How to make and work your marketing plan

Figuring out how to market your business is often like trying to figure out how to write a novel. You've got tons of ideas floating around in your head and a vague vision of yourself as this amazing success. You just don't ever actually start writing. That's often because you've fallen into one of two traps: (1) You failed to write a marketing plan or (2) you spent all your time "getting ready to get ready" (Marc LeBlanc)

How to make and work your marketing plan

Today you get to cheat. It's ok, it's a good kind of cheating. I'm going to give you an outline of what kind of activities should be included in your small business marketing mix. Then, instead of staring at a blank screen wondering why all your brilliant ideas have dissipated into thin air, you'll have a place to start.
Your marketing plan should contain daily, weekly, monthly and yearly activities. 


Daily activities should have a well-defined scope (a time frame, number of calls, specific action) and might include:

• 20-minute planning session on social media topics
• Spend 20 minutes writing this week's Tweets
• Spend 20 minutes scanning Facebook updates 
• Post a single Facebook update
• Spend 30 minutes writing a blog post
• Spend 10 minutes composing new event email 
• Send New event email to current contact list
• Make one new contact call
• Respond to all comments on latest blog post
• Identify my top three activities for tomorrow

Weekly activities also need a well defined scope (specify a time frame, a day, or a person):

• Spend 20 minutes brainstorming list of new blog post topics
• Send my new flyer to my top ten advocates
• Spend 15 minutes online integrating my social media feeds
• Meet with partner to brainstorm new Facebook contest rules
• Spend 20 minutes reading associated blogs and commenting
• Attend Wednesday networking lunch 
• Meet with SoundScapes Thursday to oversee radio spot production
• Meet with printer Friday to proof business cards
• Check in with primary contact for one of my retainers
• Review video for NAPO conference
• Spend 20 minutes writing my bio as a speaker
• Spend 20 minutes making my list of next week's marketing activities

Monthly activities might include specifics and broader activities that need to be broken down:

• Speak on "how to get organized" at the library, Aug 20th
• Spend 30 minutes brainstorming new speaking opps
• Spend 30 minutes monitoring my social media numbers and measuring my success
• Spend 30 minutes updating my bookkeeping
• Get online and email the IRS for my online tax payment number
• Make my quarterly tax payment by the 10th
• Spend 30 minutes paying last month's vendors and reviewing costs
• Call contact about updating SEO keyword list
• Spend 30 minutes filling out the NAPO speaker form for 2012
• Meet with videographer to create video for NAPO presentation
• Post a new video to my YouTube site
• Get my Youtube site connected to my website
• Spend 45 minutes reviewing my yearly plan and making my list of next month's marketing activities

Yearly activities are broad (you will have to break these down into smaller activities) and might include:

• Attend two trade shows in 2011
• Attend the NAPO conference in 2012
• Apply to be a speaker at the 2012 NAPO conference
• Complete my self study course
• Design and send out one direct mail piece
• Populate my Youtube channel with at least three new videos
• Have my signs redesigned and reprinted before next trade show
• Get my affiliate program up and running on my website
• Work with someone to update my SEO and create master keyword list
• Update my marketing plan for 2012

All your marketing activities fall into two categories: 

1.  Filling the funnel

• This are activities that introduce people to your business. It might be an introductory presentation at the library or a monthly networking group. It might be an introductory 2-hour in-home session. It might be generating my social media connections. All these activities fill your funnel. 

1. Working the funnel

Once a client has had an initial experience with you, you need other kinds of marketing activities to keep that person aware of what your current offerings are. This would include letting prior clients or students know about advanced workshops and trainings, or letting them know you have a new product available. Usually, you'll have a few (say 10) top advocates. These are the people who love you and what you do and want to spread the word. Make sure they know about your current offerings.