Welcome to our special series on setting up your annual marketing plan! We asked Amber McKee, Founder of Ambers Marketing Group and Former Director of Marketing at Goettl Air Conditioning and Plumbing to share her expertise below:
Building a Revenue Plan:
- Define Your Goals: Begin by setting clear, measurable revenue goals. Back these into the leads needed by month and line of business.
- SMART Evaluation: Check your goals with the SMART process, are they achievable with your current structure, if not, what else needs to change (adding staff, vehicles, etc.)
Creating a Marketing Budget:
- Budgeting: Establish a marketing budget designed to advertise your brand all year round. Build the budget using historical cost per leads or an ad cost %.
- Budget Allocation: Allocate funds to different advertising sources such as website SEO, radio, billboards, solo mail, social media, Google LSA and paid search. Using different sources reaches a larger audience.
Marketing Plan Development:
- Messaging: Craft a compelling and consistent marketing message that addresses customer pain points and highlights your unique value proposition.
- Channel Selection: Choose the marketing channels (online and offline) that best reach your target audience.
- Content Strategy: Develop content that resonates with your audience, including blog posts, social media updates, videos, and email campaigns.
- Timeline: Create a marketing calendar to schedule campaigns, promotions, and content releases, consider seasonality of the business.
Measuring Success:
- Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Define KPIs such as website traffic, conversion rates, customer acquisition cost, and ROAS/ad cost %’s.
- Analytics Tools: Use Marketing Pro and campaign performance reporting to track campaign performance.
- Regular Reporting: Monitor results regularly and adjust marketing strategies based on performance data.
The Importance of Branding:
- Core Identity: Your brand is the essence of your business, encapsulating your values, mission, and culture.
- Customer Connection: A strong brand creates emotional connections with customers, fostering loyalty
and trust. - Differentiation: Branding sets you apart from competitors by highlighting what makes you unique.
- Consistency: Consistent branding across all touchpoints helps customers recognize and remember your business.
Building a revenue plan, creating a marketing budget, implementing a well-thought-out marketing plan, measuring its success, and focusing on branding are integral components of a successful marketing strategy. Your brand is the heart of your business, shaping your marketing message and building lasting relationships with customers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Want to learn more? Register for the Leads to Loyalty: Creating Your 2024 Marketing Plan Webinar on Thursday, November 2 at 11am PT with Amber McKee and Sarah Ghirardo.
1 Comment
