Originally published on Squidoo.comby Launch Marketing

Five Key Components

Successful marketing starts with a successful marketing plan. By developing and following a marketing plan that integrates all of a company's marketing efforts, many companies increase revenue by 15-20% compared to when they execute marketing campaigns in a more ad hoc fashion.

An integrated marketing plan outlines the marketing activities that will deliver the greatest impact on the target audience and produce the maximum return on the marketing investment. An integrated plan blends research, marketing and communication strategies together to ensure that every aspect of marketing your business is executed in a cohesive fashion. This article outlines five key components to defining and driving a successful integrated marketing plan.

Contents at a Glance

1. 1. Define Your Destination.
2. 2. Analyze the Map.
3. 3. Chart the Course.

1. 4. Drive Your Message.
2. 5. Track Your Mileage.
3. Pave the Road, Then Drive.

Contents at a Glance

1. 1. Define Your Destination.
2. 2. Analyze the Map.
3. 3. Chart the Course.
4. 4. Drive Your Message.

1. 5. Track Your Mileage.
2. Pave the Road, Then Drive.
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1. Define Your Destination.  

You must first identify where you want to go before you can strategize on how to get there.

All good plans need a clear vision. Take the time to focus on both long-term and short term goals. Identify key business drivers and defining elements to your company's success. Think about ways that your marketing efforts can aid critical corporate growth. Think big picture.

2. Analyze the Map.  

Know your target and know how to get there.

Marketing is about getting as close to the target audience as possible, truly understanding their needs and providing a product or service that meets those needs. A successful marketing plan is based on knowing how to reach and communicate with your target. Arm yourself with knowledge. Think about tactics you have used in the past, what worked and what didn't. Brainstorm new and innovative ways to reach your destination. The world of marketing is constantly evolving. Stay on top of trends. Take advantage of available resources, reach out to experts. Understand your target and identify ways that you can reach out to them. Make sure that you are headed in the right direction.

3. Chart the Course.  

What is the best path to get from point A to point B?

Now that you have set your goals and know your target, it is time to get started on your integrated marketing plan. When building your plan, you will first need to determine the vehicle(s) used to deliver the product or service to customers including direct sales, online sales or selling through a sales channel. Next, you will need to identify and select the methods used for getting the word out about the products or services, such as advertising, PR, online marketing, telemarketing, direct mail, events and more. The key to building an integrated plan is finding the right mix of marketing activities to most efficiently reach your target and deliver your message.

4. Drive Your Message. 

Drive until you have successfully reached your target.

Each marketing campaign should be highly distinguishable and should be implemented similarly across all mediums alike. It is key that your campaign resonates with your target, and there is no better way to aid this than to have a consistent message and brand. This is important because if a prospective customer receives the same message and visual clues in multiple places, they are much more likely to comprehend and retain the marketing message. This practice is critical to building brand awareness and ensuring that your product or service remains top of mind with your target.

5. Track Your Mileage. 

Are we there yet?

Once executed, continually tracking and measuring the success of campaigns within an integrated marketing plan is a critical step that will help to plan future programs with more accuracy. The more quantifiable the objectives are in the beginning, the more tangible the results.

It is very important to keep the momentum of the marketing plan going by:

- Continually monitoring your plan so you can make needed adjustments

- Gathering data along the way to help predict the performance success

- Revisiting your objectives and strategy at the end to determine what went well, what you would do differently next time, etc.

Pave the Road, Then Drive. 

Generating an integrated marketing plan is a key driver for successful marketing. To ensure that you get the most return on your marketing dollars, you must be prepared to do your homework first. With careful planning and evaluation, companies can maximize the effectiveness of their marketing programs.

Don't jump into ad hoc marketing activities that have not been mapped back to your big picture corporate goals. Map out your destination, pave the road and then drive your marketing success.