useless without a game plan to bring it to the customer.
So, what is a successful marketing program, and how do you build one?
Below we highlight all the essential fundamentals and topics you need to know in launching an effective marketing program.
What Is a Marketing Program?
A marketing program is a strategic collection of activities, processes, and campaigns that help your company fulfill its marketing goals.
These goals should not only align with the core values of your business but should also support your company’s strengths and value proposition.
Marketing programs also maximize all the tools within an organization.
These elements include logos, brochures, conferences, product packaging, advertising, websites, digital marketing content, public relations, online and internet listings, blog posts, sales promotions, content marketing, personal selling, and other events.
Different Types of Marketing Programs
Every company’s product and strategy is different.
The campaign and role of marketing you choose will depend on the product, people, consumer behavior, and target market your business aims for.
Traditional Marketing Program
A traditional marketing program utilizes standard channels to boost brand awareness, connect with customers, and promote your service or product.
This type of marketing program is always effective because it focuses on where your customers are.
Traditional media could include television, phone, social media marketing, print advertising, direct mail, and radio.
Product Launch Marketing Program
Product launch marketing programs are useful when your company is growing awareness about a product unveiling.
The goal is not only to educate people on the new product but also to communicate how it solves customer needs.
Brand Awareness Marketing Program
A brand awareness marketing program boosts awareness about the company’s mission and brand.
This program is common for both large and small companies.
A bigger organization may launch this program to remain popular.
However, a small company or local business may initiate this program to introduce itself to the target market.
Do You Need a Marketing Program?
A marketing plan helps an organization achieve synergy.
Everyone is on the same wavelength and understands the company’s goals.
Marketing programs also establish a solid framework for evaluating new opportunities.
When a new venture pops up, your leadership can determine if it aligns with the marketing objectives you laid out.
If not, it is easy to decline the opportunity.
Differentiation: The Difference Between a Marketing Program for a Business and a Marketing Program for Colleges
While there are many similarities between a marketing program for a business and a marketing program for a college, it is essential to understand how they differ:
College marketing programs mainly target a potential marketing major, while a business marketing program could be all ages.
The key people in a college marketing program are instructors and graduates.
College marketing programs showcase a long-term semester solution, while a marketing program for a business will show how their product or service can help instantly.
What Does a Marketing Program Contain?
Every marketing campaign provides value, but what are the fundamental elements that help achieve this?
When your team sits down to outline your company’s marketing program, it is critical to include the following components.
3 Most Important Parts of a Marketing Program
Every marketing program seeks to solve a problem or provide value to the customer through a product or service.
The product or service makes someone’s life easier or better.
The best marketing programs do more than list all the fancy features of a product or service.
They communicate the benefits and results of using the product or service.
Marketing is all about attention.
Your customers see hundreds of advertisements each day, whether it is via phone, sign, radio, and text.
How does your company’s marketing plan fit into this picture?
Every solid marketing program has a framework for how the product, service, or brand will be positioned.
Lastly, all marketing programs have a group of people or teams to execute them.
Everyone should be on the same page, and all marketing professionals should know exactly how they fit into the big picture.
What Makes a Marketing Program Successful?
Now that you understand what goes into a marketing program, what makes it so successful?
Below are the three main areas to maximize when launching your new marketing program: strategy, people, framework, and customer brand advocates.
1. Strategy
A high-level marketing program has a strong strategy in place.
This game plan should provide a clear roadmap of how the business will convert prospects into customers.
It should also outline how the marketing program will strengthen connections with current loyal customers.
A solid strategy also communicates the business’ value proposition, the target audience, and the brand message.
This element of the marketing program also shows how it will fulfill the product, place, and promotion.
2. People
Of course, no marketing program is successful without a team of people.
Strategists
The people are the engine behind the marketing program.
The strategists are the ones who outline the framework and put the thoughts on paper.
This collection of people should have regular brainstorming sessions to create, refine, and monitor the program process.
Teams That Can Manage Strategy
A robust marketing program needs teams that can keep the strategy on track.
The marketing program needs to contain milestones and checkpoints, which will bring everybody on the same page.
Every team needs a brand manager that can rally the troops and motivate others toward reaching the goal at hand.
Teams That Can Execute
A company also needs teams that can not only manage the strategy but also execute it.
These groups need leaders, project managers, and sales managers who outline the program goals and hold others accountable to do their part.
There should be consistent milestones and clear actions to help achieve them.
3. Framework
Another key component is the framework and how to generate leads that lead to conversions.
Inbound
Every viable marketing program also has a robust inbound framework of lead generation and lead nurturing.
Lead Generation
One of the biggest components of a marketing program is lead generation.
The strategy often outlines where you will find your customers, and then the team executes the mission.
A solid marketing program targets leads in locations where your ideal customer hangs out.
Lead generation involves collecting customer information to send through the funnel.
Lead Nurturing
There should be a dedicated team to finding new leads, organizing prospect information, and guiding them toward making a sound decision.
A reliable CRM helps your marketing teams manage their list of leads and boost closing rates with these critical people.
4. Customer Brand Advocates
A brand advocate is a person who helps promote the positive aspects of your brand, product, or service through word of mouth means.
These people are crucial leaders who help spread the good news about your company.
They publish positive reviews, send new customers your way, and develop content on social media.
Examples of Marketing Programs
So, what are some prime examples of marketing programs in action?
You may have seen these top brands already, but here are a couple of situations in which companies executed their marketing program to perfection:
Cash App boosted brand awareness by launching Instagram influencer marketing contests, in which popular athletes like Aaron Rodgers handed out Bitcoin to lucky contest winners through the Cash App.
Chipotle launched a social media hashtag challenge that gave people the chance to win over $10,000.
How Do You Make a Marketing Program
We covered the ins and outs of a solid marketing program, but how do you put it all together?
Below is a simple and straightforward step-by-step framework in building a marketing program:
- Write out the framework, strategy, and summary on paper
- Outline clear, measurable, and attainable goals
- Identify your target market or audience
- Study your competitors and industry trends
- Develop an action-oriented strategy, and make sure all stakeholders are on the same page
- Establish reporting or tracking guidelines to monitor your progress
Suggestion: Outsource a Marketing Program to yorCMO.com
If you do not have the time or resources to launch a marketing program for your business, allow the team at yorCMO to take your brand to the next level.
Our committed team of Fractional CMOs can help your business direct its marketing and sales resources toward achieving long-term goals.
We deliver innovative solutions to help you elevate brand awareness, generate more leads, and earn more sales.
Wrapping Up
No matter what you decide for your marketing program, it is critical to provide value, create strong customer relationships with your target market, and ensure everyone is on the same page.
There are many moving parts in a solid marketing program, which is why it is critical to always have your goals visible.
Your company deserves to exceed its marketing and sales goals every year.
Apply the principles in this article or place your trust in the yorCMO team to help you reach your full potential.