We have been told we should have a “marketing plan.”
Many of us do, but the way we go about it might have done more harm than good.
The bottom line is, a plan needs to help us cut the extraneous activities, so we can focus our time, energy and resources on strategies that help us achieve our goals.
If you spend months going down a rabbit hole, you not only wasted that time, but there is also opportunity cost because you are not doing things that contributes to your success.
Unfortunately, when creating a “marketing plan”, many get caught in the “how it should look like” instead of how it’s going help YOU do what truly matters.
They stuff their plan with strategies and tactics like list building, product launches, blogging, Facebook ads, Twitter cards, LinkedIn sponsor ads, email campaigns, Ad Words, sales funnels…
… but without a cohesive message that ties the pieces together, they find themselves running around like a chicken with its head cut off – doing a lot of work but seeing little ROI. (Sure, they may be getting some results, but is it worth the time, money, energy spent, and stress?)
Here are 6 questions to consider when planning your marketing activities and promotional tactics to make sure your plan is helping you cut the busywork so you can do what matters:
1. Are they putting you in the path of your ideal clients?
Mastering Twitter ad may not be worth the ROI if your peeps are hanging out on Instagram. Before you pick your promotional platform, figure out where your ideal clients hang out.
Don’t fall prey to the Bright Shiny Object Syndrome, and plan on sticking with one or two platforms for a period of time to really work it – often, it takes time to build trust especially you are building a business online.
2. Are they congruent with the way YOU want to show up?
If certain tactic requires you to act in a way not in alignment with your value or personality, you will not be putting yourself fully into the work. The lack of excitement and enthusiasm is not attractive to your clients.
If there is a misalignment and you are dragging your feet, your prospects can smell it from miles away.
3. Do they put your strengths and superpowers in the spotlight?
We all have different strengths and talents – someone else’s plan probably doesn’t serve to showcase YOUR superpowers.
We do our best work, and are most effective and productive when we are able to spend time doing what we do best.
Moreover, if you are unable to communicate your uniqueness, you get lost in a sea of competition.
4. Are they giving you ample opportunities to demonstrate your relevance to your target market?
It doesn’t matter how sophisticated your strategies are – unless your ideal clients can understand why your solution is relevant to their problem in a unique way, they are not going to listen.
It's not just about features and benefits either. Is the way your products or services presented in the marketing and promotions getting through to your clients/customers? Is the communication done in a way they can relate, so they can make the connection of how your products or services can add value to their lives?
5. Do they work synergistically with each other to present a coherent message and a holistic view of your personal brand?
Or are you stitching together a bunch of “templates” that make you sound like a schizo from one platform to the next? This can confuse your prospects, and the confused mind says “no.”
6. Are they meeting you where you are at and where your business is, so you are not trying to run before you learn to walk?
Have you built a solid foundation to support the implementation of advanced tactics? Do you have a cohesive message, and a thorough understanding of your market – which are the foundation of any effective communication?
I have seen many people invest a large sum of money into advanced trainings and programs that just went over their head. Not only did they not get anything out of the experience, more often than not, there were left with debt and a feeling of inadequacy.
Over to you – based on the 6 questions above, what would you modify in your marketing plan so it works for YOU? Leave a comment below and share your insights!
Ling Wong
Ling is an Intuitive Brainiac. Through her unique blend of Business + Marketing coaching with a Mindset + Psychic Twist, she helps the multi-talented and multi-passionate maverick solo-entrepreneurs distill ALL their big ideas into ONE cohesive Message, nail the WORDS that sell and design a Plan to cut the busywork and do what matters, through her intuitive yet rigorous iterative process born out of her Harvard Design School training and 10 years of experience in the online marketing industry. Ling has the superpowers to help her clients optimize the space between individuality + originality vs. “tried-and-true” marketing so they can express their WHY unapologetically and profitably without reinventing the wheel. Find Ling and grab her free “How to Find YOUR Winning Formula” Training Series here.
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These are wonderful guides in assisting me personally in modifying my own marketing plan. Thank you I have bookmarked this.
Glad it’s helpful – thanks Karen!
Hi!
I like your article.
It can’t hurt to evaluate all your 6 questions over a period of time and adjust.
But I tend to get distracted with my social media so I re-focus regular on number 5. “Do they work synergistically with each other to present a coherent message and a holistic view of your personal brand?”
I believe a marketingplan (with targets) is very important and as entrepreneurs we all need one, whether you’re just starting or more experienced.
Thanks Sharon. I think your challenge is very common nowadays, and checking in often with yourself is definitely a great way to help communicate a consistent message.
Thanks for sharing your insights on a Marketing Plan my friend. Because if you are marketing
to everyone, then actually you are marketing to no one. Find your avatar.
Glad you enjoyed the post, and yes, knowing who you are talking to makes a huge difference.
OMG! You brought some GREAT information! I’m going to share this with everyone I know. It is SO IMPORTANT!
Thanks Leslie – appreciate you sharing it out!
Great insights on a marketing plan. I think social media is the biggest time waster and we let it distract us from what we are supposed to be doing….unless that is part of our marketing plan. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Teresa. It’s also good to remember that social media is just a tool – we are the one who can make it effective, or turn it into a time suck.
Great questions to consider. Keep testing different strategies to work.
Thanks, and yes, being open to testing different strategies and evaluate them using those criteria will definitely help us “find our groove.”
Such a great read with super important questions! Thank you 🙂
Thanks! I am glad your find the questions helpful. Which one is most revealing for you?
I love your bullet points about the marketing plan. Great info to share with our email contacts! Thank you Ling!
Cool, glad to hear and thanks for sharing!
This has opened my mind up to a lot and I really need to sit down and see if I am really marketing to my target audience.
Thanks! Glad it’s helpful 🙂
I have still not clearly defined where my target market is, I’m after the Baby Boomer entrepreneurs, especially women, because that’s what I am and will be more in touch with their problems. It seems like I get a lot of Twitter and Pinterest followers so I may be ready to start working on a marketing plan to target them there.Your article was very helpful (especially #6) because it made me realize I can’t be everywhere and I have to take the time to learn how to market correctly to my audience. Thanks Ling. I always enjoy your articles.
hi Meiko – glad to hear that the article is helpful!
If you are working on your target market or niche, I’d love to invite you to check out this article on niche reframe: http://business-soulwork.com/3-niche-reframes-change-marketing/
🙂
Here’s the biggest, fattest, and heaviest golden nugget that I found in this post: “…unless your ideal clients can understand why your solution is relevant to their problem in a unique way, they are not going to listen.” This one sentence could be what makes or breaks a marketing plan.
I know when I first got started in online business and marketing, I had no idea what the hell was going on. I barely knew why I was in business, let alone why anyone would want to buy from me in the first place. If I had spent a little more time studying books like “Start With WHY” by Simon Sinek, and posts like this by Ling Wong, I would have been a lot better off.
Thanks for your words of wisdom Ling. Much appreciated. 🙂
hey David – thanks for sharing what’s most impactful for you! “Start with WHY” is a great book and it definitely helps anyone – especially when starting out – to get their head screw on right! Thanks for bringing that up!