What if you could begin the new year with 12 months of marketing already organized and ready to roll out?
Does this thought feel daunting?
Or exhilarating?
(Maybe a little of both?)
Guess what? Both feelings are completely valid. You are not alone! We’ve experienced both ourselves – excited for the new year, but a bit stumped as to how to organize a full year of marketing before jumping into January. This is precisely what drove us to create our free Yearly Marketing Calendar for you! Shooting from the hip in marketing your business can only last so long, (talk about exhausting), so we’ve created the perfect roadmap to help you develop a consistent plan, rather than starting from scratch every month!
But before we go there . . . let’s explore a few scenarios to see if a yearly template would be helpful!
Which of these describes you?
Social Media overwhelms me.
Q: How do you make it easier?
A: Here at BDG we suggest having a rhythm to your week when scheduling social media. Creating themes for each day, even if it’s just something that you jot down in your marketing plan and don’t publicize, can make your life so much more predictable. For example, have a flow to your social posts week-to-week, such as, “Testimonial Tuesdays” or “Behind-the-Scenes” on Fridays. Having a bit of a structure will alleviate the stress from not knowing what to post, but at the same time, it’ll help create fresh content week to week.
Special monthly dates tend to just pop up on me.
Q: Mothers’ Day is really big in my industry. How do I make the most of that in my marketing?
A: PLAN IN ADVANCE! How far out do you need to promote? Do you need six weeks, eight weeks, or is this something you can throw together in just two? Breaking each event or promotion down by task will make it feel less daunting. Then, set goals and timelines. Add these bigger events to your calendar first—breaking down the work into smaller tasks and delegating when possible.
I want to have an in-store event. Help!
Q: How do I market an in-store event?
A: I wish this was an easy answer, but it really does depend. Who is your audience and where do they get their information? The first thing you’ll do no matter what is to come up with an event name and branding that will be associated with that event. Consistency is the key to stretching your marketing dollars. Here are a few ways you can market that event once you decide where your audience is getting their info:
IN-STORE MARKETING
- Train your employees to talk about it with each customer.
- Drop a flyer into your shopping bags.
LOCAL MARKETING
- Run an ad in the newspaper or local magazines.
- Collaborate with other local businesses to market.
- Write and distribute a press release.
SOCIAL MEDIA
- Create an event.
- Share it far and wide and ask others to do the same!
I’m a planner.
Q: This all sounds great, but where do I start?
A: Our Yearly Marketing Calendar is one of our most popular FREE DOWNLOADS and is perfect for that business owner who often finds themselves waiting until the last minute to prepare for the year ahead. Plus, with our unique strategy we’ve taken the huge process of yearly planning and broken down the bigger picture into bite-sized manageable pieces for you.
Combine this process with our Ideal Customer Worksheet (included) to help tighten your niche to discover your ideal customer and you’ve got a successful plan of how to find, reach, create, and retain brand new customers all year-round.
And of course, if you need US, we’re available to you with our Grab & Go Services to help you
- finalize marketing pieces you may need (in a day),
- create consistent content for social media (how would you like a YEAR of editable and customizable content for social media? Our content is perfect for filling in the gaps left empty after scheduling the “big rocks”) or perhaps a
- one-on-one strategy session to get the ball rolling.
Whatever it is you need, first start with this incredible freebie and get the creative juices flowin’.
And don’t forget to share the goods with your small business friends!
