A smart, cohesive approach makes it easier to sell a good or service, writes Claire Shoesmith

An iPod nano, should you buy one or should you not? You are quite content with the iShuffle you got for Christmas last year, but your best friend says the quality is much better on the new nano.

Meanwhile, your older sister is adamant her Discman is the best way to listen to music because she can play the CDs she has already bought and does not have to spend time downloading music from her computer.

If we are honest, none of the above gadgets are better than the others. Deciding which is the most suitable one for you depends on what you want to get from the product.

The real questions are, firstly, how are you going to know the product exists, and secondly, which one to buy? This is something that is in the hands of the marketers and the advertisers, who will set out a marketing plan.

The plan can take on a variety of different forms, but will usually be focused around the so-called four Ps of marketing: product, place, promotion and price, according to Padraig Smith, director of Marketing Network.

The first thing to consider is the product - what exactly are you going to market?

You will need to consider any quality and safety issues as well as packaging. Should there be a seasonal or regional variant and is there potential for any accessories or additional services?

Market research plays an important part at this stage of the plan, says Bernadette Mullarkey, a director and joint founder of Bane Mullarkey, a Galway-based marketing consultancy.

"For me, there are five basic steps," she says. "First, you need to identify your target market; then research that market; then fix the missings, ie do not tear on ahead with your plans if something isn't right, make sure you go back and sort it out; then you need to think about communication - how are you going to tell people about the product, and finally, research your market again to check that you are doing things correctly."

Under the heading "place" comes distribution, market coverage, warehousing and stock management.

You will need to decide whether you want to distribute your product nationwide or to selective areas of the country or the world.

You will need to either set up your own distribution network or organise to contract out the transportation and delivery of your goods. Even at this stage, you need to consider the exact shops you would like to see your product in.

That brings us on to price. According to Smith, this is an area where companies often fall down.

"Many people presume the cheapest price is the best, but that is not always the case," he says. "Sometimes you may be better off going for a premium price and smaller sales."

Such a strategy can be seen with Apple, the maker of the iPod, whose products are priced at a significant premium to that of its rivals and yet sell in abundance, trading on high quality and design.

At the opposite end of the scale you have Ryanair, whose pricing policy is to be the cheapest in the market, with the intention of selling as many airline tickets as possible. Both of their marketing plans reflect these price strategies.

Once you have done all of the above, it is time to show the world what you have been working on - it is time to promote your product.

"Timing is crucial," says Charley Stoney, managing director of McConnells Direct, a Dublin-based marketing and advertising agency.

"You have to get the timing right so that consumers are around when you are promoting your product and that they are interested."

In many areas, common sense can help when it comes to timing. Toys are often launched before Christmas and new confectionary is rarely brought to the market at times such as Lent.

Knowledge of the consumer also plays a significant role in promoting your product.

"It is important to have clarity as to who your target customer is," says Aldagh McDonogh, a director of Alternatives, a marketing training agency which has worked with companies like AIB, Eircom and Microsoft Ireland.

"Without that your plan could go down a very wrong path and you will be targeting people who don't necessarily want your product."

For example, there is no point in running television adverts for a new toy late at night, or promoting a luxury holiday resort in January when people are traditionally feeling rather strapped for cash after Christmas.

While much of this is common sense, sections that are not require research, something McDonogh says should continually be assessed during the marketing programme.

One area where many people fall down is sticking so rigidly to their original plan that they do not even notice whether it is having the desired effect, McDonagh believes.

"You need to continually check your work," she says.

"You also need a contingency plan in case things do not work out as you had hoped. Or at the very least you need to be prepared to change the plan that you have."

So there you have it, enough tips to start a marketing plan. But do not forget, billions of euro are spent and unfortunately sometimes wasted on marketing plans each year.

Currently it is still more of an art than a science.