How to write a marketing plan.

If you're a small business, or a freelance creative like me, it's essential to write a marketing plan. I know this might seem daunting (or even a bit boring), but to me it seems worth it. You put in a few hours of grunt work on the front end, and then your marketing is practically on autopilot for the rest of the year. 

The hang-up, I think, is that we get bogged down in the details--we think our marketing plan has to be super elaborate to be effective. It doesn't. If you're small, you can keep your plan to one or two pages. Here's what I think you need to include:

1. A goal. 

Without an end in mind, you can't develop a marketing plan that works. Your goal should be measurable and realistic. A client of mine, for instance, indicated that she wanted to grow her client base. I asked her to define what she meant. "Grow" was very vague. After I questioned her response, she indicated that she wanted to get 50 new clients this year. We can definitely measure her new specific goal. Keep measurable in mind when you set your goal--instead of saying you want to make more money, indicate a dollar amount. If you want to do more networking, set a number of events you want to attend each week.  These goals will keep you on track and accountable.  Once you have a goal, put it on the top of your marketing plan. It can be just a sentence or two. For example: "By the end of 2009, I will have 15 clients on retainer contracts."

2. A method.

Now that you have a goal, you need a means to get there. Consider the following types of marketing (this list is by no means comprehensive):

• Blogs
• Email newsletters
• Commenting on forums
• Direct mail
• Personal letters
• Networking events
• Website
• Radio
• Podcasting
• Television
• Guerrilla techniques.
• Phone calls
• Online Social Media.

Your marketing can, and should include a combination of the methods above. However, different goals (and target audiences) call for different types of marketing. Pick methods that are sure to work for you. For instance, you wouldn't use an online marketing strategy to reach elderly clients. 

Note the types of marketing you plan to use to reach your potential clients and your goal in your plan. (This only needs to be about one paragraph.)

3. Your target audience.

Before you start spending money on marketing, you should know who you're trying to reach. If your marketing isn't targeted at someone, it isn't reaching anyone, and you're wasting money. To find your target audience (the group of people you most want to work with, the group that will spend the money on your service or product, and the group of people who will tell all their friends about you) ask yourself the following questions:

• How old are they?
• Are they men or women?
• Where do they live?
• Do they have kids? Are they single?
• What is their lifestyle like? (Are they members of a book club or a drinking club?)
• What keeps them up at night worrying?
• What do they need to make their lives easier?
• What magazines/websites/blogs do they read?
• What is their typical day like?
• What TV shows do they watch?

You might consider writing a page-long profile about your ideal client. Once you know who you're trying to reach, you can better select the methods for reaching them. In addition, you'll know what kind of marketing strategy will best move them to do business with you. You'd approach a married woman with children differently than a teenage boy, for instance. 

4. Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

A unique selling proposition is what makes your business different and better than your competitors. It helps you stand out. Common sense? Sure. Easy to implement? Not exactly.

Here's the problem: everyone markets the same things as their USP. Things like good service, reliability, timeliness, etc. When you're saying the same thing as everyone else, you're not exactly unique. 

When defining your USP, you need to really understand what makes your product or service different and better than your competitors. How do you stand out? You need to know, because all of your marketing will center around this proposition. Ask the following questions:

• Are you faster? Can you offer a guarantee around this proposition? (Think Dominos and their 30-minute delivery promise.)
• Are you the first of your kind? 
• Been in business the longest? 
  
• What makes you so different that you're impossible to forget?

Once you develop a USP, write one sentence describing it and include it on your marketing plan. For instance: "A fully functioning website in less than 30 days, or you get it free."  So maybe this example is a bit extreme, but you get what I mean.

5. A monthly plan indicating your marketing activities.

I like to keep this step simple, because this is where people get bogged down. Write down three things you plan to do each month to market your business. It can be as simple as this:

January: 

1. Attend three networking meetings.

2. Send out two sales letters.

3. Write three blog posts per week, and comment on two similar blogs per week.

If you keep your steps simple and low in number (I find three things effective), you're more likely to do it. Write down steps for each month, and your set.

Writing a marketing plan does not have to be hard. The best part? Your plan will keep you marketing consistently, make the process automatic, and help you earn more clients and establish better relationships.