Yes, I am talking about Christmas in July and how we need to get thinking and working on items that won’t launch until the end of the year!
Let me start by saying that this discussion is really about marketing strategy and how living in a marketing strategy with both discipline and adaptability is key to ensuring your organization’s “WHY” is really understood and ultimately allows for congruency in all that you are doing. That typically equates to success!
So here is a quick outline for how to stop the sporadic marketing planning and, instead, build a strategy.
Step 1: Outline your overall goal and create a plan
- What’s your budget?
- Who’s your audience?
- What story is most important to tell?
- When is the peak demand?
- What types of media make sense?
- What tools do you have in your toolbox?
Step 2: Create a calendar and detailed strategy
- Determine who is in charge of each role (photographer, writer, designer)
- Determine best engagement time
- What will your audience most likely engage with?
- What will you use to capture the conversion and contact info?
- Choose a tool and SCHEDULE IT (I love Airtable)
Step 3: LEARN FROM YOUR RESULT (this is where adaptability comes into play)
- Determine the tools you will use to measure
- Outline your KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
- Schedule a time to regularly review
- ADJUST when things aren’t working
So now you know we aren’t celebrating Christmas in July. We are simply trying to start a conversation with you about getting ready for it now. As a business owner, I am often forced to remember the rule, DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT, and it is very true. So getting holiday cards done on December 15th is better than not at all. BUT the real magic happens when you plan and have time to deepen your ideas through strategy to get ahead of your competition.
Call me if you want help getting ahead this year!