SIMPLE Marketing Planning Workshop

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Introduction I created this planning workshop to help clarify and simplify my

own marketing strategy.

There are a ton of business planners out there – I’m sure you’ve

come across a few in the last couple months, and they are great if

you need help determining how you want to actually run your

business.

However, I had a hard time finding an actual marketing planner.

I needed something that would help me corral my ideas in one

place, and put them into a plan where I could easy implement and

track results.

The background Having worked in marketing & communications, I have put

together and worked with several marketing plans in the past.

I noticed they weren’t too interested in in the marketing analysis,

instead they wanted to know what to do.

They wanted to take action.

So instead, I came up with a different kind of plan. One that uses

regular language and asks simple but important questions, to help

you pull out your own personal marketing strategy.

The winning formula I believe that if you want to create a marketing plan that works,

you have to actually use it and implement the action items in

your plan.

I want to help you create a plan that is customized to your unique

business needs, and that actually makes sense to you.

So you can follow the plan, take action and get results!

So, let’s get on with it!

Step 1: De-clutter your inbox Are you subscribed to hundreds of mailing lists? Do you opt-in to

every promise of more sales, more clients or a better conversion

rate?

It’s fine to keep up with what’s new and trending in technology &

marketing. You just need to streamline your efforts.

If you are still hanging on to your

cluttered inbox, I want you to honestly

ask yourself why.

It’s OK to let go I’m not saying that you shouldn’t subscribe to any newsletters—

heck, I would definitely love if you subscribed to mine—but I am

saying that if you find yourself getting distracted with “research”

it might be time to do some clearing out.

Take a good look inward and

remember why you started this

business in the first place.

You are an expert on

what works for you.

Allow yourself to let

go of what doesn’t.

My De-Clutter Strategy I love to keep 20 or so marketing/business blogs in my RSS feed.

I’m in control of when I want to check in and see what’s new, and

I can choose to read the article or not.

Another strategy is to take advantage of Facebook & Twitter

lists. Create a list of 20 or so blogs/businesses you would like to

follow and add them to a Facebook or Twitter list. Then you can

dedicate 10-15 minutes a day to check in, comment, share and

network with your list.

Step 2: your Who/WhaT/why It's important to clarify what you are doing, who you are doing it

for and why.

You can’t help everyone with all of their problems, and if you try,

you risk diluting your message (not to mention ending up

overwhelmed!)

Instead, determine what your ideal client really needs and which

of your products &/or services could best serve her.

Hate the thought of a niche? If you are one of those people who hate the idea of defining a

niche or ideal client, stay with me.

First, let’s define what these terms actually mean. They are often

used interchangeably, but they are not the same.

A niche relates to what you do. It’s the specific area of work you

concentrate on—your speciality.

An ideal client (also called target market or client avatar) is a

definition of the type of person you want to work with.

What does this mean? So what’s really important here? Do you really need to do this?

Here’s why I think you should do it:

Having an ideal client in mind helps

you focus your marketing efforts.

It helps you know how to write so that people will understand

what you offer. It helps you know where to look for potential

clients and who you should network with.

What it doesn’t mean…

Choosing an ideal client does not mean that you don’t work with

anyone who is not your ideal client!!

If you come across someone who doesn’t fit your ideal client

definition but that could really benefit from your products or

services, by all means help them out!

Instead, think of it as a marketing exercise that will help you

simplify your marketing strategy.

Clarify your ‘what’ 1. Describe your business. What do you do?

2. What makes your business, or the way you do business, unique?

3. What do you consider your biggest strength in your business?

4. What part of your business do you love the most? (What part makes you feel alive or like you are truly doing your life’s work?)

Clarify your ‘who’ 1. Describe as many details as possible about your ideal client. What is it about your ideal client that makes her such a joy to work with?

2. What is the problem or issue that your ideal client is facing?

3. What is your ideal client trying to achieve?

4. How are you going to help your ideal client achieve her goals?

5. How would your ideal client describe the work you did for her, or how you helped her?

Clarify the ‘why’ 1. What was your ideal client’s biggest dream?

2. What was holding her back from achieving her dream?

3. How can you help your ideal client achieve her dream?

The answer to the third question is the core of your message.

This is the big “why” behind your

business.

Your Business message Now, let’s refine your business message.

Imagine your ideal client again. Picture her working towards her

big dream, but she needs help getting there.

Imagine you could give her one message that could help her push

past any challenges she is facing and achieve her dream.

What would your one message be?

Your message = your tagline What’s the most important thing that you could tell that person

that could change her life and move her towards her dreams?

Your one message is your tagline.

Step 3: Create your strategy Now that we’ve examined where your ideal client hangs out, let’s

choose a strategy that will help you get your message out.

Remember, your marketing strategy isn’t set in stone.

It’s OK (and necessary, in fact) to

experiment and see what works for

you and your business.

Your marketing sweet spot I'm sure you've probably read about finding your business "sweet

spot" or finding your "genius zone".

If you haven't heard of it, it's essentially comparing & reviewing

three areas: what you are really good at, what you love doing, and

what your audience needs and is willing to pay for. If you can find

something that overlaps all 3 areas, then you’ve found your

sweet spot.

I believe that if you approach marketing in the same way, you can

also find your marketing sweet spot.

your marketing sweet spot What I’ve tried What will reach my ideal client

What I feel comfortable doing & even enjoy

What has given me results in the past (sales, opt-ins, etc.)

How it works Make sure you write down everything you can think of, no

matter how small.

After you’ve completed the worksheet, go back with your

highlighter and highlight any item that appears in more than one

section. If you have any items that appear in 3 or even all 4

sections, than you know those are the keepers!!

The marketing sweet spot exercise can be repeated throughout

the year as you experiment with different marketing tactics.

It’s a great way to review what you’ve done, what worked for

you and what didn’t.

Don’t have a sweet spot? If you don’t have anything that appears in more at least 2

sections, don’t worry. Here are a couple of suggestions:

Add to your first section. Is there anything that you haven’t

tried yet? Maybe you’ve always wanted to create a video blog,

but haven’t had the courage to do it. Why not give it a shot.

You never know, it might end up in the other sections.

Are there any strategies that were successful, but that you

hate doing? Consider whether there is a way to do them

differently.

Now what? Once you have figured out your sweet spot, you can let go of

anything that you hate doing and that doesn’t bring results.

Instead, focus your attention on your winning strategy and make

the rest supportive of that strategy instead of competing for your

time.

The way to do this is by creating a plan.

You want a marketing plan that is

manageable, enjoyable, and effective.

Creating your plan Don’t be put off by the categories in the planning worksheets.

Just because there is a spot for something, doesn’t mean that

you have to use it!

Also keep in mind the time you’re spending on each item.

Planning ahead will help you focus your time, so when you log on

to Facebook you have a plan and you know exactly what you’re

going to post, rather than scrolling aimlessly through posts for 30

minutes.

The Must-Do List Social Media Outlet

How many subscribers/ followers do I currently have:

How many subscribers/ followers do I want to have a year from now:

How often do I post to this outlet:

How often would I like to post to this outlet:

Newsletter

Facebook

Twitter

Google +

Linked In

Pinterest

Instagram

Other

My Marketing Routine – Yearly Goals Use this worksheet to plan out your yearly marketing strategy.

Write down your overall goals for each month.

Brainstorm any holidays/events that you could plan around, write

articles about or create marketing event around.

Come up with some blog post ideas.

Yearly Routine Month Goal Holidays/Events Blog Post Ideas Notes

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

My Marketing Routine – Monthly Goals Use this worksheet to plan out your monthly marketing strategy.

You can print one out each month.

At the start of each month, spend some time reviewing your

overall marketing plan and yearly plan, then create a more

specific plan for the month.

Monthly Routine Month:

Goals Blog: Newsletter: Social Media: Networking:

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Notes What did I try this month: What worked well this month: What do I want to let go of:

My Marketing Routine – weekly Goals After you’ve completed your monthly goals, we’re going to break

it down even farther with a weekly routine.

Here’s where you include all the nitty gritty action items that

you want to complete.

Some items will stay on there every week (like writing your blog,

getting out your newsletter or networking) and some will vary

from month to month.

Weekly Routine Item Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Website/ Blog

Social Media #1

Social Media #2

Social Media #3

Networking

Other

Results/ Notes

Remember to focus

on the important

stuff first!

Step 4: Check-in & Fine-tune Once you have your marketing plan in place, it’s time to

implement!

If you want your strategy to work, you have to implement your

plan! Take action and cross those items off your list.

As you are experimenting, take note of how long it takes you to

implement your action items.

Are there places you could streamline your efforts?

Do I follow my routines to the letter? Of course not. I always allow

for flexibility & inspiration.

Evaluating is key! Evaluating your marketing efforts is so important.

Honestly, to me this is one of the key parts of a marketing

strategy.

You have to have an honest look at what you’re doing and what

kind of results you are getting.

And if you aren’t getting the results

you want, you need to change your

actions!

Be honest with yourself Sometimes the idea of planning feels overwhelming in itself, and

cab actually seem counter-intuitive to the idea of simplifying.

I want you to really examine where you’re currently spending

your time on a daily basis.

How often do you find yourself mindlessly scrolling through

Facebook posts, or pinning quotes on Pinterest, in the name of

“marketing”. How much time do your spend every week—or

everyday—on this type of “work”. Be honest!

What would your business look

like if you spent that time

focusing on a clear marketing

strategy? What could you

achieve?

It does take work The fact is that is does take focused, dedicated work to build a

successful business.

You are much more likely to succeed (and more quickly!) if you

plan and evaluate your efforts.

It doesn’t have to be boring or difficult.

Just try out the worksheets and see for yourself.

The most important piece is to actually

take action!

Don’t give up Simplicity is found by getting clear on what you want, then

focusing on the actions that will get you there and letting go of

distractions.

It’s a choice that you make each day. It’s not something that you

do once and then you’re done. It’s a process.

Your marketing strategy should be fluid... a continual process of

evaluating and fine-tuning.

It's OK if everything doesn't go perfectly. Keep what works and let

go of what doesn't. Make sure you've given your chosen strategy

your full focus and effort before deciding that it didn't work.

Continue to look for ways

to make your strategy even

stronger and clearer.

I wish you much success!

About me Hi, I’m Michelle. I’m a Marketing Clarity Coach.

I’m on a mission to make marketing simpler.

I help creative solopreneurs go from stuck, confused or overwhelmed

with their marketing, to clear & confident in their strategy.

I believe that marketing doesn't have to be complicated -- in fact, it can

actually feel authentic & fun!

I want to prove that you don’t need a complicated marketing plan that

sucks the life out of you to have a successful business.

You know more than you think when it comes to marketing your

business. You just need a little help clarifying and defining your personal

strategy.

Want to find out more? If you're ready to start marketing from a place

of clarity & confidence, then make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter, and let's get started!