When starting a new business in Las Vegas, after your business plan, the most important plan you should create is your company’s marketing plan. You can hire a company or marketing professional to help write your marketing plan, however, if budget is an issue for you, there are many free online resources to help assist you in writing a solid marketing plan for your new Las Vegas business.

Let’s start with an overview of why a marketing plan is important (some online resources for your review):

• Why you need a marketing plan to achieve ultimate success
• Yes, you REALLY need a marketing plan
• Do you really need a marketing plan?
• Why do we need a marketing plan anyways?

When you started your Las Vegas business, you most likely created a business plan to map out the strategic business direction your company would follow and projected sales, profits, costs, etc. In the same vein, you need to create a basic marketing communications plan for your business as well.

The goal of a marketing communications plan is to make potential customers in Las Vegas (and beyond) aware of your business and its products and services. This is accomplished by creating websites, brochures, flyers, powerpoint presentations, press releases and more.

In order to write a meaningful marketing communications plan, you need to do research to understand your target market and target customer, what materials would be most appropriate to reach that customer and what budget and timeline will help you reach your marcom goals.

The following are some great links to help you understand exactly what a marketing communications plan is and some templates and information to help guide you along:

• What is a Marketing Communications Plan? – hutchinscrang.com
• What is a Marketing Communications Mix? – wikianswers.com
• Marketing Communications Plan Template – csumb.edu
• Integrated Marketing Communications Plan Outline – mcgraw-hill.com
• Creating an Integrated Marketing Communications Plan – rd-marketing.com
• How Marketing Plans Work – howstuffworks.com
• Marketing Communications Articles, Resources, Glossary – marcommwise.com
• Books on Marketing Communications – amazon.com

I write a lot about what businesses and companies in Las Vegas SHOULD do to ensure proper marketing, internet marketing and marketing communications strategies and tactics, but I thought it was important to point out marketing mistakes that businesses and companies often make and should be aware of.

Top 10 Marketing Mistakes to Avoid for your Las Vegas business:

1. Not having a basic marketing plan written. You need to know where you are going to go and how to get there, right?
2. Not reserving a marketing budget. This is a big one in Las Vegas. You need to be aware that to market your company or business properly in Las Vegas, you need to have a budget to execute a marketing plan.
3. Not understanding your target market and target customer and their challenges and problems. You need to know this in order to best market to them and to know how to effectively communicate with them and help solve their specific business problems and issues.
4. Not having consistent messaging across all of your marketing materials including brochures, websites, flyers and ads can hurt the core messages that you are trying to communicate through your marketing efforts and leaves potential customers confused and makes your business look unprofessional.
5. Not understanding your product or service’s specific benefit that is provides to your customer. You need to clearly define how you can help your client and why they should choose your products or services over your competitors.
6. Targeting “everybody” is a huge mistake as well. You may think your product or service may be targeted to “everybody” but it’s not. It’s always best to define groups within your market, a zip code, an age range, one particular issue you can solve for a prospective client.
7. Badly written marketing copy can ruin the first chance you have at converting a looker into a customer. The copy and text on your marketing materials, brochure and website should be well written, concise and should describe the benefits of your products and services and should contain a clear and compelling call-to-action.
8. Not using testimonials from your present clients. They are your most powerful advocates and you should use quotes and case studies in all of your marketing materials.
9. Thinking you do not need a website. A website is CRITICAL to competing in the Las Vegas business market. Your competitors all have websites!
10. Not measuring the results of your marketing campaigns and refining them as you go along. Marketing is not an exact science, you make professional estimations and even if a campaign is going great, you can continue to monitor and refine a marketing campaign to ensure you get the best results possible!

What is Podcasting?

Podcasting is a new way of broadcasting – over the internet, it’s an audio file that audiences listen to that they WANT to listen to. In a nutshell a podcast is a compressed multimedia file (audio file) that is distributed over the internet for playback on your mobile device, iPod or your PC or laptop. Subscribers or listeners of your podcast can download a podcast from your website and listen to at a their leisure.

Why Podcasting Could be Important to You

It’s a convenient way of having website visitors (and potential clients) listen to your programs, messages, bulletins or tips and tricks. It’s an opportunity for you to provide relevant and useful content to your listeners and stay in their minds and consideration set for potential business. 

It can reach locals and people on a national and world wide scale and with a podcast you can express your emotion in speaking about your topic (vs. the written word which can be open to interpretation). 

You can find content for your podcasts from your current marketing materials including:

• your website
• your white papers and collateral
• any articles you’ve written
• your marketing plan and research

Las Vegas business owners and companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year on their marketing efforts.  Unfortunately many smaller companies don’t even have a marketing plan or strategy in place to help guide them and judge the results of their efforts.  Many times, it seems like money wasted.

Put on your Marketing Strategy cap!

There are numerous highly effective marketing strategies that can help you grow your Las Vegas business that can help you refine your marketing efforts. Just takes a bit of time, thought and research to figure out a plan. Here are some suggestions:

• Identify Your Target Market – Who buys your products and services and why? How old are they, are they male or female, conservative or liberal? How do they think and feel?
• Market to Existing Customers – Your existing customers are your most valuable resource. Be aware of what services you’ve provided to them and anticipate if they need additional products or services. They aren’t always aware of all of the products and services you offer. Help them, they already trust you.
• Niche Marketing – What customers or clients do you currently have where you deliver the best results and generate the most revenue? Many marketing experts agree this is one of the simplest and most effective ways to generate business.
• Provide Free Information – Providing potential clients with free information, facts, resources that will help them solve their business problem and save them time and money is a valuable strategy in getting your foot in the door for a prospect to become a client.
• Maintain Communications – Keeping in touch with present and potential clients is personable and keeps your name and company in their mind throughout the year. You can send postcards, mailers, email newsletters or call them on the phone to check in.
• Customer Referral Campaign – Offer an incentive (gift certificate, free services, etc.) for your existing loyal customers to keep your services in mind with the people they already do business with. They can act as sales people for you and you should do the same for your Clients as well.

Everybody wants free advice and that’s why I started the MarketinginLasVegas website and blog, to give you free advice, resources, tips and tricks on marketing your Las Vegas business or Las Vegas company.  While you may not find a truly free online marketing consultant to work with (wouldn’t that be great?) there are so many marketing consultants who have written articles online and free websites with marketing advice and resources all available at your fingertips if you search on google.

Here are some great free resources for marketing and online marketing resources, strategies and tactics:

• Free Marketing Advice from whatsnextonline.com
• Small Business Marketing Advice – BusinessTown.com
• Small Business Marketing TIps – Internet Marketing Advice – Internet Marketing Guides
• Affiliate Marketing Suggestions and Advice – WebProNews.com
• Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Marketing Plans and Careers – About.com
• Marketing Online Resources at Education Index
• Business Marketing Strategy Essentials
• Examples of Marketing Strategies
• Free Internet Marketing Tips / Articles
• Top Ten Online Marketing Tactics
• Six Marketing Tactics Worth Paying For – Forbes.com
• Social Media Marketing Tactics & Resources
• Sample Marketing Plan – MoreBusiness.com
• How to Write a Marketing Plan, Samle Marketing Plans – KnowThis.com
• The Marketing Mix – The 4 P’s of Marketing
• Online Marketing Resource Center, Case Studies, Email Guides – eROI.com
• Internet Marketing Campaign – 5 Step Internet Marketing Plan