With the recession easing, print service providers are coming out of the bunkers. Rather than focusing on cost cutting measures, aggressive firms are now seeking revenue growth opportunities to improve their bottom lines. The starting point is the creation of a good strategic marketing plan. According to the Dictionary of Marketing Terms, marketing is "the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals."

For those of you who haven't recently considered your strategic marketing plan, now is the time to revisit it. Marketing encompasses everything you must do to come up with a desired product or service, make potential customers aware of it, convince them that they need it, and then sell it to them. With the expansion of new media services, it may be time to reassess the blueprint that guides your course of action. At the very least, a good marketing plan should include a clear set of quantifiable objectives as well as some strategies, tactics, and milestones that support those objectives.

Today, the difference between success and failure often lies in developing and executing a strong strategic marketing plan. This is not an academic exercise. The very act of putting your plan on paper requires complete knowledge of the facts so that you will have a tighter, more foolproof plan. This will assist you in sizing up and structuring your market as well as your target market's total business potential.