Penetrating Target Markets:Would You Use a Shotgun to Catch a Butterfly?

Posted by Leili

June 25, 2008

If you have a small business, gaining entry into your target markets can be like capturing a butterfly. What starts out as a methodical step-by-step attempt looks like a crazy dance - with you chasing a target that seems to have no predictable traits at all. In fact, it seems quite random.

And because marketing may not be your specialty, you wind up taking a more random approach than you might want to. In fact, your company’s marketing plan begins to be reactive rather than proactive.

This is quite like using a shotgun to catch a butterfly. It’s the wrong tool for the job, not to mention the wrong approach overall. But, I see this time and again as symptomatic of what plagues small business marketing. There is a lack of strategic planning. The results are missed opportunities and wasted money.

Don’t use a “shotgun approach”. There is an easier way. Use a marketing plan. One developed with your mission, goals, operational capacity, and budget in mind. It doesn’t have to be long. It can be 1 or 2 pages. But DO IT! Set down your ideas, get them organized, draw up a simple budget and go from there.

Why waste money, time, and valuable energy chasing a butterfly with a shotgun? Your marketing plan is your safety net. In the world of small business marketing, you need to “net” as many sales as you can. A solid marketing plan is the foundation you need.