Posts Tagged ‘marketing plan’

“Where do I start?”

“What is social media?”

“Will blogging help?”

“I’m lost!”

If you’re asking yourself these questions –even after years in business– you’re not alone.  My clients ask them every day in their search for the best ways to grow their businesses, reach their goals, and measure their results.

Chris Brogan has a great article entitled “If I Started Today” up on his site.  I love his focus on audience (the most overlooked facet of great marketing). Though he gives a great preliminary road map, I would have loved to see more real-world implementation strategies (but hey, that’s what we specialize in, so you’re covered).

Consider his post to be what it is:  a great road map made of arrows pointing you toward your final destination.  It’s up to you to decide what values and goals need to be served by your marketing plan and what resources you have to help get you there.  Once you’ve made those decisions and are ready to commit, the next step is a phased marketing plan with measurable metrics that you reassess when realistic and are flexible enough to change.

In closing, I’d like to echo Chris’s question.  What have you learned from this year’s marketing efforts? What would you tell someone just starting out?

One of our favorite things to do is provide a comprehensive marketing plan to our clients.  It’s amazing to see the document take shape, morph, and adapt with the business, its goals, and its target market.  It’s also amazing to see formerly struggling or insecure clients blossoming with the help of goals, milestones, metrics…and discipline.

Surprise! As small business owners, we too juggle with the “everything on one plate” syndrome.  At any given moment I am juggling accounting, project management, sales, deadlines, vital iPod Touch updates…and it’s easy to let our own marketing efforts go to the wayside (hence my sporadic blogging!).

Today’s revelation:  oh, right.  We have to walk the walk.  That means treating ourselves like our own client.  We know what to do.  Now we need the milestones and discipline to make the difference between valueless promises and kick-ass fabulosity.

Off to polish our plan for world domination to a fine luster…