Have you planned your 2009 marketing yet?

If you only do one bit of planning for next year (despite this series of posts!), please make it what you’re going to do to market your business.  If you stop marketing, people will forget about you.  You can have the greatest [insert your product/service here] in the world, but no-one will know about it unless you do the marketing!

The ‘feast or famine’ cycle of business usually comes about because business owners get so engrossed with client work that they forget to market – until they need more clients!  And then they market like mad – until they become too busy with client work.  And so on. 

Having a marketing plan, and following it, will help to even things out.  Your plan doesn’t have to be complicated nor does it have to cost a lot of money.  But it does need to be done regularly, and to the right people, ie. Those people who want what you have.  Notice I didn’t say they ‘need’ what you have?  Most of our buying decisions are about what we want, rather than what we need (when I go food shopping, I usually buy what I like to eat, rather than what is actually good for me!)

What should you include in your marketing plan?  Have a look back at what has worked for you this year and include that.  Don’t waste your time including activities that you know from past experience don’t work. 

Once you’ve put your plan together, schedule the activities into your diary as if they were client appointments.  Honour them as if they were client appointments – they are just as important to the future of your business after all!

(Don't forget to register for the 'Get Set' Teleclass!)

Comments

[LouiseBJ]

Too right Jeanette, Twitter is definitely part of my marketing strategy for the foreseeable future. I've meet such great people (including you) over the last few months and hope to meet many more in 2009.

[Jeanette]

Hi Louise,

Will you include Twitter in your marketing plan for 2009?