This week I created a comprehensive marketing plan as part of my internship with Phoenix Environmental. Marketing plans are a vital part of marketing because they ensure that goals are being met across a wide array of categories. I focused specifically on two areas that I think are vital: Social Media and the website. Currently Phoenix Environmental only utilizes Facebook for social media and their website for connecting with potential clients.

The key to marketing a business in this day and age is content marketing… That is producing content that is relative to your audience and that establishes you as an authoritative source in your field. For example, a local restaurant could share a post on their Facebook page showing a worker cooking and with tips on how their audience can try to cook their own version. Their audience is clearly interested in the restaurant, which is why they follow them. Posting a photo of a “in the kitchen” shot of a signature dish being created gives the audience a personal view into a part of the restaurant they don’t usually get to see. Posting cooking tips for how that audience can try to make their own version at home establishes the restaurant as a good source of information and reminds the audience why they follow the restaurant’s Facebook page: they like their food! Scientists are often TERRIBLE at content marketing. Think of the hideous NASA videos your teacher made you watch in first grade. Can’t think of any? That’s probably because you were sleeping before NASA even got past the intro. Solid content marketing can help scientists, like those at Phoenix Environmental, get their message across in a relevant and exciting way.

Websites can be a similar story or an entirely different resource all together. In my marketing plan I researched Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how Phoenix Environmental can utilize it. Essentially this controls how Google’s search results display a specific page or website. If you type in “Environmental Consultation,” you’re probably looking for consultation near you. Due to the fact that Google knows all, it can give you more relevant results based on your location when you search this. Businesses like Phoenix Environmental can take advantage of the way Google’s algorithms work to ensure that when someone with a relevant location is searching for them, they actually show up! This is key to using a website to get clients, and I gave advice to how Phoenix Environmental could increase their relevancy in search results in my marketing plan. Next week, I plan to meet/call with Jeff Paetz (my boss at Phoenix Environmental) to discuss the plan further and begin implementation of it to ensure he’s reaching an audience that is already looking for him!