Strategic Marketing Planning Services/Programs

DWS Associates helps business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) clients across a broad group of industries including the higher education sector improve their sales and marketing programs by offering a range of strategic marketing and direct marketing consulting services designed to help them attract and retain customers. These services are tailored for each individual client so your marketing can become more effective, efficient, and profitable.

Marketing is expensive and complicated which is why a strategic action plan focuses your organization on activities that deliver maximum impact. Let's be honest - every organization has limited resources and limitless opportunities so without a comprehensive marketing plan, your chances for success are greatly reduced.

Our team works closely with your leadership team to gather and analyze critical data that identifies opportunities and threats to your business. We work with you to develop strategies and tactics that play to your strengths, and to your competitors' weaknesses. We help develop measurable communications plans that reach your target audiences, generate large volumes of qualified leads and help you engage them so you can turn first-time buyers into multi-buyers, and multi-buyers into multi-product buyers.  We offer strategic marketing planning and execution services in the following areas. 

Services

Routes-To-Market Planning

Our routes-to-market planning services identifies your target audiences and how and where they buy your  type of products/services.  It determines which channels the customers prefers, so you can develop the most effective marketing and distribution strategies and programs.  This planning process is a well established methodology for driving profitable growth.  The first step is to evaluate the distribution landscape and understand the different distribution options available to your markets.  The next step is to identify the strongest channels for selling your products/services to your target markets.  The third step is to identify potential partners by region that may help you sell more products/services to your target markets.   Once we've identified the appropriate channels and channel partners, the next step is to determine the potential market opportunity through those channels identified.  It's usually a good idea to have defined your channels before you actually start to prepare your formal marketing plans.

Marketing Assessment Program

We conduct a detailed audit of your organization's marketing that gives you an impartial, neutral valuation of your marketing strategies, processes, practices, programs, and operations. It is designed to quickly identify areas of opportunity and problems that are affecting your organization's marketing performance.  As a part of the formal audit, we also look at your communications materials, and interview personnel regarding roles, responsibilities, resources and processes.  The assessment is conducted with your organization's participation and input.

SWOT Analysis Program / Service

The SWOT analysis is an important part of the strategic planning process.  We look at internal and external environment factors that can be classified as strengths and weaknesses.  We also look at opportunities and threats that affect your business.  

Strategic Marketing Plan Development

A comprehensive marketing plan serves as a benchmark for your company by establishing concrete objectives, strategies and tactics. It minimizes surprises...you enter the marketplace with your eyes wide open to possibilities and problems. We understand the importance of market planning and have been instrumental in creating and implementing strategic plans for the clients and organizations we have served.

Competitive Analysis Services

The competitive analysis is a complete picture of your competitors. We do a thorough analysis of all aspects of their businesses from financials, to product, to pricing, sales and customer service. We don't just collect data; we analyze it and determine how your competitors' strengths, strategies and products impact your business. We develop and recommend sell-against, positioning and other strategies (e.g., management, merchandising, product management, sales, marketing, service, etc.), programs and changes that you should make to strengthen your market position and help you gain market share. These studies follow a set methodology and produce a set of deliverables that provide data and analysis for the client.

Competitive Intelligence Services

The most effective way to achieve your revenue goals is to offer your audience a unique, valuable solution to an unmet or under-served want or need - and the best way to accomplish this is with a competitive intelligence program that gives you valuable insight into market conditions and your competitor's programs and activities on an ongoing basis.  Like all information you collect, over time it is likely to change frequently.  So to make accurate, timely competitive actions, you need up to date information and our competitive intelligence program can provide you with that information.  Our competitive marketing intelligence program addresses these issues.

Market Intelligence Program Services

The market intelligence program is tailored specifically for each client based on what factors in the external environment they want to track and be reported on and what frequency of reporting is required.  The progam may look at competitors activities as well as other factors such as government regulations and economic changes that are taking place that may impact the business.   Depending on your requirements may look at the promotional activities of competitors as well as such factors as wins and losses in sales activities of competitors.  

Market Identification / Market Opportunity Assessment Services

The market opportunity assessment is to develop an understanding of the market opportunity that exists for your products / services / solutions in the marketplace. The assessment will provide a picture of where the industry is headed, what the short term and long term demand for your products and services will be and make recommendations for your organization to take advantage of these trends and opportunities.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Assessment Services

The CRM Assessment is a detailed audit of your organization's customer relationship management practices and programs.   The purpose of this audit is to identify opportunities to optimize your current customer relationships and improve acquisition and retention performance.  We look at three key functional areas – Customer Acquisition, Customer Retention and CRM Database Management - in order to assess how you gather, analyze and utilize data in order to recruit and retain profitable customers. This assessment is conducted with your organization's participation and input.

CRM Application & Vendor Assessment Program Services

The CRM Application & Vendor assessment is an evaluation of potential CRM solutions and the vendors that provide them to select the application that best fits your organization's needs.  We base the evaluation on the ability of the application and vendor to deliver on your requirements.

Partner Marketing Program Services

If your organization goes to market jointly with one or more partners, then this program will be the ideal planning tool for you and your partners. The program will help you and your partner(s) identify key strategic go-to-market initiatives that will drive your mutual business objectives. DWS Associates will facilitate this joint planning sessions and guide both organizations through the process of developing your joint marketing plans. 

Customer Acquisition Program Services

The customer acquisition planning program focuses solely on new customer acquisition strategies and plans for current and potential new products and services, or new business start ups.  We develop or help you develop a go-to-market new customer acquisition plan. 

Customer Retention / Loyalty Program Services

This program is focused on reviewing current retention and loyalty strategies and programs and then developing and implementing new plans and programs that reduce customer defections and improve retention.   The program will provide your organization with a go-to-market action plan that leverages the organization’s resources and strengths in order to maximize the potential for achieving its goals for retention.

On Demand Marketing Services

Many organizations struggle with meeting their overall marketing goals with their current marketing teams for a variety of reasons.  You may lack marketing personnel with experience in one or more of marketing’s specialized fields, like direct marketing, SEO or SEM.  You may have the personnel, but they just don’t have the level of expertise needed to provide the strategic or tactical direction.  And third case, you’re current team is up to their ears in work and they just don’t have the bandwidth to take on any more responsibilities.   Our On Demand Marketing Services are tailored to fit your specific needs.