I’m going to be real here. 2020 has been a shit show. I don’t know a better way to say it. For most of us, it can’t be over fast enough.
But what is 2021 going to look like? It’s hard to predict what the next year will bring, but it’s important as business leaders that we plan for whatever might be coming our way.
That’s why it’s more important than ever to have a marketing plan for 2021. No matter what size business you have, take the time to put together a plan. This plan is the roadmap to reaching your revenue goals, and without a plan, it’s unlikely you’ll get where you want to go.
Here are my suggestions for putting together your 2021 marketing plan.
- Determine Your Company Goals
Do you want to grow your business? If so, by how much? Be specific.
- What Do You Need to Do to Reach Your Goals?
If your goal is to increase sales, then it’s likely you will need to do one or more of the following…
Figure out specifically what needs to be done in order to reach your goals then map out a plan to get you there. Do you need to upsell current customers? Do you need to grow your customer base? Do you need to add more staff?
- Identify Your Ideal Customer
This is very fundamental, but it’s amazing how many companies get this wrong. Be very specific in identifying who your customer is. Instead of saying that your customer is a female, 35-45 years old, give more detail to her. “She’s a wife and mother of school age children. She works a full-time job. She’s busy taking care of everyone else and doesn’t have much time for herself.” This paints a vivid image of your customer. Now you know who she is so you can go out and find her!
- Meet Your Customers Where They Are
Don’t make your customers come to you. In the busy age of digital media, you need to go to your customers. Using the example above, this woman is likely to be on Facebook and Instagram. She also reads emails, so you might want to post on social media and send her emails with valuable content that gets her attention.
- Consistently Market to Your Ideal Customer
Once you know who your customer is and where to find them, put together your plan. Again, using the example above, how often will you post to social media and what will you talk about? What kind of valuable information can you share with that woman? If you’re going to send emails, how often will you send them and what will they say? What kind of a call-to-action will they have? (Ultimately, you want people to buy from you.) And most importantly, who will do this work? Do you have someone in your office with the skills and talent to consistently create content, post to social media and send emails? If not, can you hire a Virtual Assistant to help you or a part time marketing manager, or outsource the work (I know a team that can help you!!!)
If you need help with your marketing for 2021 please reach out to me at mhuwar@thebrandaccelerator.com or give me a call at 412-848-8822.
About the Author: Meg Huwar is a small business marketing expert and Principal of Brand Accelerator. She and her team work with companies who want to market their business but don’t have the time, experience or staff to do it themselves. Meg can be reached at mhuwar@thebrandaccelerator.com or 412-848-8822.