We all know that entrepreneurs who drive impressive results, start with a clear strategy.
One of the most important parts is – of course – the marketing plan.
By “marketing plan”, we’re not talking about a novel-length marketing document no one will actually read. We’re focusing on using strategic copywriting to create a simple, straightforward plan of attack. A plan that’s accessible and nimble enough that your team can use it as a guide while adjusting as they go to drive measurable results.
So if you’re ready for a step-by-step guide to creating an actionable quarterly marketing plan here it is:
Step 1: What is the current reality of my business?
Most entrepreneurs are big dreamers, which allows them to drive a company towards bright new horizons. The downside is that visionaries sometimes lose touch with the reality of their business. And it’s crucial that entrepreneurs are connected with their current situation so they know what tangible next steps they can take towards making their vision a reality.
This is why entrepreneurs need to ask:
“How would an objective 3rd party describe our current reality?”
“What were our sales numbers last quarter?”
“What were the number of leads we generated?”
“Are we meeting our measurable goals?”
In this exercise it’s important to stay as objective and honest as possible. Don’t filter yourself – just try and write down the honest answers.
Step 2A: What is Performing Best?
Now it’s time to look at what’s working and why. If something’s working, now is the time to pour in the energy necessary to amplify those results.
Here’s a typical chat I have during a consultation:
Me: “So what marketing efforts are driving the best results?”
Client: “Well, we were writing weekly blog posts and that worked well.”
Me: “So why haven’t you posted in 2 months?”
Client: “Hmms...well, I guess it actually worked so we stopped!”
Stopping to take time to record what marketing tactics are working can result in massive growth. Especially if you’re like me and want to constantly try and test new channels.
Step 2B: What is Performing Worst?
Next we need to ask, “What’s not working and why?” Review facts from step 1 to look and see.
Maybe you invested in email marketing and direct response copywriting for the last year and haven’t seen any change in open rates or you’ve poured thousands into SEO optimization and haven’t seen any shift in your SEO rankings.
Remember, no matter what you read in articles or social media posts, none of your marketing communication is just there to look pretty. Everything you invest in needs to be driving measurable results – always.
Step 3: Priorities, Priorities
After you have taken an honest look at what’s working and what’s not, it’s time to rank your strategies by priority. Aim to rank your marketing priorities by what’s actually moving your company in the right direction. Remember that there are lots of things you can try, but picking two or three primary marketing tactics will likely result in the most growth.
And try to rank goals that might seem flashy or fun, but won’t likely result in more sales, towards the bottom. These are likely marketing efforts that are “the cherry on top of the ice cream” and you can attack these efforts once you’ve optimized your top sales tactics.
Step 4: Break Down Your Quarterly Goals
After defining your priorities, you can create goals to support them. For example, if one of your priorities is to increase your number of monthly leads each month you can use SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound) Goals to help support this.
Here are some example goals that would support generating monthly leads:
Go from 5 discovery call bookings a month to 20 discovery call bookings a month by the end of the quarter.
Go from 15 newsletter sign ups a month to 30 by the end of the quarter.
Improve newsletter click through rate by 20% this quarter.
Remember, all of these goals are specific, quantifiable, and have deadlines.
Step 5: Now Come the Projects
Now that you have decided upon goals the next step is to find which projects will help you meet those goals. Here is where prioritization comes in again. Like most entrepreneurs, you probably have many projects you’ve had planned, but you’ll only be able to focus your efforts on a few at a time.
Some example projects may be:
Create a weekly newsletter.
Hire a copywriter to help refine and test your Facebook Ads.
Build an affiliate program for your clients to refer new clients.
From here, you can either dive into the details or leave the items at a high level if you have a project manager in charge of executing your high level vision.
Step 6: Promise Yourself Not To Do...
Simply said, this is your “Not-To-Do List.” It helps protect you and your team from innovative new ideas and creative projects that feel like the best idea in the moment but are really distractions. Remember, you created your plan because without a plan in place, all we end up with is following whims which creates confusion and chaos. Your Not-To-Do List saves you from this fate. So try and ask yourself, “What projects, old or new, have we promised ourselves we are not doing this quarter?”
Step 7: Track Your Growth
As you follow your marketing plan it’s crucial to keep score. This could be as simple as a shared Excel Sheet tracking your sales to a software tracking the performance of your advertisements from impressions to conversions.
Whatever method you choose, the idea is you need to track your growth. So if you’re even just tracking on your whiteboard, make sure you’re making your performance visible and measurable. If your goal is to increase revenue from $20,000/month to $40,000 this quarter, then keep writing down your performance and measure how you’re tracking with your goals. And don’t stop keeping score just because you haven’t hit your goals yet.
Make The Time To Plan Your Marketing
You’ve read the steps. Now it’s time to take action.
Head to your calendar and set aside 3 hours before the beginning of the next quarter. And around a week or so beforehand, begin gathering all the information you need to quickly answer the questions above. I hope this guide has helped to simplify creating a Quarterly Marketing Plan that drives growth.
It doesn’t take a 50-page document, just a prioritized game plan for where you’re headed and how you want to measure your performance. I would love to hear how this step-by-step guide works for you and if you’re willing to share some of your own answers to these questions, I would love to chat!