You may want to grab a pen and some blank paper, and the beverage of your choice… Now, let’s get started building YOUR business!
Lesson 4
MAKE AN EFFECTIVE MARKETING PLAN
It has been well said that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Today we look at ways to create an *effective* marketing plan.
What is an effective marketing plan? It’s simply a plan that works. No high and mighty philosophy. No complex formulas that make your head ache. Just old fashioned common sense mixed with your irresistible offer.
Ready? Here we go.
In Lesson 3 you created some really great marketing pieces, your core marketing elements. Now you need the campaign strategies and marketing plans to get those pieces in front of your prospects.
(Click here to get a copy of Lesson 3)
First things first. We need to map out our game plan. In other words, where we will distribute our information?
Here’s what to do. There are THREE EASY STEPS.
1. Make a list of all the civic groups you belong to. All of your marketing and networking groups, your church, your kid’s school’s PTA, everyplace you go to interact with other people.
Now make a list of all the groups, organizations, and places that your target market goes.
These are the places where you will begin your PERSONAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN!
2. Now list all of the publications that your target prospects read. From newspapers and trade magazines, to Chamber of Commerce newsletters and club bulletins, write down everything you can think of.
This is where you will launch your WRITTEN PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN.
3. Now, if you’re online, make a list of all the places your target market generally goes. What websites do they visit, what newsgroups do they participate in, what e-zines do they subscribe to?
This is where you’ll launch your ONLINE CAMPAIGN.
You’ve chosen the places to market, now its time to plan the campaigns.
=====> YOUR PERSONAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN
Make copies of your core article or free report, with your complete contact information.
Give them to EVERYONE you know.
Distribute them at your affiliate groups you listed in the first part of this lesson. Then distribute them to your target prospects’ affiliate groups.
Turn your report into a mini-presentation and offer your services as a speaker to local groups.
Let your imagination roam – where do you want to see your message?
=====> YOUR WRITTEN PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN
Remember all of those publications you listed? You’re going to get your reports and articles published in them. And, No this won’t cost you an arm and a leg.
In fact it’s FREE!
You need to contact the editors of the publications and find out their submission requirements for articles and press releases.
You won’t get published everywhere, but as you become better known it will become easier and easier.
You can also publish your info in your own newsletter and distribute it to clients and prospects.
=====> YOUR ONLINE CAMPAIGN
Put your articles on your web site.
Offer them to e-zine publishers as free content if they include your bi-line and resource box.
Publish an e-zine with your own original content.
By now you probably have at least three pages of notes and a million ideas floating around in your head! You’re also probably feeling more than a little overwhelmed.
Don’t worry… You’re supposed to be. ; )
Marketing your business is a Herculean task and takes regimented planning and execution.
Let’s start breaking it down into manageable chunks.
Pick your primary campaign. Which one do you want to launch first?
Personal?
Written?
Online?
It doesn’t matter which you start with, but do pick just 1.
Remember, professional marketers plan the entire campaign before hand, but they only enter one market at a time if they can possibly manage it. Good marketers are also flexible – if things aren’t going exactly as planned they adjust and re-evaluate.
Plan, But Don’t Lock Yourself Into A Rigid Plan.
Once you’ve chosen your campaign, go back and fine-tune the steps you will take. Where are you going to distribute your materials? What are your main objectives? What publication, group, or web site is the most important to you? Which are 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, on the list? Success is in the details.
Now get out your calendar and plan 1 marketing activity per week. (Its better if you commit to 3 per week, but if that is too much for you, do at least 1.) Start with the most important one and work your way down the list.
Once you’ve worked through one campaign, create a maintenance plan for it and start on the next campaign.
Repeat the process for your third campaign.
Now don’t think you’ll get all of this done in the next 3 weeks. You’ll get started in the next 3 weeks, but this will be an ongoing process for the life of your business. Or at least as long as you want it to keep growing.
How quickly you see results, depends on how quickly you get started, and how consistent you are with your follow-through.
In the marketing end of your business you worst enemy isn’t your competition. Your worst enemy is procrastination. Your second worst enemy is lack of follow-through.
Either one can destroy your business.
Don’t let them.
These ideas are just a drop in the bucket of possibilities. Your marketing opportunities are limited only by your imagination and your tenacity.
We live in a world of tremendous abundance. Opportunity is everywhere and ripe for the picking. All it takes is for you to believe you can do it, and then DO IT!
Map your course, and then get busy!
Now you have a plan and people will start calling.
Once they call, your marketing job is done. Now you move into the Sales Arena.
In the next lesson you’ll learn,
*How to Create Your Next Super Client *
or, how to make people absolutely LOVE working with you.
Liz Thompson is the co-founder and CEO of HealthyWealthynWise.com. She is also the founder of guide2giftbiz.com, the premier educational site for the gift industry. She is the author of 5 books and is working on her sixth, on step-by-step web-site development, due out next summer. She can be reached through her web sites: www.healthywealthynwise.com
and www.guide2giftbiz.com, by e-mail at lthompson@healthywealthynwise.com, or by calling (304) 725-2502.
