marketing SMART

If you work through these exercises, you’ll create a simple marketing plan that will get you moving and promoting your business.

Marketing Smart Worksheet

A few principles

1. Be true to yourself: “Avoid anything that you (or your customers) don’t enjoy”

a) What one thing could you do for or with your customers that would be fun for both of you but won’t break the bank?

b) What one thing do you really hate doing, and that you could stop?

Don’t follow the crowd “if everyone else is doing it, it’s a good reason for you not to” (with a few exceptions)

a) Note the things that you are doing simply because it’s ‘the done thing’, e.g. Yellow Pages, Compliment Slips, etc.

b) Put a cross next to any that you feel are a waste of time and money, and a tick next to the ones that you still need to do, but can customise to reflect your company personality.

3. Hyper-target your marketing efforts: “Woo your ideal client”

a) Who is your ideal client? Business/individual, man/woman, age, family, hobbies, job, lifestyle?

N.B. You might have several ideal clients, but your market is NEVER ‘everybody’.

b) How can you get in touch with this person?

c) What can you do for them when you find them?

4. Use tools and automation (where appropriate)

5.     Live your marketing message (and believe it too!)

a) Write 3 words that describe your personality

b) Are there any other words that describe the personality of your business?

c) What 1 thing can you change or implement, so that the personality of your business, is more in tune with your personality?

Your immediate action plan

In line with our principles, answer the following questions:

1. Who can you contact tomorrow, who will give you an introduction to your ideal client? (person, organisation, or other business. Introduction means anything that gets your business in front of that person)
2. How are you going to approach your introducer (what’s in it for them?)? This could be advertising fees, reciprocal links, a strategic alliance or discounts, for example.
3. What are you going to do to catch your client’s eye? (colours, numbers/statistics, special offers)
4. How are you going to deliver your service to the client?
5. How are you going to follow up with your client after delivery, and turn them into a raving fan?

“You have made such a difference in a short space of time. When you re-did our newsletter, we got 2 new clients the same evening it went out!”

Geeta Sidhu-Robb, www.noshdetoxdelivery.com

“Tamsin has really helped me to move my business forward in leaps & bounds”

Fiona Worthington, www.divaski.com