Taking the time to carefully plan your activity will not only help your concepts come to life, but will drive the results you’re looking for.
We asked Enterprise Nation, a network of small businesses and business advisers, to share their insights on forming an effective marketing plan for your business.
Here are their top tips for mapping out a successful marketing plan:
Your marketing activity will need to be aligned closely with your business goals. Think about your objectives for the year ahead, then decide on a sales target for each of these marketing objectives. Consider any upcoming product launches, events/tradeshows, new sales regions and longer contracts.
Once you have determined your main objectives, break them down into actionable steps. Think about what marketing channel/s will be best-suited, the timeframe needed and the scope of activity involved. Then, try to allocate a rough budget to each activity as you work your way through each step.
The more you can understand about how the activity will relate to sales, the better and more accurate your results will be. Remember to keep track and measure the impact of all activities – this way, you’ll be able to refer back to previous activities to see what worked and what didn’t. These insights will play a crucial role in adapting and improving processes in future.
The key marketing channels to look into when creating your marketing plan are:
Don’t overstretch yourself. It can be easy to want to embark on all channels at once, but spend time researching what channels are most likely to deliver the best results and attract the right audience.
What channels do your customers enjoy using the most? What are their interests, what age range do they fit within and where are they based? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you choose the most effective platform to reach them on. Your sales team and staff members will likely be clued up on this information already. But if you’re struggling to clearly define these details, some research may be needed – especially if you’re planning on using a new marketing channel or allocating a significant budget to this activity.
How much marketing you plan on doing will probably depend on a combination of factors such as resources, business goals and the marketing channels available to you.
A good place to start is to ask 3 questions –
Consider the size of your following on each of your platforms to guide post frequency – for example, a Twitter page with a small number of followers shouldn’t be overloaded with company news. Similarly, the amount of emails you send out will be guided by the number of recipients you have and their customer preferences.
Commit to regular slots of marketing activity, even when you’re busy. With so much going on, it can be very easy to get caught up in the other important day-to-day aspects of running a business, leaving marketing on the back burner.
However, marketing is fundamental to business growth. Booking regular slots in your diary in advance will help to manage time spent on marketing activities, and hopefully prevent disruption from other tasks leaking through.
Use your calendar to plan ahead for all the important upcoming events – both internal and external to your company. Remember to include ongoing and in-progress marketing campaigns. This will help you to map important milestones for your business, such as opening a new branch, launching a new product, hiring a new employee, or delivering a notable marketing project.
Being aware of external events or key calendar dates for the public is a great way to promote your business. Take a look at industry publications, online resources and Days of the Year lists, so you don’t miss out on big events you can leverage!
There are lots of options to consider when it comes to recording your marketing plan. Whether it’s an annual planner that’s posted on the wall, a shared spreadsheet or an online planning tool; it really depends on your team and what you/they feel most comfortable with. Here’s a quick outline for some of the most popular methods;
Enterprise Nation is a network of small businesses and business advisers that has helped thousands of people achieve their goals. Whether you’re starting or growing a business, we have the resources, expertise and connections to help you get it right.
Give us a call on 0203 871 2922, or visit our website www.enterprisenation.com
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12 Feb 2024
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