Is your marketing an afterthought? Or is it just not hitting the mark?
We understand. As you grow your business (and your brand), your marketing strategy can get lost or sidetracked along the way.
If you’re like most business owners we work with, just having a framework to get you started can be half the battle.
Here are 5 questions to get you started as you create your plan.
1. Who is your target audience? (Seriously. Don’t skip this question!)
To understand when and how you should cater to your audience, you must first identify who you’re trying to reach. Define who they are – their demographics, their interests, their values, and what end results they want. For a little more help finding your audience’s identity, read our guide to marketing personas.
2. What are your goals for the year?
Be specific in your goal-setting and align your marketing goals with your revenue goals for the year. Here’s a lesson we’ve seen over and over again – generic marketing plans get generic results. Set a number, plan your campaigns for the entire year (so you don’t have to think about “what’s next” each month), map out a timeline on your calendar, and set deadlines to work toward.
Set one or two KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) that you will monitor throughout the year – these could be things like # Leads Generated, Cost-per-Click, # of New Subscribers, etc.
3. What are you offering that your target audience needs?
This goes beyond a mission statement. Be sure to have a strong, clear message for the year that communicates everything you and your brand are about.
Most marketing plans underperform because they fail to communicate.
What pain points do you eliminate? What do your satisfied customers say about working with you? What makes your process or product special?
List these all out and identify the thread that holds them together.
4. What does your budget look like?
This goes for time and money. Just like your goal-setting, be specific. Pin down your projected expenses and time commitments as accurately as you can, but still allow for a little flexibility. Build your budget and schedule – by the day, week, month, and year. Set times to evaluate and re-allocate throughout the year.
5. Which channels or platforms will you use?
Once you have your target audience and budget, selecting the means in which you’ll communicate with them should be easier.
Know your options, as well as which ones are more popular with the people you’re targeting – and which ones will fit into your budget.
Need a partner to walk you through creating your marketing plan?
Book a free 15-minute discovery call with TwoTone, and together we’ll set you up for a successful year.
As our resident social media expert, Sydney provides innovative perspectives to help organizations achieve their goals through various social media platforms. Her highly organized approach ensures clients get the strategy they need, at the exact moment they need it.
