We begin with an initial meeting to explore the goals and objectives of our client including identifying special issues that need to be addressed. Next we move into a situation analysis where we  identify internal and external marketing factors and their impact on our client and their customers as well as current trends in the market. This includes a complete audit and analysis of our client's existing marketing tools and activities as well as a market analysis and review of competitors. We conduct a thorough SWOT analysis in partnership with our client and then work together to clearly identify target audience(s), product/service features and attributes and benefits. The development of a positioning statement and key messages help form our strategic direction and serve as the basis for our marketing activities moving forward. Finally, we develop an action plan with long-term marketing goals, SMART objectives, relative priorities, strategies for implementation and metrics for evaluation.