In last week's tip, I gave you a quick update regarding my "Little Green Book". This week I thought I would share an excerpt with you.
This is a good example of how the book will be formatted. There are 49 marketing "tactics" in all. Most will contain "case studies" from other landscape professionals, as well as "Author Resources" and some, like this one, will link to videos that support the content.
I wanted to share this marketing strategy because planning and goal setting are two of the most important things you can do in life and business.
The video shows how I plan and execute my marketing promotions each year. I would love to hear how you do it. Any planning strategies that would be helpful? Feel free to leave a comment below.
Your marketing efforts must begin with two things--specific goals and a step-by-step action plan. I know--Boooorrrring! But, you will not have the success you strive for without setting goals. How can you define what success means to you if you don't have goals?
The most important thing you can do for yourself and your business is set aside time, whether it's one day or one week, to identify your goals for an upcoming specified period of time. Most people are comfortable setting goals on an annual basis or even longer range. I personally set quarterly goals for my business.
Based on my experience setting goals, I've found three things to be critical. First, your goal should be as specific as possible in order to create action steps to achieve it. Second, you should be able to attach a deadline to the goal to force action and create urgency. Third, you should be able to track the progress towards achieving your goal. I should also add that "less is best". Ask yourself, what one or two things, if you accomplish them, will have the greatest impact on your business? Having fewer goals allows you to be more focused and it is also much easier to track your progress.
Here is an example of a poorly established goal:
"I want to grow my business this year".
Here is an example of a well thought out goal:
"I will grow my business by increasing revenue 50% in the first 6 months of the year".
The first example is purely wishful thinking. The second example is specific by stating the actual percentage of growth and identifying a deadline.
Creating goals will help you formulate and clarify in your mind what is important to you and your business. Without them, your company can drift in different directions instead of staying focused. This focused goal will now set your thoughts towards building a step-by-step plan to accomplish it.
You've written your goals, now what?
Now that you have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve through your marketing efforts, next you will need the step-by-step action plan required to achieve your goals. Taking the time to write a "Marketing Plan" will help you organize your thoughts into clear action steps and will serve as a guide that you can refer to each and every week to keep you on track. The plan will also allow you to develop a more realistic marketing budget for your company.
In my experience, developing a marketing plan is pretty simple and enjoyable. The most difficult part is executing the plan (this is one reason I now plan quarterly). I'm sure this is the case for many of you. We get busy working in our business instead of on our business and things slip by us. I now find that creating a "Marketing Calendar" as a complement to my marketing plan is a great way to stay organized and keep me on track toward my goals. Think of your calendar as your "marketing boss" standing over your shoulder constantly reminding you of your marketing responsibilities each and every day.
Author's Resource:
I've produced a step-by-step video showing you exactly how I create a marketing plan and calendar using two free online tools. I use a combination of Google Calendar and mind mapping software to plan my marketing strategies.
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