Strong, effective marketing can be tricky and many firms make mistakes that can be avoided by asking five simple questions before each marketing effort. What? Who? Why? When? Where? These five questions can make a huge difference in how well a marketing piece works.

What is the product and service that you want to let your prospective clients know about? What are the distinct features or value you are offering? It is essential to know what it is so you can properly market it.

Who is the target market you would like to reach? Who do you want to make aware of your great new product or service? Unless you are trying to market a magic pill that cures all ailments, you most likely have a certain group you’d like to get your message. Who is that group and how do you specifically tailor your message to them? By knowing who this target group is, you can make a more educated decision when marketing to them.

Why would your target group want to purchase your product or service? You must be able to convey that you are offering your target group something they need or want. This doesn’t have to be done in great depth, but you want enough to catch the prospect’s eye so they will take the time to think about it and become interested in your offering.

When do you want to reach your target market? There should be a timeframe for every marketing effort. Schedule your marketing efforts when your target group most likely will be able to focus on it. For example, tax season is not a good time to market to accounting firms.

Where are you going to place your marketing to have the greatest impact? Will you place an ad in the newspaper because you know a large majority of your prospects read the daily newspaper? Will you send a targeted email or letter? Will you place an ad in an industry-specific magazine? Finding the best place to target your prospects will make it much easier to get your marketing in front of them.

Answering all of these questions when planning your marketing efforts will help get you on the right track to improved marketing efforts. Marketing should commence once you address the five basic questions, because you will have taken the proper steps to determine the best way to reach your target audience.

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