Yikes! 2019 is upon us and I’m hoping that you have, or will be doing so soon, built your 2019 marketing plan. I have and it looks like it’s going to be an exciting year. It’s an old cliché, but without a plan, you may not reach your destination.
To help you plan, it may be worthwhile to look back over 2018 and highlight all of your successes (there’s more than you realize), and then use this simple 5 Step checklist to make sure you cover the key bases when planning your 2019 marketing campaigns.
Step 1: Set Goals. What are you specifically trying to accomplish? Within what time frame? What Steps or benchmarks have you set? HOW are you going to measure success, and what does success look like? Also, WHY do you want to sell your products/services to your clients? Understand that there is power in clarity.
Step 2: Define Your Client Avatar(s). Who is the service specifically for? Before you can successfully build a list, generate leads or decide what type of marketing strategies and media you are going to implement, you need to define WHO the most likely buyer is, where you can find them and how to communicate (market) to them.
Step 3: Define Your Value Proposition. What are the tangible and intangible (emotional) reasons why someone should buy your product or service offering? Next, why should they buy it from YOU?
Step 4: Create Basic Marketing Collateral. You’ll need to create a set of basic marketing materials, tools and content to facilitate sales. These won’t necessarily be used for lead generation, but they are essential in the sales process. These may include a brochure and/or “product slick” that concisely summarizes what your offering consists of, who it’s for and the benefits it provides (this should also be on your website), as well as a FAQ sheet, client testimonials, your guarantee (if you offer one), and why they should buy from you.
Step 5: Create Your Lead Generation Tools. What campaigns are you going to implement that will keep a steady flow of qualified leads coming in? What additional marketing tools will you need to develop (free reports, eBooks, webinars and seminars, canvassing packages, audio interviews, videos, etc.)? How do you build, organize and communicate with your list of prospects?
Your Takeaways
Use this planning checklist BEFORE you start spending time and money on marketing your services. Make sure you’ve done your research and that you have a STRATEGIC foundation to launch from. Otherwise, you’ll spin your wheels and get nowhere fast.
To all my readers I wish a happy and prosperous 2019.
