The DIY Marketing Plan - Get started!

Let me start by saying I am not your expert – but I have done a few things well when it comes to engagement and entertaining our followers on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram…and it's got some real possibility when it comes to engagement.

The reason we know it's working is not the amount of likes we are getting – it’s the amount of calls and casual conversations mentioning a post or reel. Now we are playing pretty small so that is our happy place!!

We are gearing up for next year and we want to go bigger, I thought I might share a bit of my plan with you in case you are getting close to making your own:

Marketing Plan

I need an actual plan of what we want to achieve, marketing and budget, who is responsible for what and when. We also need to understand how to measure what works and what doesn’t.

So our marketing plan is a strategic document that outlines your marketing goals, target audience, strategies, and tactics.

Here are the key components of a marketing plan:

Situational Analysis:

An assessment of the company's current market position, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis). This is part of our overall business plan – but gets a favored spot in the marketing plans as it makes us see things differently when we think of it from a customer perspective.

Marketing Goals and Objectives:

What we want from our marketing is traffic – but to where? Are we being really clear with what our potential customers have to do?

Can we measure it?

For example, we want to grow our email list and a key measure is sign ups from our socials – but if we don’t let our clients know they can become part of our community and get all sorts of special juicy offers by signing up why would they?

I can try different calls to action and freebies to test what our audience responds to and measure it meta or Google analytics – and these tools are made for us small business owners, simple and viable.

Target Audience: Identification of the specific group of customers that the marketing efforts will be directed towards.

Who are you, our valuable and amazing customer who is looking for community and education? How old are you? What do you like? Build your customer into an avatar and they are a lot easier to chat with.

Marketing Budget: A detailed breakdown of the financial resources allocated for marketing activities. There are so many different ways to advertise, and clever use of social media can drive people to you for costs of the posts. So how much have you got to spend and how are you best to do it? I need a guru for this bit – and not all of us can afford that so have a look at this guy: https://prsmith.org/sostac/ a great resource for cost / benefit analysis of social media ads.

Internal Capabilities

Now of course all this is meaningless if we don’t have the resources to do it.

Internal capabilities refer to the resources and skills that a company possesses within its organisation. These resources can be leveraged to execute marketing strategies effectively. We are not islands so need the help of those either in the business or external to get our message out there. We have tried both keeping it internal (lower cost) and outsourcing (less authentic and less reliable). Our experience may not be yours and it's important to sort out the who before the how.

Critical Success Factors:

Critical success factors (CSFs) are the essential elements that must be in place for a marketing plan to succeed. These factors are often outside the direct control of the marketing team but significantly influence the overall success of the marketing efforts.

Product Quality:

The product or service being marketed must meet or exceed customer expectations in terms of functionality, performance, and value.

Customer Service:

Providing excellent customer service is crucial for building customer loyalty and positive brand perception.

Brand Reputation:

A strong brand reputation, built on trust, credibility, and positive associations, is essential for attracting and retaining customers.

Market Trends:

Understanding and adapting to market trends, consumer preferences, and technological advancements is critical for staying competitive.

Competitive Landscape:

Awareness of competitors' strengths, weaknesses, and marketing strategies is essential for differentiating the company's offerings.

Marketing Mix

We wanted to throw in this little throwback because it's essential to understanding marketing. The 4P’s of marketing:

Product: The product itself, including its features, benefits, design, packaging, and branding.

Price: The determination of the product's price, considering factors like production costs, competitor pricing, and customer value perception.

Place: The distribution channels and strategies for making the product available to customers, including physical stores, online platforms, and retail partnerships.

Promotion: The communication strategies used to inform, persuade, and remind customers about the product, including advertising, public relations, social media marketing, and content marketing.

A last word...

Your marketing is how people first see you so be you – don’t get out there all peach and beige with well used Canva templates – find your image – a great book for that is Simply Be https://www.amazon.com.au/Be-No-Bullsh-Increasing-Simply-Yourself/dp/1683646991

Love that!!

Social media marketing for small businesses isn’t just about broadcasting your offerings; it's about creating community, being authentically you and showing your brand in its best light. The landscape is dynamic, so stay agile, experiment, and most importantly, enjoy yourself.