MAKE THIS THE YEAR YOU CREATE A SOLID (SIMPLE) MARKETING PLAN YOU CAN ACTUALLY STICK WITH.
When it comes to our business and marketing, the key is consistency. Once you have a solid brand foundation and your website effectively reflects your brand, the next step is to start marketing your products and/or services. Your marketing plan should be simple, especially when starting out. Don’t overwhelm yourself with complicated expectations of yourself. Set yourself up for success with a seasonal marketing plan.
A seasonal marketing plan will allow for more free time to create new products and services and expand your business down the road. Entrepreneurs love coming up with new ideas but many of us lack the follow-through required for great success. Don’t let yourself fall into this typical pitfall. Find the discipline it takes to be consistent and know that that is what will lead you to expanded creativity, even if it feels counterintuitive right now.
RINSE + REPEAT
Start by creating four seasonal promos you can rinse and repeat yearly. Don’t reinvent the wheel every year and scramble to come up with new ideas. Just reflect on the ideas from last year and repeat them, improving a little each year. Once you have mastered your seasonal marketing plan, you can start thinking about adding new ideas to the mix and repeating them. Think about how much more effective your promotions will be if you are creating four new promos per year rather than trying to create monthly marketing promos. Four vs. twelve sounds a lot more doable, and you’ll be much more effective. Once you have mastered your seasonal marketing plan, you may also want to think about hiring and delegating the execution of the plan.
WHAT DOES YOUR TARGET MARKET NEED AND WANT? GIVE IT TO THEM AT THE PERFECT MOMENT.
This will look different for your business if you run a service-based business vs. a product-based business. Or maybe you run a business that offers products and services. Whatever the case may be for you, you want to start by thinking about what your target market needs and wants during spring, summer, fall, and the holidays/winter season.
PRODUCT-BASED BUSINESS?
If you are a product-based business, you might plan your year by focusing your promos on holiday buying trends and creating seasonal collections. Consider partnerships or collaborations with complementary businesses. Participate in markets, fairs, pop-ups, etc. Get prepared by creating the products in advance so that when it comes time to promote, you are on target.
SERVICE-BASED BUSINESS?
If you offer services, think about hosting an in-person workshop or host a webinar once per quarter. Offer a free tool that aligns with your services, get featured on a podcast or blog, or start a podcast or blog. If that sounds daunting to you, start by producing four seasonal episodes or posting four seasonal blog posts and grow your frequency later if it’s a platform you enjoy.
PUT THE ROCKS IN FIRST
The possibilities are endless. But breaking up your year into four parts and putting in the rocks first allows you to simplify your plan and execute it without feeling overwhelmed and inconsistent. Consistency is key. Use my free worksheet to brainstorm and plan your seasonal marketing strategy. Then go out there and execute your plan! I’d love to hear how it goes. Feel free to drop me a line and let me know how it goes, or if you have questions, I’m always here to help. Here’s to your success!
