As a business owner, you probably already know how critical marketing is to your business.

Traditional advertising aimed to interrupt the consumer and hopefully convince them to become a customer. But today’s consumer is savvy. They’re tired of being sold to, and they’re inundated constantly with marketing messages.

So you know marketing matters, and you want to draw in clients with great content that they’ll be excited to read, watch or listen to. How do you achieve that balance? This is where a marketing plan comes in.

Do I Really Need a Marketing Plan?

The short answer? Definitely. You can still get by without a marketing plan. You might even be successful for a while. But implementing a plan helps you hit that long-term success that you’re striving for.

A marketing plan can help you:

Look big picture at your goals

Get clear about your ideal client’s identity

Create high quality, focused content

Save time and money

What Should be in My Marketing Plan?

The basis for your marketing plan needs to be your business goals, vision, and branding. Defining those elements is going to help you if you feel stuck along the way. Start by figuring out your brand and what you want to convey because that’s going to provide the parameters for your plan.

From there, hone in on your ideal client. This step is crucial, but so many businesses totally overlook it. What is their job title? How old are they? Which social media platform do they spend most of their time on? Some companies have one ideal client, others have a few. Just knowing who you’re creating content for is going to put you in a great position.

Next, you’ll need to look at your existing content. Are you creating blog posts? Videos? E-books? Does anything seem to be working better for you than other content? If you haven’t started creating content yet, look back at your goals and your ideal client. Ask yourself which content is going to attract them to your business.

Types of content include:

Blog posts – Can include industry news, how-tos and behind-the-scenes looks at your business.

Videos – Video is becoming more and more popular. Use it to showcase processes at your business, introduce your team and address frequently asked questions.

Social media – Communicate with your potential clients where they hang out; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, etc.

Infographics – Ultra-shareable, especially if it includes attractive visuals.

E-books – Great for delving into deeper content and sharing information with your client base.

Podcasts – Look up popular podcasts in your industry to gain exposure.

SEO Content Writing – Target keywords you want to rank for and organically include them in your website content.

Newsletters – Keep in touch with people who have signed up to receive information from you. This is especially key for closing the deal when a lead has signed up because they’re considering working with you.

Events – Host Q&A’s or webinars to share valuable information and gain exposure.

Put a time limit on the goals in your marketing plan, but don’t be too rigid. For example, maybe you want to bring in 10 new leads this month from your marketing. You might reach that number in two weeks, you might reach it in two months. But having that deadline there gives you a goal. Without it, it’s easy to let projects fall by the wayside.

Create a Marketing Plan to Stay Focused

So, can you get by without a marketing plan? Yes, but why would you want to? Having a plan in place is going to get you where you want to go at an accelerated pace. It keeps your message cohesive, helps your team stay committed and gives you a roadmap for content creation.

Most importantly, sitting down to create a marketing plan gives you the freedom to look beyond the day-to-day and plan for the future. Your marketing plan can work wonders for your business, so give it the attention and creative energy it deserves. myheartcreative would love to sit down with you and discuss a marketing plan. Let’s work together to give your digital marketing our full attention.