With each passing month, we push further through the post-pandemic era of COVID-19 to solidify our “New Normal.” And with innovation remaining high, now is an opportune time to consider a new digital marketing plan and strategy for your business. Who doesn’t want to advance, right? We know you do, and that’s why we wrote this article!
As we end another year, it’s befitting to look ahead and start planning for business marketing success if you haven’t already.
Freely jump down to the topics covered in this digital marketing blog:
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- Watch video #2 of Let’s Build Business!
- What’s happened to your marketing plan during the pandemic?
- 5-STEP BUSINESS PLANNING PROCESS – Step 1: Assess your current status
- Step 2: Define your target audience
- 3: List marketing goals
- Step 4: Tactics
- Step 5: Develop a budget
- Get help with your digital marketing plan for next year!
There is one significant benefit to developing a digital marketing plan that has IMPACT.
Although there are tons of benefits, the top one is your return on investment (ROI). And if your company desires to see positive returns, it must develop a strategic plan to generate quality leads. As we always say, from the words of Ben Franklin, ‘Fail to plan, plan to fail.’ And in the world of digital marketing, innovative planning and strategy can directly IMPACT business advancement and attaining set goals.
When your company develops a solid digital marketing plan, you put procedures in place to ensure you reach the right audience. At the same time, you invest dollars into targeted ventures that can positively impact your return.
As you already know, pandemics can directly affect economies and businesses, especially businesses without a plan!
In 2020, we saw many businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19. We also learned that various company marketing plans didn’t consider the magnitude of the impact caused by this pandemic. As a result, some businesses “knee-jerked” and started spending money on digital advertising without a strategic plan. And in the end, this may have hurt them significantly.
However, others learned to innovate by revamping their marketing plan, adjusting strategies, and executing them effectively. If your business experienced a “knee-jerk” reaction to the pandemic, we understand and are here to help. We’ve developed a proven 5-step business planning process that can work for you today and beyond!
Our “down and dirty” 5-step business planning process works!
As business owners, marketing executives, and VPs, we all know that time and chance happen to every company, great and small. Yet, the best thing we can do is learn to “expect the unexpected.” And we accomplish this by developing an efficient and flexible plan for business advancement and long-term sustainability. So, when impactful events happen beyond our control, we already have strategic guidelines in place. Moreover, as we follow the plan, we can make proper adjustments when necessary.
We’ve designed a business planning process your team can use when significant shifts in your business revenues happen, regardless of what caused them.
1. Accurately assess your current situation.
In order to evaluate your status, conduct a SWOT analysis to determine your organization’s current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and operational threats. For example, present and answer the following questions:
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- How has this situation impacted my business? (be specific)
- What top three external opportunities can I capitalize on and put in place immediately?
- How do we innovate internally to take advantage of these opportunities?
2. Narrowly define and specify your target audience.
To understand what truly personifies your audience, conduct research that goes beyond age, gender, income, and job title. Thus, your company should consider things like,
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- ‘What influences their decision-making process?’
- ‘Are they traditional or modern, conservative or innovate, etc.?’
The answers to these questions can provide important insight into your market share and its tolerance to change.
3. Make a list of your marketing goals.
Be sure your goals are:
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- Specific – Identify the ‘what,’ ‘why,’ ‘how,’ and ‘when’ of each goal.
- Realistic – For example, consider a 25% increase vs. doubling the size of our company and what that will look like.
- Short-term – Plan for 1 to 6 months max.
4. Choose the right tactic.
It’s important to know which top-performing marketing campaigns target prospects at all stages of your sales cycle. In other words, know where they are in their buying journey and set proper tactics to guide them along. The three fundamental prospects include:
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- Cold – SEO, PPC, Programmatic, Direct Mail, Cold calling
- Warm – Email, Marketing Automation, Touch-point Calls
- Hot – Direct sales, meeting calls, visits, and emails
5. Set your marketing budget.
When establishing a realistic marketing budget, your set amount should be a comparable percentage of your projected revenues. Then, as you’ve applied the steps above, you’ll start saving money and acquiring even more qualified leads over time.
If you’re ready to take a step towards business marketing success by seeking help from a trusted friend, we’re here. And we’re Veteran-owned!
Online marketing platforms and tactics like Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Email, Marketing Automation, and the like, all have the potential to yield significant returns. However, they are especially effective when you have a solid plan. Fortunately, BUILDINGBLOCKS is the Veteran-owned outsource marketing partner who is here to help.
Our ultimate goal is to provide innovative services, professional insights, and lead generation strategies that work for your online success. We do this by:
- Helping you get more of the right prospects to your website.
- Converting those prospects into new leads.
Are you ready to advance? If so, connect with us online, or give us a call at 281-203-0529.
References
- Featured image – Fortune cookie plan message concept by Elena Koycheva.
