It's important for ALL organizations -- whether or not they are social enterprises -- to have a Business Plan. (For a good template to start with, see the SCORE website.) And part of that Business Plan is the Marketing Plan which outlines in detail things like:

• Market Research

• Description of your products/services and why are they are DIFFERENT

• Description of your target market - demographics and pscyhographics

• How you will deliver or distribute your products and services

• Pricing associated with your product/service

• How you will promote yourself to the target market

For those who went to Business School, you will remember we call these the Four Ps of Marketing (Product, Price, Place, Promotion). Crucial to your ultimate success will be how well your product (or service) fills an actual market need. NOT how socially conscious your organization is. Let me repeat that in case you missed it: The quality of your Product/Service is more important than how socially conscious your organization is. You must live up to your product's promise, or you won't have any customers to keep the money coming in.

But there's an even more important P that's missing here. And that's Purpose. You really want to start from Purpose and make sure everything else is in alignment with that. When you do, all your efforts will be much more powerful because they will make sense not only to you, but to your employees, customers, and other stakeholders.

One of the best books on the topics of purpose in marketing is "It's Not What You Sell, It's What You Stand For," by Roy M. Spence and Haley Rusing.

I also recommend this podcast interview with Ms. Rushing where she explains the difference between Purpose, Mission and Vision -- three terms that are often confused.

One of the things that makes you a socially conscious organization (or "social enterprise") is your focus on The Triple Bottom Line of People/Planet/Profit.

In other words, you're aren't just about making money. Money is not the only driver. And you take into account (equally) how your product or service impacts people (e.g., your customers, community, employees, vendors, etc.) and the planet.

Many folks refer to this triple focus as Sustainable Management Practices, and that's because we know that in order for anything to be sustainable, it needs to be socially equitable, environmentally friendly AND economically viable.

Because the Triple Bottom Line is a new approach for many business organizations, you may find it challenging to report on things like the value and impact of how you treat people and the planet. But not to worry. Others are quickly figuring this out. I recommend you check out Green Biz's "Adapting Your Accounting Practices to Triple Bottom Line Reporting."

There are also companies out there that can help you figure out how to measure these things (for real) and report them to important stakeholders (like shareholders and investors). Check out the Social Venture Technology Group. They've been doing this sort of thing for awhile and really know how to capture and measure the stuff that matters.

So how do you figure out what programs and policies YOUR organization should include? An easy place to start is with your impact on the planet. First you'll need to assess where you are now. Watch this short slideshow to learn more about the How & Why. Then, create your own plan of action. 

It's important for all organizations to make sure before any marketing happens, that their operations are running smoothly. If you haven't done that yet -- go back and look at your processes and procedures. Be confident that once your marketing campaigns start, you will be able to handle all the influx of new customers and inquiries. If you can't, then every penny you spend on marketing will be wasted!

Okay - so assuming you are now ready to go, what should your marketing plan look like?

Everybody always thinks that we marketing experts have some magic potion or silver bullet that if you pay highly enough for, you can have.

Wrong.

The truth is that your organization is unique. Your target market has its own needs and desires. And the economy and outside influences fluctuate daily. So you have to take a lot of things into consideration, then you have to plan well, and finally, you have to be ready to reverse course if things aren't working out the way you want them to.

Here's the best advice for creating YOUR unique marketing plan:

1. Know your target market inside and out. What moves them? What makes them tick? Where do they hang out? Do they use the Internet? If so, how much? What causes do they support?
2. Use highly targeted communication methods whenever possible. Once you know where to find your potential customers, talk to them and them only. Don't spend oodles of money on newspaper ads unless you are trying to reach newspaper readers. Usually (but not always), a direct mail campaign is the better way to go, because you can make sure the people you are talking to, are (at the very least) actually seeing your communication piece.
3. Don't forget word-of-mouth. Every industry without exception relies heavily on word of mouth for most of its new customers. That means anywhere from 50 to 100% of your new customers/audience will come from referrals. So do everything you can to encourage those who already know about you, to help spread the joy. People are the same today as they were hundreds of years ago - we associate with those we like and trust. Therefore, you must build trust with those you want to do business with. And trust building happens in many places - both online and offline.
4. Use your Website as a trust-building tool. As we move away from phonebooks and other offline directories, more and more people are using the Internet to find and research potential vendors. If you don't have a website, you are missing out on a huge opportunity for people to not only find you, but to find out more about you. Your website (its content, look, feel, and functionality) will help people learn more about you and decide whether or not you are credible and trustworthy.
5. Build the Right Relationships. Make sure you doing a fair amount of networking with the right people. This doesn't necessarily mean attending every business mixer under the sun. It's really about connecting with those in your target market. And helping them get to know and trust you. You can do this in many ways -- consider individual coffee or lunch dates with the appropriate person, events where your people will be hanging out, cards, letters, and e-mails that show these folks you are thinking about them, and sharing your knowledge and expertise freely...(oh, and don't forget LinkedIn and Facebook).
6. Create a list of your top 100 prospects. Who do you want to work with? Who (exactly) do want for a customer, client or audience member? Do some research and build a list (complete with contact info and background notes) and then make it one of the first things you do every morning to make contact with at least 3 of the people on this list. One of my favorite books on this entire topic is Michael Port's "Book Yourself Solid," which is really focused on those who provide a service (rather than product), but it will still help product folks figure out the relationship building stuff in a BIG way.
7. Create a budget and a marketing calendar. Every successful organization does this on an annual basis -- and so should you. Figure out ahead of time how much you can spend on ALL marketing activities (not just advertising) and then plan out how and where you will spend that money in a strategic way.  Document (using a calendar) the tactics to be followed each month.  And decide who in your organization is responsible for making sure those things happen.  A good marketing calendar template can be found here.
8. Evaluate and change course when necessary.  All this planning doesn't mean you stay on the path no matter what happens.  It's important to have a plan and chart a course, but it's equally important to be adaptable and be ready to go around obstacles or even change direction when it looks like the path ahead is full of roadblocks.  Be nimble and quick and you'll be able to take advantage of new opportunities and head off disasters like nobody's business!