One of the hardest and definitely most tragic parts of my job is when I meet with a new client and they tell me they’ve spent a fortune on their marketing with little or no result. And 9 times out of 10 when I ask what their Marketing Plan looked like for the year, the answer is that there wasn’t one.
Without a doubt Social media is a very powerful tool in creating a brand presence with limited budget.
I however come from the nerdy, the days before Social Media and in those “nerdy” days Marketing Plans were everything! Many hours in my corporate years in business were spent sitting around a table looking at strategies and planning the year ahead.
Yes, Marketing has evolved significantly since the 80’s and 90’s but the fundamentals have NOT. If you don’t plan your year and what your brand is going to achieve, I can confidently tell you, you will NOT succeed half the things you want to achieve. You need a cohesive plan in place before you even decide if your budget will be spent on social media, print, google AdWords, new branding, new logo etc.
And lastly…..Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that we’re through the first quarter so it can wait till next year. A Marketing Plan doesn’t need to follow a Fiscal or Calendar year. It is NEVER too late to plan…..and dream a little.
So I ask you this….. Is this the year you will spend a little time planning your greatest success with your business? If the answer is “Yes” and you have no idea where to even begin, then your next step should be to contact me. I love nothing better than making marketing work and I’d love to have a chat with you and see where I can help.