What is a marketing plan?
Wikipedia says a marketing plan is a comprehensive document or blueprint that outlines a business advertising and marketing efforts for the coming year. It describes business activities involved in accomplishing specific marketing objectives within a set time frame.
A marketing plan is a crucial part of ANYONE’S business. It is where you outline your strategy and the tactics you should use. It is ideal to start with creating it for a specific time frame, like one year for example. Now, it WILL change over time. Your business will change and mature daily. So you have to be ready for those changes.
You create a marketing plan so that you have a roadmap showing you what directions you need to go to reach your goals. It will help you find clarity to who your target market or ideal client is. It provides you and your team the focus and direction you need to again, meet those goals!
A marketing plan should be based on your goals. Where you want to be in 6 months. 12 months. 5 years. Here is what you need to do to create it:
Research: Do your due diligence. Gather as much data as you can about what and where you are marketing.
Collaborate: Collaborate with top influencers in your industry.
Strategies: What pain point are you looking to solve? You have to provide solutions for your audience. Use these with your advertising.
Budget: Keep inside of your budget. There are so many inexpensive ways to get your story and business out that you don’t have to spend thousands right off the bat. Start small.
GOALS: Set your goals! Seriously SET THEM! It can be how many people are following you. It can be profit in a 3 month period. Whatever. Just make them and WORK TOWARDS THEM!
Track your results: Set up a spreadsheet for your social media numbers. Your email list numbers. Profit/Loss. Evaluate and tweak when you need to! Don’t let this be something you “will do later.” If you want to be truly successful, it is a must!!!
So, get moving. You can do this! And if you need help, contact me! Helping businesses succeed is one of my FAVORITE things to do!! xoxo