I’ve seen many MSME business owners just “Try Everything” in marketing, ignoring market research and customer insights and underestimating brand messaging and the brand’s USP.
Marketing is often treated as an optional expense rather than a business need.
Marketing is a long-term effort that requires a clear plan, consistent execution, and regular tracking. A well-structured marketing process can take your business to the next level.
Let me take you through the process of marketing step by step…
Before creating new marketing plans, you must evaluate what you’ve already done. A marketing audit closely examines your past efforts, identifying what’s effective and what’s not.
This includes reviewing previous campaigns’ social media engagement, website traffic, customer feedback, and your competitors’ actions. You need to determine where you’re spending your marketing budget, which activities are paying off, and which are wasting resources.
First, collect information from different sources, such as Google Analytics, social media stats, old marketing reports, and customer feedback. Check the main numbers that show how well you’re doing,
Then, see how these numbers stack up against what you want to achieve.
Let’s say you were aiming to boost sales from online marketing by 20%, but you got a 5% increase. What didn’t work out? Was it about reaching the right people? Did your ads not catch people’s eyes? Or did you pick the wrong platforms to advertise on?
This part means taking a hard look at what happened.
When you finish this part, you should understand how things went before, know what strategies worked and which ones flopped, and have some ideas about where you can do better.
Market research helps you understand your customers, industry shifts, and competitors. A company that fails to monitor changing buyer preferences risks becoming irrelevant.
This process involves gathering data from customer feedback, competitor evaluations, industry reports, and even resources like Google Trends and keyword research tools.
Begin by collecting input from your current customers:
Then, examine industry trends.
At this point, you need to make key choices:
You’ll end up with a deep insights of your customers, industry changes, and how your competitors are positioning themselves. These findings will become base for rest of your marketing plan.
Marketing without knowing your audience is wasting resources and money, and you’ll end up having trouble connecting with potential audiences or buyers. This step is to define your ideal customer profile, “who they are, what they need, and how they decide to buy”.
Build in-depth profiles of your customers.
Look at what they do online.
This info helps you fine-tune your marketing message and pick the right channels.
When you finish this stage, you’ll have a sharp picture of your perfect customer. This makes it simpler to build marketing campaigns to go viral.
Your brand message shapes how people see your business, and your unique selling proposition (USP) makes you stand out from competitors. If you don’t get this right, potential buyers might not understand why they should pick you.
Your brand message should answer:
Make it easy to understand. A unique selling point like “India’s cheapest organic skincare” right away shows customers what they can expect. This will be used in all the marketing materials.
Marketing efforts lose direction without specific goals. To get the best returns on your marketing investments, set clear goals you can track, stick to a budget, put your money in different places, check how things are going often, and don’t be afraid to get advice from a financial expert.
Goals must follow the SMART method,
Rather than stating, “We want more website visitors,” a smarter goal would be “Boost website traffic by 30% in 6 months through SEO and social media.”
Clear goals lead to clear results.
Join this 3-day in-person program to master holistic goal setting for every area of your business.
Not all marketing channels work for every business. The right way is to pick platforms where your target customers spend most of their time. Some companies do well on Instagram, while others get top results from email campaigns or offline ads.
You have all the following options in marketing channels:
Begin by figuring out where your audience spends most of their time. LinkedIn and Instagram could work best for the young generation, Gen Z, and Millennials. If you are into B2B, email campaigns, and blogs with good SEO can bring in leads.
Social media and SEO don’t cost much but take time, while paid ads show quick results but need ongoing cash.
After you pick the right channels, it’s time to make marketing campaigns. Specific plans to attract, engage, and convert customers. A campaign might be a social media contest, a heavy discount sale, a referral program, or a series of email newsletters.
The aim is to get leads, boost sales, or raise brand awareness. Campaigns should align with your main marketing goals and have a clear message, eye-catching visuals, and a strong call to action.
A well-run campaign includes:
A complete marketing campaign covers a plan with a start date, how much we’ll spend, and ways to measure if it’s successful.
Marketing isn’t a one time task. It needs ongoing action. A schedule makes sure campaigns start on time, content creation happens regularly, and promotion gets planned well.
Without a proper schedule, companies often engage in random marketing, posting on social media when they feel like it, running ads without a plan, or forgetting to communicate to customers.
Begin by making a marketing calendar that includes:
Split it into daily, weekly, and monthly jobs to keep marketing work steady and aligned with company aims.
A full marketing plan that keeps campaigns running and makes sure people always see our brand online.
Marketing is not something you can set up and sit back for results. Keep an eye on how it’s going, figure out what’s working and what’s not, and tweak your marketing plans as you go.
To get the best marketing results, you’ve gotta stay on top of things.
Key areas to keep track of include:
Use monitoring systems and tools, such as Google Analytics, Meta Business Suite, and CRM software, to measure the effectiveness of your campaigns.
When a campaign fails to produce outcomes, figure out why:
If video ads gave better results than static images, allocate more funds to video content. If Instagram generates more interaction than Facebook, concentrate efforts there.
Frequent performance summaries that highlight successes, areas for growth, and suggested changes to optimise results.
| Example 1: D2C Brand – Organic Skincare Business | |
| Marketing Audit | Audit shows: Instagram shows high engagement but generates low sales. |
| Market Research | Competitors don’t offer personalised skincare solutions. |
| Audience | Women (25-40) seek affordable organic skincare. |
| USP | “We make organic skincare just for you.” |
| Goals | Boost website sales by 25% in 3 months using ₹50,000. |
| Channels | Instagram (work with influencers) SEO, WhatsApp. |
| Campaigns | “Organic Glow Challenge” shows what users say. |
| Timeline | Week 1: Give a sneak peek of the campaign Weeks 2-4: Team up with influencers Weeks 5-8: Cut prices. |
| Monitor | Short video reviews work best, so put effort into Instagram Reels & YouTube Shorts. |
| Example 1: B2B Brand – Industrial Packaging Supplier | |
| Marketing Audit | Audit shows: Word-of-mouth attracts clients, but the website produces few leads. |
| Market Research | Companies want sustainable packaging, and competitors lack case studies. |
| Audience | Manufacturing firms need bulk eco-friendly packaging. |
| USP | “Our packaging lasts long, costs less, and helps the planet.” |
| Goals | Find 50 good leads in 6 months with ₹1,00,000. |
| Channels | LinkedIn, emails, and trade shows. |
| Campaigns | “Green Packaging for a Better Tomorrow” report + LinkedIn ads. |
| Timeline | Month 1-2: Share customer success storiesMonth 3-4: Run LinkedIn adsMonth 5-6: Go to trade shows. |
| Monitor & Review | LinkedIn ads bring in the most money, so they get a bigger share of the budget. |
Learning the marketing process is a start… but is your sales, finance, or operations ready to keep up?
Join our 3-day event and discover the 9 steps to make your entire business work, not just marketing.
Treat marketing as an investment, not an expense.
Don’t just sell to your customers, but connect with them. Understand their pain points. What do they need? Who are your competitors? Get expert advice when required.
This understanding will help you create a unique brand message. Only then will you start seeing real results from your marketing efforts.
It includes Product, Price, Place and Promotion
To do effective market research, you need to
These five types of marketing campaigns are most commonly used in the industry
None can destroy iron, but its own rust can! Likewise, none can destroy a person, but their own mindset can.
Former chairperson of the Tata Group
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