Creating Your First Marketing Strategy – Free Template

STEP 1. CREATING AWARENESS

What are the tools and techniques you plan on using to create marketing awareness?

You might look at a long list of ideas about how to market your business and think, “Well, I could really use all or any of these ideas. So, I’ll try them all.”

That’s a great approach as a start to think about what’s possible, but I’d rather have you think about what’s probable instead. While it’s possible you could try a bunch of marketing ideas, it’s not probable that you can fit them all in your schedule, and that each of them will be worth doing in the long run. It’s also highly unlikely you can afford them all when you’re starting your business either.

That’s why you must test a few things to start, and build from that point. Tests are good to run about 90 days to see how various techniques play out for your brand and audience. Tests can sometimes be shorter if they are with paid ads, but a lot of digital marketing takes a bit of time to create a buzz online and get catalogued with search engines.

As you think about this first step, consider where would-be clients already spend their time. This doesn’t necessarily only mean virtually or digitally. Sometimes it’s about an in-person presence too. If you think about where your audience already is, that will help you decide on a handful of tactics to try first and be your WHY.

Why these tactics, why these channels, why now? Why try these first vs. other ideas? Why does that make the most sense for you today with this brand? Get clear on your why during this step.

Our free marketing strategy template has a bunch of marketing ideas to help you get going during this idea-generation phase of your process.

STEP 3. ENGAGING YOUR AUDIENCE

Having a great list of marketing ideas and curiosity builders documented and your mind buzzing is a great place to be. After all, it’s the juice that makes creating new ideas worthwhile.

But you can’t stop with just the list. You’ve got to think about how you’re going to engage your audience. This is where another layer of marketing ideas comes into play…taking cold leads and turning them into warm leads and prospects.

You’ve probably heard these terms used before and if you’re not a business or marketing person, I think the simplest way to think about them is dates. Or friendships.

When you first meet someone, you don’t typically throw yourself at a person. You give them a second to warm up to you and get curious. You might shake hands. Say hello. Share one quick story. And then you wait. You give that first touch a second to breathe before you go in for another one.

Engaging your audience should be considered the same way. After you’ve made someone curious, what will you do to get them to engage with your brand further? Thinking back to each of your awareness tactics, consider what you’d like that person’s path to be with each idea.

Going back to our Instagram example:

I want someone to visit us on Instagram, engage with the content on that platform, and then be inspired by something we’re saying or doing so they will go to our website and learn more about our brand. Right now, I’m okay if that’s the only step they take because I’m just generating curiosity and learning with that technique. I want them to start to decide if we might be a fit for their needs.

Our free marketing strategy template has several marketing engagement techniques you’re likely going to want to try and incorporate into your own marketing plans.

STEP 4. INSPIRING ACTION

Now that we’ve talked about awareness tactics, curiosity builders, and engagement steps it’s time to talk about action.

This is where you want to be clear about the marketing action you’re trying to drive, and you want to know this before you start to roll out a marketing program.

Actions can (and will) be different for all sorts of businesses. They can be any of these:

• Purchasing a physical item
• Purchasing a professional service
• Registering to attend an event
• Purchasing a coaching, educational or learning session
• Adding a new name and email to an email list for another future purpose
• Donating to a charity
• Sharing a piece of content with a personal or professional network

As you think about your own marketing strategy, and each of the tactics you plan on trying, I want you to be clear about the actions you want people to take and what winning looks like in 3, 6, 9 and 12 months with that activity.

Going back to our Instagram example, someone might say, “Well I want to grow my Instagram.”

But, is that really the final action you want someone to take, or is growing your Instagram a step you want audience members to consider so that some finally end up doing something else like buying your product or service, registering for the event, donating, or sharing your content? It’s more likely the latter.

Oftentimes we’re working toward a marketing goal today that feeds into a larger marketing action we’re trying to accomplish in the future. Knowing where you’re heading with each of your tactics and if you look like you’re making the progress you hoped you’d make is key. And, giving yourself some slack to have a few things not work out is also important. Oftentimes we get discouraged too quickly when every idea doesn’t work. But, really what we’re doing is testing ideas to find out what works in order to do more of that in the future.

Even if you get just a handful of your ideas down on paper and organized, you’ll be better equipped to be successful in picking where to invest your time and resources as you begin to write your own marketing strategy. Our free template should help guide you along the way, and you can always reach out if you’re feeling stuck.

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