If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
-Benjamin Franklin
There’s a reason quotes like these stand the test of time… there’s truth in them!
Many business owners we speak to are in a similar boat – they’re putting energy and resources towards marketing efforts, but they aren’t working off a plan, so they don’t have a clear picture of how the pieces are working together for maximum results.
We often hear things like, “we try a lot of things to see what sticks” and “we’re really not sure what’s working and what’s not”.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone! Today we’re sharing a simple tool that’s the first step in making sure your marketing efforts are deliberate, robust, and impactful.
What tool is that? The Annual Marketing Plan!
Here are just a few of the benefits of completing an Annual Marketing Plan:
- You can see exactly what you’re doing, when, making sure you’re communicating important messages consistently throughout the year and at key times.
- You can easily identify gaps and fill them in with additional efforts.
- Once completed, you have a roadmap your team can execute and a way to foster accountability.
How do you complete your Annual Marketing Plan?
- First, list the current media channels you use on the left-most column, both free and paid (ie. direct mail, email, radio, Facebook posts, Google Advertising, etc).
- Then, next to each media listing, check off the weeks you use the channels. Each month has 4 boxes representing weeks, so try to be as accurate as you can when checking the boxes. In other words, if you send a monthly email the second week of each month, label the row “Monthly email” and check off the second box in each month.
- Take a look at your completed plan and identify gaps! Are you speaking to your audience consistently throughout the year? Are you hitting key cycles in your business? Are your current media channels the right ones to reach all your target customers?
- Add new marketing channels to your plan to fill in gaps you’ve identified.
Now, you have a plan you can execute, hold yourself accountable to, and measure the success of!
Download your Annual Marketing Plan here and get working!
If you have questions, we can help you fill in the gaps with the optimal channels to reach your goals. Contact our Director of Sales, Sarah Gordee at: [email protected]