7 Reasons Why You Absolutely Need a Good Marketing Plan
We all know that marketing is the number one way to get new customers and close more sales, right?
Unfortunately, as busy, wearing-all-the-hats business owners, actually taking the time to PLAN our marketing can often fall to the bottom of the do-list. So what do we do instead? We dabble here or there. We maybe post on Instagram 5 days a week for a couple of months, and then we get busy and that whittles down to a post here or there. We send out an email to our database when we remember. And then business gets quiet, and we think “oh shit, we better do some marketing to get some new customers”, and we start the process all over again.
Sound familiar?
This is most certainly not a dig at you. Believe me. I am just as guilty of doing this as you are. Even though I am a professional marketer. But, I’m also a busy business owner. I also wear all of the hats. I run a household, keep 2 small children alive day in and day out, and constantly chase down my puppy to get her to stop chewing our shoes. So, yes, I’ve been guilty of doing this too. For my own business. For my clients, I’m pretty darn awesome at planning.
So, I’m trying to do better for my own business. So that I can then help more business owners like you.
And that’s what I’m doing for you today. Helping you see WHY you should take the time to plan your marketing so that you then actually go and take that time. So let’s begin.
A Marketing Plan:
#1. Makes You Proactive Rather than Reactive
Hands up if you feel like you’re always chasing your tail when it comes to marketing your business. Always reacting to new trends, putting out fires, and thinking of new things to do on the fly? This is what happens when you market without a plan. And it’s bloody exhausting. The simple act of creating a marketing action plan enables you to start thinking - and acting - proactively, rather than reactively. And in the long run? This saves you time, makes you more productive, and removes the hamster-wheel-exhaustion.
Reason #2. Provides Consistency
If you have a team, this is crucial. A marketing plan will help you ensure that you and your team are always on the same page when it comes to your brand, your goals, and what marketing strategies and tactics you are doing to achieve them. It will also ensure the consistency of your messaging and your branding, which always makes for better marketing.
Reason #3. Helps you Stick to a Budget
A marketing plan helps you to see what activities are yielding results, and which ones are a waste of money. And with that clarity? You can then cut out the activities that are money-wasters, and reinvest your budget in the areas that are working for you. Your budget won’t blow out for no results, and you’ll be in a better position to stick to your budget (or better yet, be able to increase it because of the outstanding results you’re getting from the activities you are investing in).
Reason #4. Helps You Attract More Clients
When you take the time to create a digital marketing plan, you’re also taking the time to think about your messaging. This means that when it comes time to action your plan, your messaging will be strategic and clear - because you actually thought about it - rather than just whatever comes to mind first. By focusing on your target audience and creating a message that they want to hear, your marketing will allow you to build trust with your target audience, and help you attract more of your ideal clients.
Reason #5. Means Less Stress
If you’re anything like me, doing anything without a plan and a to-do list is seriously anxiety-inducing. You can remove all of the stress and anxiety surrounding marketing your business by taking the time to create a plan. A marketing plan will leave you feeling more in control and organised, and this feeling will permeate through your marketing to your audience.
Reason #6. Adds Value to Your Brand
We’ve already established that a marketing plan will help you to show up more consistently, with a message that is clear, focused and attracts more ideal clients. But what we haven’t talked about yet is how this actually adds a tangible value to your brand. So many think of their brand as their airy fairy “thing” that just exists around their business. But if you are effectively communicating your brand values to your audience, and consistently portraying your brand look and feel across all of your customer touch points (and you do this by having an effective marketing plan), then you’re adding a tangible value to your brand.
Attracting more of your ideal audience + converting more into paid customers = growing your business financially.
Tangible value.
Reason #7. Is a Working Document
A marketing plan is not something that it set in stone. It is a living and breathing working document, which means it can be changed and adapted based on new goals, circumstances or challenges. A plan that becomes a set-and-forget document is a waste of time and/or money. Instead, you should be constantly reviewing your plan, changing it where it needs changing, and using it to keep yourself on track to reach your goals (or bringing yourself back on track if you happen to veer a little).
Are You Ready to Start Planning?
Now that I’ve outlined some of the benefits of having a digital marketing plan, hopefully, you can see that the time investment is worth it.
If you’re sold on the investment, but still don’t have the time, then I can help. I offer 1:1 marketing consultations whereby I can create your marketing plan with you. Or, we can chat about me doing it for you. Either way, you’ll walk away with a practical, action-focused, easy-to-use marketing plan that will save you time, improve your marketing and bring in more business. That sounds like money well spent to me.
