If I asked you to write down a list of your marketing tasks right now, I bet you would be able to rattle off at least 20 off the top of your head.
From emailing your subscribers and posting on various social media platforms to writing and promoting blog posts – it is probably all on your list.
But, is all that work paying off?
Are you focusing your energies in the right place?
If you are blindly posting to all the places and constantly feeling the pressure to come up with new content, it can all become overwhelming very quickly.
The best remedy for overwhelm is thorough planning. So, read on for my very best tips on coming up with an effective marketing plan and staying one step ahead of the game!
Best Tips For An Effective Marketing Plan
Break It Down
Whether you are cooking a five-course meal for a group of friends, planning to ascend Mount Everest, or trying to figure out your marketing plan for the year, the best path to success is to break it down into manageable, bite-sized pieces.
Start by looking at the bigger picture – aka your overarching marketing strategy and goals – then break those broad objectives down into quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily tasks.
Create Monthly Themes
To avoid your marketing efforts jumping around all over the place from one thing to another, it’s helpful to come up with monthly themes.
These can keep your content flowing and provide consistency and continuity for your audience. When laying out your marketing plan, don’t forget to look at significant dates that fall in each month that you need to include, such as holidays. Also consider if you will be launching new products or services and if there are any industry specific dates you need to commemorate.
Capture Your Marketing Plan!
Seeing your marketing plan laid out in front of you visually is a fantastic stress reliever! Plus, getting it out of your head and onto the page in front of you makes it easier to action.
How you lay out your plan is up to you. You may want to have it neatly drawn out with different coloured pens on a large sheet of paper in your office, noted down in your diary, or neatly laid out online using an organisational tool such as Trello.
The method doesn’t matter. What’s important is that it makes sense for you and your team and allows you to visualise the days, weeks, and months ahead.
Have A Strategy For The Larger Activities
Some marketing tasks are reasonably small and are actioned every day, week or month. But some are more significant, such as a product or event launch.
Along with your routine marketing activities, you will need to make space for the more significant campaigns, sales, and events on your calendar. Don’t leave these to the last minute! Again, you should break these down into manageable tasks and leave yourself plenty of time to prepare.
Give Yourself Some Breathing Room
Planning is essential, but we all know that sometimes, not everything goes to plan! Hello to 2020’s global pandemic for example!
Pandemic aside, marketing and your business are constantly evolving, so you should be continually assessing and analysing to see what’s working and what isn’t. Leave some breathing room in your marketing plan calendar so you can tweak and adapt or add in spur of the moment marketing activities to take advantage of those unexpected opportunities.
Get Comfortable With Change
Learn to love your planning calendar, but don’t get too attached. AND, don’t be afraid to delete things, move others around, add new ideas, and make it your own.
Your marketing plan needs to evolve as your business and industry do. Remember – you are in the driver’s seat and in full control of how things roll out. So, make the changes that make sense for your business.
Call In The Big Guns
Marketing is such an integral part of your business success, you don’t really want to leave it to chance. That’s why it can be extremely valuable to call on the advice and expertise of a digital marketing strategist.
A strategist can see things in your business that you may have overlooked or not noticed as you are so invested in the day to day operations. They also understand the way the market works and the best way for each individual business to capitalise on the various marketing channels available.
Calling in a marketing strategist, like The Marketing Baker, could be the catalyst you need for business growth. So, why not jump on a free discovery call with me today to see how we could supercharge your marketing plan. Book a convenient time to chat here.