It can feel overwhelming to start planning a new marketing strategy, but you can follow some basic steps to make it a stress-free journey with tremendous rewards at the end.  

We’ve put together some key information and tips on how to go about creating your strategy for the year ahead, helping you to define what it is you want to achieve and create a plan based on these objectives.

Some things to remember…

Be realistic – think about the time you have to dedicate to your marketing strategy; where possible, use tools that help you automate things like emails and social media scheduling.

Be budget savvy – get a grip on any budget you have to spend on marketing from the get-go, so there are no nasty financial surprises at the end!

Be proactive – there are many marketing courses, online tutorials and social media support groups for you to learn from. If you’re pushed for time, then get in touch with a professional; just do your research first! Recommendations from peers is an excellent place to start

Be patient – As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day! Consistency is key, and you must review your efforts to see what is working and what isn’t! A strategic, timely approach will pay dividends!

 

1 – Creating a customer profile

Understanding your target customer is crucial so you can identify where to market, how to put together relevant messages or branding, or articulate what your product or service can do in a way that engages your customer. Use the below bullet points to start building your profile, thinking about the following areas:

• Background – what is their job, career path, family situation?
• Demographic – gender, age, income, location
• Identifiers – demeanour, communication preferences (social media, phone call etc)
• What are their goals?
• What are their challenges?
• What can I/my business do to help achieve these goals and overcome the challenges they face?
• Objections – why wouldn’t they buy your products or services?
• Marketing message – how would you describe your solution to your personas?
• Elevator pitch – give some thought on how you sell your persona your solution; keep this simple and to a couple of sentences max! This is also referred to as a CVP (Customer Value Proposition).

This information will help you define your marketing messages and the channels you use to deliver them, craft social media content, web copy, and more.

Always aim to give value and resonate with your customer to give the know, like, trust factor.

 

 

2 – What is it you want to achieve, and how will you do it?

Setting objectives is super important! It’s always good to have goals to work towards, and you’ll feel the benefit of your hard work once you reach them.

Take the time to write a list of 5 things you would like to achieve. These could be generating more traffic to your website, increasing followers on your social media platforms or building your database.  

Next, you need to think about how you will achieve these objectives. For example, if you want to build your database, you could add a subscription pop-up with a discount to the homepage of your website, which can be redeemed in exchange for the user’s email information – always a winner!

 

3 – Essential marketing tools and tactics

There are many marketing channels available for you to utilise to promote your business! At a minimum, we recommend using the following tactics;

Social Media – one of the most common marketing tactics used today with well-known platforms like Facebook and Instagram plus hugely successful new kids on the block Tik Tok and Snapchat all offering free opportunities to promote your business. Research where your target market ‘hangs out’ and make sure you build a presence on these platforms with creative, engaging and valuable content.

Email Marketing – growing your database, so you can directly speak to your prospects and customers with your marketing message keeps you at the front of their minds when it’s time to make a purchase or engage in service with you. Building data lists that belong to you are crucial – if Facebook were to go under tomorrow, what would you do to keep your brand visible to your target market without a list to market to?

Facebook Groups – Joining groups where your target audience are so that you’re there to answer any questions they may have is a great way to actively engage with potential customers and start building that crucial trust and relationship.

 

Tools

Mailchimp – excellent for sending newsletters and email updates.

Klaviyo – an easy to use email platform perfect for retailers as you can set up pop-up forms for marketing sign-ups, abandoned cart emails and more.

Active Campaign – ideal for service-based industries looking to lead nurture through email marketing.

Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social – all excellent for scheduling social media posts. Insights and reports allow you to see which platform is working best for you.

 

Ready to get started?

We hope you find these tips helpful, and they set you on your way to building a solid marketing strategy for 2022. 

If you feel you need more help or would like to arrange a free 1-hour strategy call with us, then please book here at a time that’s convenient for you.