Getting Started With Your Marketing Plan

by Jordan-Ann Powell | Jul 16, 2019

When it comes to your marketing plan where do you even begin? You may be sitting there staring at a blank sheet of paper or empty whiteboard with no idea where to start.

We’re big fans of removing the “blank whiteboard syndrome” here at Syrup. Tactics are only as good as the strategy they support, but we also understand you need a starting place to get going in the right direction.

Did you know that almost half of organizations do not have a defined digital marketing strategy? 

This stat shocked me at first, but then I remembered that challenge of not knowing where to begin.

First things first: why create a marketing plan?

• It’ll help you see the flow of messages your audience sees over time.
• You’re less likely to miss important events or seasons.
• It helps you establish focus for your whole team.
• It pushes you to stay proactive versus reactive.

Here are our pro tips to get you started:

• Know your goals, business objectives, and budget first. Your marketing plan should neither save nor kill your business, but it can help you quickly course-correct and avoid getting off track on things that aren’t pivotal to the success of your business. Use your business objectives as the foundation for your plan to ensure everything you do points there.
• Start with a true calendar. Make an outline using key dates for your business, holidays, and events schedules. This will create the framework that aligns with your fiscal year.
• Layer on your sales goals and business seasonality. Every business has highs and lows, busy seasons and dry spells. By identifying these timeframes in advance, you can create a marketing plan that pushes and pulls at the right times as well as establish areas for the “always on” approach.
• Align messaging and tactics. This is the fun stuff: messaging themes, key audiences, how you’ll reach them… This is where you start brainstorming what you say and where you say it.
• Work in increments. Outline the full year, fill in details for the next 6 months, and tackle doing work that affects the next 90 days. Then, revisit your plan every 90 days to evaluate what you’ve accomplished and set the next actions you’ll take.
• Don’t overthink it. Getting the outline on paper is the majority of this battle. And remember, your marketing plan can adapt through the year and doesn’t have to be set in stone.

Need help thinking through your marketing strategy? Let’s chat.