A Simple Way To Plan Your Marketing That Works

You Know You Need To Plan Your Marketing – Where Do You Start?

Staring down the barrel of the end of another year, always seems to be time to reflect on what we have done for the year. What worked versus what didn’t. You are busy, we all are – between Facebook, Snap-chat, Instagram, blogging, email … marketing your business is much more involved and time consuming in today’s market. So where do you find a simple way to plan your marketing in a way that actually works?

I have often likened Marketing to dating and relationships. Do you get to know somebody first? You don’t jump in talking kids and lifetime on the first date. Then there is the Tinder generation, were we now live in a world of moments – swipe left, swipe right, tap like, send an emoji and move on. There are no longer 7 steps on the purchase pathway – your customers need to see or hear about you 22 TIMES before they start to know, like, trust you AND ultimately buy from you online these days. So how do you “put yourself out there”, create a marketing plan and still run your business?

Step 1: Get Clear On Your Message

How clear are you to your customers on how YOU ADD VALUE to their lives or what it is you ACTUALLY do FOR them? If people don’t know what you do or how you add VALUE to their lives, they simply won’t do business with you! You NEED Clarity simply because – your clients don’t have time to figure out what it is you do.

Statistically, in our world of moments we have the attention span of  less than a goldfish. Without a clear message and a consistent brand, it is getting harder to stand out, let alone be remembered in the constant noise that is social media and digital marketing today.

Step 2: Have A Consistent Brand

Time is precious, and in business your time is money. Again we have the attention span of LESS than a Goldfish – 8 seconds to be precise. If you are not consistent, you are not recognisable! Let that sink in for a moment …. wherever your client sees you online, they need to know its you.

Think McDonalds – wherever you go in the world the branding is the same. The colours, the uniforms, the menu layouts, the menu itself (mostly). Consistency becomes instantly recognisable. If you are instantly recognisable – YOU STAND OUT. Your clients notice you, they remember you and you become one of the top sub-sets of brands when they think of your product or service.

Step 3: Map Out Your Online Footprint

Have you ever got into a car on a road trip without a map of your surroundings? Where did you end up? The Digital Space is no different, you need to firstly know where you are. Do you know where you are online? What Social Media Platforms do you use? What do you post on there? Do you know WHY you are using that platform?

If your IDEAL client is not on the platform you are spending precious time (& sometimes money) on you will go backwards. Your need to know where you are online and why. This will also determine what you post as far as information, images, quotes and even tips to show your expertise.

Step 4: Map Your Relationship Building Activities

Getting back to the dating analogy – Marketing is ALL about building relationships. So after Step 3 you have determined you are now spending your time wisely on the same Social Media platforms your Ideal client is on. The next step is to show your clients you fill THEIR need!

Your BRAND is your clients’ sum total of their emotional attachment and experience with you and your business. What emotional attachment are you developing? So much of what we do is online, your clients need to feel that emotional attachment – you UNDERSTAND them. Your speak their language. You resonate with them.

Now it is time to Map out these relationship building activities. Use their words, speak their language. Cretae a feeling that they have NO CHOICE BUT to work with you. Once you create that emotional attachment – you build that relationship. Not much different to dating or dare I say it – marriage – or your kids. Everything is a relationship, including your clients and potential clients for your business.

Step 5: Make planning for 2018 a PRIORITY!

The old adage “Fail to Plan & You Plan to Fail” has never been so true as in today’s business environment. Every aspect of business is getting busier and with the constant interaction with social media, being clear and specific to plan your marketing is essential. It is this defined structure or plan your marketing needs to avoid the inevitable time suck down the Facebook or Social Media rabbit hole. So how do you plan your marketing to give you the defined marketing structure your business needs?

Well by now, you:

1. Know Your Message
2. Have a Consistent Brand
3. Know Where You Will Post online
4. Know Your Relationship Building Activities
5. YOU NOW HAVE A PLAN

Write it down. Give yourself deadlines and schedule posts. Buffer and Hootsuite are great if your starting out, Drip and Meet Edgar are even better for planning. Block off time in your calendar to plan and structure the elements above and manage it all between Asana and Trello

Make planning a priority!

It was these conversations with clients that prompted me to pull together the Digital Success Workshops. You need an integrated structure to manage your business workflow. An integrated structure leads to ideal paying clients and being seen as the MARKET LEADER in your industry.

I have limited Strategy Sessions left for 2017 for you to plan your marketing, get crystal clear on your message and your DIGITAL & ONLINE space for 2018. Don’t waste the most precious commodity you have … your time.

There are only two weeks left of 2017 – so let’s hit 2018 running with a Clear Action Plan, Strategy Map & Checklist!

Let’s Talk MARKETING!