It’s Good to Have a Plan
You plan your vacation. You even plan your next trip to the grocery store. But, do you have a marketing plan? Now, is the perfect time of year to time block a couple of hours, put a marketing plan together and put some dates on it. The major elements of any good plan include answers to the who, what, how, when and why questions.
Ask yourself who you are you going to market to? Do you have a sphere of influence you want to stay in front of? Are you targeting a particular area or farm? Or, are you focusing on a particular market like First Time Home Buyers or Empty Nesters?
Now ask yourself, what are you going to send? Will it be marketing pieces specific to your industry or business? Or, pieces that bring value such as Local Farmer’s Markets or Great Activities for Kids. One thing to consider is shelf life. Any time you send a marketing piece that the receiver will keep for information or reference, you extend your exposure.
Another important element of a marketing plan is how will you communicate? Will it be through direct mail? Email? Social media? Face to face? The most effective marketing plans incorporate a combination of all of these modes. One of the most important rules of effective marketing is: Always try to reach people where they are. You might find the younger generations prefer the social media methods including Facebook and Twitter. Others will appreciate an informative email and others still love to get a good old fashion piece of mail.
Another phase of your marketing plan is a schedule of when and how often you will market. It may be once a month in a variety of formats including direct mail, email and social media. The year may culminate in a face to face Client Appreciation Event. You should be marketing an absolute minimum of once a month and a maximum of once a week.
The why question is easy. You market to make sure you are the one and only person people think of when they, or someone they know, are in need of the services you provide.
Keep in mind, a good marketing plan does not have to be perfect but it does have to be. Don’t put it off because you don’t know what you want to send out next July. You can always revise. Take the time NOW to put your plan on paper and apply dates and deadlines. With out specific deadlines, weeks and months will go by before your first touch has gone out. Now, go plan!