How To Develop a Marketing Plan for Any Small Business in 7 Easy Steps
It is time to develop Your Attraction Marketing plan. Consequently, the Content Branding Solutions team of Content Strategists will Show you how any small business or professional practice can grow and benefit from an Attraction Marketing Plan that utilizes thought leadership. We start with working SMART to build your marketing strategy, then dive into the Cascading Content Marketing Waterfall to develop the master messaging roadmap. Finally, we dabble in the Life Cycle of Social Media Content to ROI to help you make informed decisions as you create your Digital content Marketing Plan in 7 easy steps.
We Share How to create a Digital Marketing Plan in 7 Simple Steps,
Utilizing
The Cascading Content Marketing Waterfall for All Small Businesses
Content branding Solutions Strategists share a simple proven methodology using a cascading content marketing strategy that shows you the simple steps to develop your firm's yearly marketing plan.
Discover and use the Cascading Content Marketing Waterfall to Create your Marketing Strategy, Plan, and Master Messaging Roadmap
You want to Create a Successful Multimedia Marketing Plan
A successful marketing plan clearly defines your content marketing messaging roadmap and uses data to optimize your content strategy spreading awareness of your professional skills and expertise to attract qualified core income-generating clients.
Only 55% of marketing teams have a documented content marketing strategy (Baker, 2017)
Companies and marketers with a documented content marketing strategy are five times more likely to succeed. Why? Because when they are working more efficiently and effectively, in alignment with their marketing plan and defined goals, the success rate of getting the firm across the finish line is much greater than those who don't work with a plan.
Working this way is no different from your teams working on projects. You have a defined schedule with targeted dates for the completion of each phase of the work.
The Master Messaging Roadmap and Your Marketing Strategy
Your digital marketing plan should include a master messaging roadmap for your firm's strategic and tactical implementation plan. It should also have Attraction Marketing Copywriting, content, copy, and an SEO strategy with Thought Leadership BD and sales materials as they interlink like a jigsaw puzzle.
“Your marketing, whether on screen or off, must deliver clear messaging, that offers content that provides value and connects to your audience by building trust.” - Peter Lucking
What is marketing? You may wonder why we ask that question? Unfortunately, many Professional firms confuse marketing with business development and sales!
Expert Tip: Marketing is about identifying your key differentiators, developing your message, and establishing your positioning within your market (s) to get a competitive advantage.
For example, Marketing is advertising, event promotion, website content, and building thought leadership through public relations, reports, white papers, PowerPoint presentations, webinars, etc. – these are all marketing strategies (or at least first cousins to marketing).
Source Book: Content Branding Solutions For Entrepreneurs by Cheri Lucking and Peter Lucking
Let us begin by working smarter to reduce the time it takes and help you focus on results.
1. Set SMART Content Marketing Goals For Your Attraction Marketing Plan
Specific
Get targeted, be specific. Then, answer the simple question of HOW or WHERE?
- Increase your Blog traffic by XXX
- Grow your following by XXX
- Be the Speaker at XXX Conferences this year
No more wishy-washy answers.
Measurable
Specific goals must be measurable.
- Present as a speaker at XXX conferences
- Increase targeted website traffic by 50%. Measure it with google analytics
- Reach XXX downloads of our White Paper
- You will measure your article success by the number of contacts and calls that XXXX creates
Actionable
Tie every goal to action. You must be accountable.
Just like an NFL team "two-minute drill," small business attraction Marketing copywriting, content, copy, and SEO needs to orchestrate an intricate strategy of actions to get results. As a content marketer, you need to address the "How: (Action) behind the "What" (Goal).
For Example, Your Digital Marketing Plan Could Include:
- Create one new lead-generating content asset each month that has correct SEO to attract new qualified clients and potentially grow your email list
- Advertise and promote your whitepaper on LinkedIn to target audience groups
- Review your SEO keyword strategy by Mid-January and improve as needed to maximize website traffic
- Act Now and jump-start a marketing plan before December 15
Realistic
Are you realistic? How many New Year's Eve resolutions make it to March? Thought Leaders know it is important to dream and set goals that will push our abilities.
How do you know what is realistic? Gather the team. Look at last year's numbers and your market area's overall direction; make sure you account for this trend in your master messaging roadmap.
For example, when the Design and Construction industry starts to take a downturn, Cities often begin to develop Performing Arts projects.
Timely
Set a deadline, a delivery date for your goals. You do this process for all your projects. Marketing for your firm shouldn't be any different.
Take the time to create specific, measurable, actionable, and realistic goals with a "Time" for delivery.
For Example:
- Our Thought Leadership white paper on XXX will go out in the first week of each quarter.
- Our Industry-leading report/knowledge piece on Sustainable content will go out in the third week of each quarter.
Your Website is an Inexpensive 24/7/365 Sales Prospecting Machine - Working for $0.18 Per Hour - $1.00 Per Hour.
(based on a $4K – $50K website with a lifecycle of 5 years)
Why Not Make It Pay for Itself-100 Fold by utilizing a Digital Marketing Plan?
2. How To Use the Cascading Content Marketing Waterfall to Develop Your Content Marketing Plan
Have fun and use the cascading Content Marketing waterfall to set SMART goals for your marketing strategy as you develop your master messaging roadmap and Content Marketing Plan. First, use the Free downloadable PDF from the Content Branding Solutions outline (image below) as the agenda for your team's yearly Marketing Plan meeting. Then, project it on the monitor and dive into the Cascading Content Marketing Waterfall to get results.
Expert Tip: Set up and utilize your team's preferred concept development tools from post-it notes, touch screens, simple whiteboards, or super sticky easel pads with a lot of wall space.
A. To Get Results Set your Marketing Goals
- We start with Identifying your High-level business objectives. You may know your Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals but does your team? Now is the time of year to refresh your vision and align your teams' goals.
- Define your Market; what is your area of expertise? What does the Market need? What will the Market Need?
- Next, Define Your Ideal Targeted Customers. What are their primary concerns and problems? What keeps them up at night?
- How can your Brand Awareness solve their problems with content that answers their concerns and issues?
- Where should your Brand Positioning be in the Market?
- Lead Generation. How do you presently generate leads?
- What is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? Why should a client use you?
- And what is your Pricing and Positioning Strategy? How are you priced compared to your competitors? Why can you charge more? Define the reasons clearly and objectively.
Content Branding Solutions and Attraction Marketing is about
Building Relationships and Promoting your Superstars
to
Build Rapport, and Let Your Clients Get to Know, Like, and Trust You
- Marketing is about building relationships, developing leads, and communicating benefits and value. So how is your firm engaging and talking to your clients? Are you the Market Leader, the Knowledge Experts, the go-to team? If not, why not?
- Identify your Superstars. These may be your area leaders, for example, Cultural experts or Restaurant thought leaders and designers. Put a face to your team, create and encourage your superstars. People by experts, people buy people. You should be marketing with and for these leaders.
- Develop a simple Conversion Strategy that nurtures leads, creates and rewards sales, and has the opportunity to upsell or cross-sell.
- Build A following. How? Discuss your firm's white papers and thought leadership opportunities. (these will help and guide your promotion strategy.)
- Customer Retention and Loyalty. When was the last time your superstars had time for a coffee with a client? Develop a client list with dates for your superstars to meet and chat with past and future clients. (Note: Complete Later).
- Send out Invitations to tour completed projects together as a one-year, five-year review.
- Show a client through an innovative project that may interest them.
- Play golf or have a pint. Just do something together.
Once you have reached a consensus and set your Marketing Goals, it is time to take a break.
B. Develop Your Marketing Plan Promotion Strategy to Build Results
Make sure you have healthy snacks on the table as you quickly summarize the marketing goals as people gather. Now let's create a result-driven promotion strategy to meet your mission, vision, values, and goals.
- Topics are working titles for content assets from presentations and marketing both online and offline to articles that solve your client's problems. Simply, the 'what' topics. For Example:
- Contractors: How to Successfully Fast Track A Project.
- Environmentalists: The Blue Zones of the Eco-City - Contributing Author, editor, and illustrations by Peter lucking, Content Branding Solutions.
- Health Care Advisors: New Trends in Healthcare for Seniors.
- Investment Asset and wealth Management: 7 Reasons to Trust, a Fiduciary Wealth Advisor - Contributing Author, Content Branding Solutions.
- Handmade Functional wood Art: Sustainability Eco-friendly - Reclaimed Urban Wood - Contributing Author, Content Branding Solutions.
- A Thought Leadership Marketing Book Launch Page: Content Branding Solutions for Entrepreneurs.
- Healthy and Fitness: TIPS TO LIVE A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE.
You get the hang of this.
Brainstorm, have Fun, and Create some Hook Lines and Thought Joggers as
You Imagineer Your Brand
- Online Marketing Content Assets. Next, let's divide those working titles into thought leadership articles, white papers, blogs, and potential keynote speaking opportunities and presentations. Following this, Assign each content asset a champion, a Superstar, a thought leader.
- Marketing – Advertising Promotions Channel Strategy. The when, where, and how. Before we start this, we need to develop an understanding of social media and its content lifespan.
Are You Ready for An Eye-Opener? Guess the ROI of the Multimedia in Your Marketing Plan Channels?
C. The Life Cycle of Social Media Content to ROI
First, before we jump into the process, get a good handle on all your marketing efforts and channels. Then, evaluate what you are presently doing.
- The half-life of a tweet is around 18 minutes, according to Moz. Your tweet lost in the wind of the internet
- Facebook's Life Cycle 2 hours and 30 minutes for 75% of impressions and engagement
- Instagram posts by top brands receive 50% of their comments within the first six hours and 75% within 48 hours. Are You a Top Brand?
- LinkedIn's Life Cycle is 24 hours.
Source: (Social Media Online Classes, 2018)
Evaluate your content assets, the life cycle costs, to determine your best long, and short-term marketing strategy and Return On Investment (ROI) for the time and cost of producing your content assets.
3. Develop Your Attraction Marketing Copywriting, Content, Copy, and SEO to match Your Marketing Strategy
Imagine a Content Thought Leadership Article like the one you are presently reading costs a dollar per word or around $3,500 to produce, including the integrated graphics and infographics. For instance, if you post it on Twitter or Facebook, you have a costly article that's life cycle is minutes to a handful of hours! Not a very good return on investment, and not sustainable.
Ask Yourself, "Are your clients hanging out waiting for your post on social media?" Probably not! In Other Words, a longer Life Cycle is a benefit that will allow targeted clients to find your post, if it has proper SEO, for years to come.
For professionals like Wealth Advisers, Architects, Interior Designers, Engineers, Consultants, and Firms, Thought Leadership content from reports to industry-leading advice posted in your blog gives you the best bang for your buck. Additionally, the content will receive the most extensive reach if it contains correct SEO and is linked back from LinkedIn and other short-lived social media channels.
To Maximize the Evergreen Value of Your SEO Thought Leadership Post:
- Share your Digital content Marketing on multiple social media networks to increase reach
- Use #Hashtags to increase reach
- Increase your post's life cycle time by updating your posts over time to make them evergreen, sustainable, and valuable. For example, the original blog of this post was first created in (2019)
- Use images with SEO in the posts to increase viewer retention and engagement
- Add infographics, charts, and tables. Showing is better than explaining in many cases; the graph above is a great example
- Utilize LinkedIn for your thought leadership posts to get the most benefit from your attraction marketing
- Consider Pinterest for onsite construction project images and updates
- Consider a YouTube channel
Ok, now you have an idea of the life cycle of some media channels, let's get back to your Marketing -- Advertising Promotions Channel Strategy.
- Marketing – Advertising Promotions Chanel Strategy. We recommend you consider a mix of channel strategies working in unison to reinforce your experience and thought leadership skills. You want to be perceived as the Knowledge Experts and the go-to firm in the field.
Expert Tips to Attraction Marketing:
- Set up a quarterly cycle so asset content is always fresh and cycles through whitepapers, thought leadership articles, and online presentations.
- Do not overuse your email funnel series. You'll wear out your contacts. Instead, use your emails to inform your list of articles of interest and upcoming quarterly white papers.
- Look for places your targeted clients gather, like conferences, LinkedIn groups, and associations. Now put together an article of interest or presentation proposal to get your firm to be a speaker at that event.
- Press Releases should be used to announce helpful content, a new book, a special award, etc., not Your annual barbeque.
4. Content Conversion Strategy
Now that you have identified your qualified suspects, it is time to attract them and convert them to clients. Again, focus on delivering relevant, beneficial value. Content conversion should be a natural component of the flow and not the prime motivator.
-
- Is your website content custom? Is it targeted? Do you want to read it? If not, fix it.
- Do your articles portray your thought leadership and expertise as the go-to experts in your field? Are you sharing knowledge?
- Choose your topics tied to your business goals that answer your client's questions, include industry insights and fact-based content thoroughly researched.
- Use Google Analytics to find your top-performing content and create relevant call-to-action (CTA) for each piece.
- Make useful free downloads, free sign-ups, and content upgrades.
- Do you have a call-to-action (CTA) on your site?
61% of Consumer's Buying Decisions are Influenced by Custom Content
Source: (Correia, 2013)
Do not Be a Marketing Dinosaur:
Put a Branded Digital Content Marketing Plan in Place
Give us a call now at 303-362-0498 for Your Content Marketing Needs
- Identify Joint Ventures and Partnerships. Potential partners surround you now.
- Cross Marketing. For example, you are a specialist in XYZ… What do your clients always talk about? "Being on time and on budget." Why not partner with a Cost Consultant or Quantity Surveyor to develop an article with infographics or a presentation together on how to stay on budget.
- Joint Venture partnership on life-cycle Concrete or steel Frames?
Identify who you can Joint Ventures and Partnerships with and Set aside a date and a time for that call.
- Referral Strategy. How many referrals have you missed because you do not pay a referral commission?
- Put a referral strategy in place.
- Ask clients for referrals.
- Ask associates and the consultant team for referrals.
Take a ten-minute break, get a cup of coffee and reflect on what you have read and how it could help you.
5. Attraction Marketing Content and Materials
Nothing will happen from Business Development, Marketing to Sales and Services if you do not schedule time.
- Keynote Speaker Proposals identify when, where and who will attend and submit the proposals in time to be included.
- Identify Keynote speaking opportunities, the submission due dates, and conference locations. Chose conferences where you are already in the market, then branch out
- Research Guest Post Opportunities and make contact
- Content Asset Creation. Someone must write the copy and content. Do you have the time, or should you outsource it? Should you use a ghostwriter or expert niche writer with Editorial and Editing services? Decide on your Content Assets, then develop a delivery plan, in-house or outsourced:
- Conference Speaker proposals - Keynote Speaking
- Webinars ▪ PowerPoint Presentations
- Video
- Thought leadership articles - Guest Posts - White Papers
- Reports and Case studies
- Authored Articles - Custom Content and Reports
- Ghostwriting
- Branded Images and Graphics
- Content Marketing Coaching You to Your Success
CONTENT BRANDING SOLUTIONS are Specifically TARGETED
for YOU
ENTREPRENEURS ▪ STARTUPS ▪ SMALL BUSINESSES ▪ PROFESSIONALS
Content Branding Solutions For all Businesses Include:
- Attraction Marketing Services: Attraction Marketing Copywriting, Content, Copy and SEO Services
- Brand and Branding Services from The Content Strategists and 'Branding Knowledge Experts' at Content Branding Solutions
- Branding and Brand Refresh in conjunction with website branding development and design and associated consulting services
- Website Development and Design Services from the Content Branding Solutions Website Design, SEO, Graphics, and Infographics Team
- Editorial and Editing Services for all your Company Needs
- Thought Leadership Services - Thought Leadership Marketing - Attraction Marketing Content Writers
- Coaching, Mentoring, Training, and Teaching - Hands-On Online Attraction Marketing Coaching and Brand Marketing Mentoring in Content Branding Solutions
- Digital Content Marketing Plans - Full Circle Digital Content Marketing Plans and Social Media Marketing Plans Just for You
Marketing Overview. You should now be ready to create your yearly and quarterly content marketing schedule and outlining your distribution, timing, and mix. Don't overstretch your team. Consider a Partner.
B2B and B2C Entrepreneurs, Startups, Small Businesses, and Professional Practices.
Check out our Digital Content Marketing Plans
⬆ They are Very cost-effective ⬆
- Sales Materials Branding and Messaging. You should take a cursory look at your sales materials, from cut sheets to team organization charts, to check that your messaging follows your marketing goals. Also, identify pieces that would help in the creation of your Content Assets.
6. Budget
Setting a realistic budget that matches your marketing goals, promotion strategy, marketing content, and materials assets creation costs is key to success.
What Should Your Firm Budget for a Monthly Content Marketing Plan?
Website Monthly Content Marketing Plans:
We recommend that you secure a plan as it will save you substantial dollars in the future. In addition, you will get a discount on a yearly contract.
- Small Practice $1,100 per month don't Forget the short SEO posts that create long-term growth.
- Medium Practice $2,200 per month (recommended for growth) has all the bells and whistles most firms need, from white papers to SEO and LinkedIn.
- Large Practice $4,800 per month up. Three (3) partners or company thought leaders, etc.
Creating your content in-house is excellent, but a couple of thousand dollars will not get you a qualified niche writer.
Conference Submittals and Attendance
Remember you should be speaking to your target clients, gathered in one room!
- Submittals as a speaker Fees $500 - $3000
- Conference Registration $1500 - $2500
- Conference Hotel Room Rates $250 – $350 + tax
- Travel and expenses
We budget five thousand per person as a working number, including travel and expenses.
Website Refresh - $250 to $500 per page
New Website / New Content - $500 - $1000 per page fully SEO’d etc.
Does Your Marketing Director Have the Time to Do This in Addition to Their Normal Packed Workload?
To Get Results Hire them a Specialized Professional as Help and a Professional Guide.
Actionable Time – Staffing and Workflow
Now make sure you have followed the SMART Content Marketing Goals and schedule the hours for each task.
7. Metrics to Measure your marketing Plans Success
We recommend reviewing your yearly and quarterly master messaging roadmap monthly with weekly targets. Adjust for trends. It is essential to have metrics to track and measure success. We'll go into this with another article that will follow.
Executive summary
You can create an executive summary that combines all the components with a marketing budget when you know the outline of all your pieces. A well-thought-out digital multimedia marketing plan serves as a resource to get your content marketing started. Always test each piece to see the results and adjust your strategy for maximum success.
If you need FREE help with your Digital Content Marketing Plan, try this:
FREE Marketing Plan Generation tool from HubSpot or Give us a Call Now at 303-362-0498
Need help Orchestrating Your Marketing Planning Meeting?
Give us a Call Now at 303-362-0498
"Our Team's goal is to Give You the Competitive Advantage, to Increase Your Sales."
The Accelerated Program for Nine-Figure Content Marketing
Cheri and Peter are the co-hosts of The Accelerated Program for Nine-Figure Content Marketing. This hands-on online digital Master Class focus is Content Branding for entrepreneurs, small businesses, and professional practices.
The Digital Master Class is based on the award-winning book Content Branding Solutions For Entrepreneurs. The Strategic Content marketing modules lay the foundation for success with branding and teach you the A-Z proven strategies and cutting-edge tactics that will help your firm succeed.
CONTENT BRANDING SOLUTIONS for ENTREPRENEURS - Strategic Content Marketing is The A-To-Z Guide to Content Marketing by Cheri Lucking and Peter Lucking.
Download Content Branding Solutions Copywriting and Services Pricing Guide
✔ Seven Marketing Trends and Predictions for Staying Connected to Your Customers
✔ The Top Marketing B2B Tactics
✔ Copywriting Essentials for Marketing Success
✔ Fee Ranges for Copyrighting, Images, and Coaching
References
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Correia, D. (2013, Jan 25). Crawling Out of the Cave. Retrieved from https://www.dragon360.com/blog/digital-content-marketing-strategy/: https://www.dragon360.com/blog/digital-content-marketing-strategy/
Elsbury, C. (2018, May 11). 2018 Denver-Area Largest General Contractors. Retrieved from Denver Business Journal: https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/subscriber-only/2018/05/11/2018-denver-area-largest-general.html
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Hardwick, J. (2018, Feb 27). How to Craft the Perfect SEO Title Tag (Our 4‐Step Process). Retrieved from Ahrefs Pte Ltd.: https://ahrefs.com/blog/title-tag-seo/
Hubspot. (2018, Unknown Unknown). The Ultimate List of Marketing Statistics for 2018. Retrieved from Hubspot: https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics
Info entrepreneurs, G. /. (2009). Know your customers' needs. Retrieved from GOV.UK/Business: https://www.infoentrepreneurs.org/en/guides/know-your-customers--needs/
Janszen, F. P. (2006, May 24). Innovation in the construction industry: the dominant role of the environment. Retrieved from Construction Management and Economics: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01446199500000006?journalCode=rcme20
Martin, B. (2018, March 5). Global Digital Future in Focus 2018. Retrieved from comScore: https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Presentations-and-Whitepapers/2018/Global-Digital-Future-in-Focus-2018
Social Media Online Classes. (2018, July 20). 21 Ways to Extend the Life of Your Content [INFOGRAPHIC]. Retrieved from Social Media Online Classes: https://socialmediaonlineclasses.com/21-ways-to-extend-the-life-of-your-content-infographic
