5 Steps to a Live Marketing Plan
5 Steps to a Live Marketing Plan
When I’m talking with business owners and marketing people I’m often asked,
“How do I plan my marketing? There are so many details.”
My answer is to keep it simple. But focus on the important stuff.
To make it easier, I’ve broken down the planning process into five key steps.
1. Identify the source/s of revenue.
I suggest you go back a step or two (in your thinking process) and consider the sources of revenue for your business. This helps you focus on who your potential clients are (such as demographics, psychographics, job description etc), and where they are located (such as size of business, geographic location etc).
2. Select suitable marketing tactics.
You need to consider which marketing tactics are really going to make an impression. And importantly, which ones can fit into your available marketing budget. These decisions also need to take into account the communication objectives for your business.
For example, if potential clients need to be educated about a new process or service you are offering, you might consider using a “staged” communication process. You could use email or direct mail as the first stage to get attention. Then follow it up with an offer of information (e.g. a white paper or case study) or a demonstration. The third stage would be to meet with all decision makers. This method moves prospects quickly into your sales process.
3. Plan your marketing tactics over the year.
No matter whether you plan by the financial year or by the calendar year, plan your marketing in 12-month blocks. This enables you to manage your budget so you have enough to cover peak periods. It also allows you to see any major overlaps that will stretch your capabilities. This is especially the case for service businesses where much of the “marketing” requires personal time to be spent by the service providers.
Get your free copy of my easy-to-use 12 month weekly marketing planner.
You can use it on your PC, or print it out and fill it in by hand. Click here to download (Excel file 20KB). Tip: For best results Right-Click link and select Save Target As... to save the file on your own computer.
4. Create an action plan for each marketing tactic.
You must consider each tactic on your annual planner. For each tactic write down all the tasks needed to accomplish that goal, in chronological order. Estimate the time needed to do each task so you can plan ahead. Then decide who will do it, and when it is due. Voila! You’re nearly there.
5. Start doing it.
That’s right. No high-tech solutions required. Just start actioning all the tasks, in the priority needed to meet your timeframes. Remember to monitor completion dates and outcomes.
If you follow these 5 simple steps you’ll have a living, breathing marketing plan that will put you on the road to marketing success.
5 Steps to a Live Marketing Plan - To learn more about this author, visit Stuart Ayling's Website.
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It’s true. Failure to plan is planning to fail.
When I’m talking with business owners and marketing people I’m often asked,
“How do I plan my marketing? There are so many details.”
My answer is to keep it simple. But focus on the important stuff.
To make it easier, I’ve broken down the planning process into five key steps.
1. Identify the source/s of revenue.
I suggest you go back a step or two (in your thinking process) and consider the sources of revenue for your business. This helps you focus on who your potential clients are (such as demographics, psychographics, job description etc), and where they are located (such as size of business, geographic location etc).
2. Select suitable marketing tactics.
You need to consider which marketing tactics are really going to make an impression. And importantly, which ones can fit into your available marketing budget. These decisions also need to take into account the communication objectives for your business.
For example, if potential clients need to be educated about a new process or service you are offering, you might consider using a “staged” communication process. You could use email or direct mail as the first stage to get attention. Then follow it up with an offer of information (e.g. a white paper or case study) or a demonstration. The third stage would be to meet with all decision makers. This method moves prospects quickly into your sales process.
3. Plan your marketing tactics over the year.
No matter whether you plan by the financial year or by the calendar year, plan your marketing in 12-month blocks. This enables you to manage your budget so you have enough to cover peak periods. It also allows you to see any major overlaps that will stretch your capabilities. This is especially the case for service businesses where much of the “marketing” requires personal time to be spent by the service providers.
Get your free copy of my easy-to-use 12 month weekly marketing planner.
You can use it on your PC, or print it out and fill it in by hand. Click here to download (Excel file 20KB). Tip: For best results Right-Click link and select Save Target As... to save the file on your own computer.
4. Create an action plan for each marketing tactic.
You must consider each tactic on your annual planner. For each tactic write down all the tasks needed to accomplish that goal, in chronological order. Estimate the time needed to do each task so you can plan ahead. Then decide who will do it, and when it is due. Voila! You’re nearly there.
5. Start doing it.
That’s right. No high-tech solutions required. Just start actioning all the tasks, in the priority needed to meet your timeframes. Remember to monitor completion dates and outcomes.
If you follow these 5 simple steps you’ll have a living, breathing marketing plan that will put you on the road to marketing success.
5 Steps to a Live Marketing Plan - To learn more about this author, visit Stuart Ayling's Website.
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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