If you’re looking ahead to next year and planning your marketing, how are you feeling? If you find it daunting, it might be time to simplify things. Here’s my guide to help you create your marketing plan without the overwhelm.
Where do your ideal clients find you?
If you’ve reviewed this year’s marketing, you’ll already understand what’s working and where your ideal clients (you know, the ones who actually pay you) come from. When you create your marketing plan, focus on the platforms that yield results.
Social media is notoriously fickle, but it has its uses if you post in the right places. It’s worth remembering that you don’t own or control the platform like you do with your website or email marketing. Your social media pages or profiles could get suspended or disappear overnight for spurious reasons, so always have a backup plan that directs people towards something more reliable.
Pick a monthly theme
Choosing a monthly theme (or a weekly one if you prefer) gives you a focus for your content. You can spend a whole month talking about the same topic in different ways. It helps your customers understand what you do because the message is consistent. It’s also brilliant for planning because you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you want to write a new post, and you can batch-create your content ahead of time.
If choosing a theme still feels overwhelming, this blog explains my process. You can also book a brainstorming session with me if you’d like some one-to-one support.
Choose a story
Good marketing shares your expertise and values, and shows people you understand their needs. Storytelling is a powerful way to get the message across. Humans have been sharing stories for thousands of years, so the format makes sense to our brains.
Stories don’t have to be complicated. You can try explaining how you do something, telling a story about a previous client and what you achieved, or explaining the reasons you started your business. They all demonstrate your skills and show your future clients that you understand them. A story can be something small, like the time I wrote about going crabbing with my kids on holiday, getting into chats with random strangers, and how it reminded me that doing your own thing can attract the right people.
Use different formats
You don’t have to write something new and fresh with every post. If you’ve written a blog, break it down and edit it into individual social media posts and use it in your marketing emails. You can also create a shortened version for people with less time to read.
It’s absolutely fine to say the same thing in different formats. Most people won’t see everything you post on social media, and they also have different preferences. I like a mixture of video and written content, but some people will prefer one or the other.
There might also be times when the language you use in one post won’t resonate, but a rephrased version will.
Why does my audience care about this?
When you create a marketing plan and add something new, ask yourself whether your customers will care. How does the thing you’re describing solve a problem or otherwise improve their lives? It might help them and show that you know what you’re doing, or entertain them and make you more relatable. Think about times when you can create ad hoc posts when you’re out and about, as this can show your values in action. You might be out learning new skills or connecting with other people like them.
Ready for a chat?
If you need help creating your plan or bringing it to life, let’s have a chat.
When you work with me, I’ll get to know you and your business and write content that sounds like the best version of you and that your audience will love. That could be monthly blog posts or articles, social media posts, emails or pretty much anything else you can think of!
You can email me to arrange a chat or book a Zoom call to find out more.
Alternatively, sign up for my mailing list, and I’ll send you a free copy of my eBook with fifty (yes, 50) topic ideas for your marketing as a thank you. It also includes hints and tips to help you structure your posts if you’re currently writing your content yourself.