*What is your marketing strategy?
One of the biggest mistakes new entrepreneurs make is not having a solid marketing plan. Many will spend money on creating products, set up a website and then wait for the sales to come in.
Unfortunately, it’s not that easy.
But the good news is, with the internet and social media, it’s much easier and cheaper to promote your new brand. The key is figuring out a good plan and sticking to it – over and over.
With this worksheet, you’ll be creating a marketing and social media plan that you can use to plot out your marketing activities.
But first, here are some questions to help you work through your marketing plan. You don’t have to commit to everything you write down below – this is mainly to get a list of ideas and things that can then be narrowed down.
**NOTE: Remember to think about where your customers are going to be. If your customer is not going to be at a particular event, or read a particular blog, then it’s not the right fit for you to spend precious time or money.
A. Are there any EVENTS that you could attend that would help you promote your products or services (trade shows, association luncheons, craft fairs, fundraisers, etc.)? Jot them down.
1. _____________________________________________date of event: ___________________
2. _____________________________________________date of event: ___________________
3. _____________________________________________date of event: ___________________
4. _____________________________________________date of event: ___________________
B. Are there any SPONSORSHIPS you could take advantage of (this could be donating a product to a women’s event in exchange for advertising, etc.)?
1. _____________________________________________date of event: ___________________
2. _____________________________________________date of event: ___________________
3. _____________________________________________date of event: ___________________
C. Make a list of BLOGS you could contact for either a review/write-up or to pitch a contest or giveaway. **remember to have a unique angle for your product when pitching to a blog owner or magazine. This could be unique features of your products/services or the story behind the product, etc.
1. _____________________________________________contact email: ___________________
2. _____________________________________________contact email: ___________________
3. _____________________________________________contact email: ___________________
4. _____________________________________________contact email: ___________________
5. _____________________________________________contact email: ___________________
6. _____________________________________________contact email: ___________________
D. Make a list of MAGAZINES OR PUBLICATIONS you could contact for either a review/write-up or to pitch a contest or giveaway. **remember to have a unique angle for your product when pitching to a blog owner or magazine. This could be unique features of your products/services or the story behind the product, etc.
1. _____________________________________________contact email: ___________________
2. _____________________________________________contact email: ___________________
3. _____________________________________________contact email: ___________________
Social Media Plan
This Social Media Plan is a guide designed to help you start thinking about your social media strategy and create a plan for executing your strategy. Don’t overcomplicate this! The idea here is for you to have a simple plan you can execute efficiently so you aren’t overwhelmed!
A. Start by asking yourself these questions:
- WHO are you trying to reach (you’ve answered this already, but it’s good to say it again!)?
- Which social media platforms do your ideal customers use? (Facebook? Twitter? Pinterest? LinkedIn?) Pick the top 2-3 platforms. Don’t try and manage 4 or 5.
1. ________________
2. ________________
3. ________________
**Take this a step further and try and determine what day of the week and/or what time your ideal customer is using the above platforms, i.e., Facebook, Twitter, etc.
- What is your goal for doing social media on these platforms? Is it ultimately more sales (nod yes!). To establish yourself as an expert in your field? To build brand awareness? (By knowing WHY you’re doing this, you can then map out your posts to align with your goals).
B. Create a plan.
Platform #1: ____________________________
Number of posts/tweets per week:_______________________________________
Which days of week will I post/tweet? _____________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
Content ideas (contests/promotions/tips/quotes):
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
Platform #2: ____________________________
Number of posts/tweets per day/week:_______________________________________
Which days of week will I post/tweet? _____________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
Content ideas (contests/promotions/tips/quotes):
______________________________________
______________________________________