Plan for Success with a Marketing Calendar
Marketing Mondays with Marci B.
Benjamin Franklin once said, "When you fail to plan, you plan to fail." This phrase definitely applies to marketing. Marketing calendars, sometimes known as editorial or content calendars, keep businesses focused on high level goals and prevents impulsive spending on advertising.
Marketing should always support the mission, vision and sales goals of the organization. Keep this in mind as you plan.
Here are some tips for effective planning.
- Select a time frame.
How much planning do you need in order to be effective? Most businesses plan for three, six or twelve months at a time. Planning for at least three months at a time gives you enough time to analyze your results and refine your marketing strategy accordingly in anticipation for the next quarter. Larger corporations with shareholders may require more structured planning and require an annual marketing plan. Whether your company is large or small, if you have already created a business plan for the year, chances are you can easily create a marketing plan that follows the business plan. Details such as sales forecasts and budget should be considered when creating your calendar. - Select a format.
The format you select will be dependent upon the software you use. The most popular forms of calendars are Excel spreadsheets. Other options for developing a calendar format include PDF, Word processing document, and online calendar apps. Investing in marketing automation software is the most efficient format. The software allows you to plan, schedule, and publish your content in multiple marketing outlets from one dashboard. You can use that data to analyze results and modify your campaigns quarterly. - Determine your budget.
Nothing moves without the money. Once you know your budget, you can combine a variety of outlets to create a multimedia campaign that delivers maximum reach and exposure. - Decide marketing methods.
What are your most effective forms of media? What media outlets are your competitors using? What types of media outlets do your customers prefer? This is a great time to consider flexibility and diversity. It is important to answer all of these questions when making your decision. Use what works. Research media forms that you may have heard of but never used. In order to gain market share, you have to impose on your competition's territory. Make the most of your money by investing in media that is sure to attract your target customers. - Consider seasonal events or product cycles.
Does your business see an increase around "shopping holidays" such as Valentine's Day, Christmas, and Thanksgiving? If it doesn't currently, you should be considering holiday promotions to take advantage of retail spikes and shopper frenzy. If you are a lawn care company, chances are you most of of your business for 4 months out of the year. If you are a tax preparer, you may be busy from January to April. - Include corporate events and sales promotions.
Effective planning will also give you an opportunity to plan promotions around traditionally slow periods of business to increase sales. In order to avoid being overly "salesy" do not bombard your viewers with sales material everyday. Use your media outlets to share useful features for products and sales promotions to keep your prospects' attention. - Consider customer segments.
If you have multiple customer segments, as most businesses do, make sure you are giving attention to all of your customer types. When you segment your messages, you keep the attention of your prospect by only sharing relevant information. - Be flexible.
Just because you planned it, doesn't mean it has to be concrete. Keep your goals, and be flexible with revising your plans as necessary. Remember to review and analyze your results regularly. Increase the activities that bring new prospects and sales. Refine, remove or replace what doesn't work.
Further Reading:
http://coschedule.com/blog/marketing-calendar/
http://coschedule.com/editorial-calendar-template
https://www.thebalance.com/rules-for-retail-merchandising-2890498
https://www.thebalance.com/creating-and-using-a-marketing-calendar-effectively-2294826
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