Marketing Planning! It’s something we small business owners often bat to the right, fret or procrastinate over. It can be the job that just never gets done. So if you are going to set aside time to write yourself a plan, how can you make sure you get it right first time?
Here are our top five tips for turning a good small biz marketing plan into a great one…
CLARITY
If you can communicate in a clear, simple way that talks specifically to your ideal customer (first you need to know who that is) about the problems you can solve for them, you’ll be off to a great start.
Before you start writing, take a look at who has bought from you already. Can you see any patterns that define who these real customers are?
Ask yourself: What problem do they Google when they’re looking for something my business offers?
SIMPLICITY
A great marketing plan has simplicity at it’s core. it’s so easy as a small biz owner to feel overwhelmed by all there is to do when it comes to marketing your business.
The trick to making a great marketing plan that really works to help you build your brand and grow your business is to narrow things down, communicating only in the places where you know your ideal customers are hanging out and talking only about things that interest them.
Ask yourself: Where are my actual customers really hanging out?
FOCUS
Bear in mind that your ideal customer might not actually be hanging about on social media all that often, or they may prefer one channel over another. So the more you can find out about them and where they tend to be, the less work you have to do overall!
For example, your ideal customer might prefer to receive emails directly from you, or they might be the kind of person who only does business with people they’ve already met (whether in person or online) in which case networking rather than social media should be the main focus of your marketing activity.
They might be the kind of person who only ever buys things they’ve been recommended – in which case focus on testimonials and reviews as a key part of your plan.
Ask yourself: What kind of communication does my customer like best?
COLLABORATION
As a small business, this is a really important one. Whether you’re just getting started or have been building your business for years, you’re still only one person doing what you can every day. There’s strength in numbers. So working together with another small biz owner who has the same audience as you but offers them different product or service can supercharge your business. You’ve found your tribe and they’ve found theirs and now you can each offer your people something else they are likely to love!
Why not strike a deal with another small biz owner to showcase each other, recommend each other regularly or offer your ‘freebie’ to each other’s audiences?
Ask yourself: Who has an audience just like mine and would be happy to work together?
If you can’t think of someone, start networking! We recommend online networking community Https://www.circlenetworks.co.uk (and there we go showing who we collaborate with)!
REFINING
It’s very unlikely that your V1 marketing plan will absolutely nail it – usually even the best plans have room for small improvements. Pay close attention to what works and then make sure you do more of that! Track the performance of your marketing efforts using free tools like Google Analytics and social media insights. This will help you identify what’s working and what needs adjustment.
Ask yourself: What went well that can easily be repeated?
Creating a great marketing plan for your small biz (with no budget) requires creativity, resourcefulness, and a focus on low-cost or no-cost. By applying the tips we’ve shared above you can start to refine your approach based on what works best for your business, saving you time, effort and money on your marketing and helping you build your brand and grow your business, even with a limited budget.
If you’d like any help with your ideas, why not book a FREE 30 min ABCs of Branding call today?
