How to Create a Marketing Strategy in Just a Few Hours
Writing a marketing strategy for your business is one of those foundational tasks that always seems to get pushed off until later. And, I get—you have no idea where to even start, let alone the time it takes to finish one. So, until you can even squeeze in researching how to do it and block an entire day to get it done, it’s not happening.
But, what if it isn’t as hard as you think it is?
Building a marketing strategy is a really important thing to do for your wedding business (I’m likely not the first person you’ve heard that from). And, the truth is? It isn’t as hard or time-consuming as you’ve thought all of this time! It just requires a bit of prep and brainpower. So today, I’m going to share my top tips to help you build a marketing strategy in just a few hours time. Read on and get the thing done already!
60 Minutes | Document your ideal customer(s)
Not having a clear-cut idea of who you are trying to connect with makes it hard to build an effective marketing strategy. That’s because, if you only have a generic idea of who you are talking to, you’ll create a generic strategy that attracts generic people and not the qualified-ideal-client leads you’d like to see in your inbox. From basic demographic data to knowing what your potential customer’s pain point is (so you can be the hero and solve it), you have to have identified and documented these details prior to putting together a strategy.
So, step one is completing a customer map. Spend the first hour of the time you block on this task and it will set you up for major success!
Pro-tip: This step is essential for you if you have ever felt frustrated that you aren’t attracting leads who inquire about the “right” services (Tired of getting inquiries for day-of coordination because you don’t offer anything less than month-of? Yeah, I thought so.) Writing a marketing strategy as a wedding professional can be complicated because you likely have multiple ideal clients (based on the services you offer). So, setting yourself up for success means knowing what makes your ideal full-service client different than your ideal coordination client. And, once you do, it will be easier to write a strategy that “matches them up” with the right marketing tactics to put yourself and your business in front of them.
30 Minutes | Organize your toolbox
When you are starting any type of project, it’s common to gather everything you need to get the work done into a central place. And, having all of your tools within arms reach makes it easier to write a marketing strategy without wasting time. So, ask yourself:
What programs and platforms are you already using?
What programs and platforms might you consider using in the future?
What tactics can you deploy to support certain initiatives?
What personal skills do you have to complete certain marketing tasks?
Who can you call and hire if you need to outsource something?
Pro-tip: Some of the most effective tactics in the wedding industry are blogging, social media, and submissions. And, while you might think everyone is deploying these and that it is “too competitive,” I’m here to tell you that they aren’t and you should start!
90 Minutes | Don’t reinvent the wheel
Trying to come up with a unique plan for something that already exists is hard. And, the amount of brainpower it takes to try and reinvent the wheel fuels that time-wasting blank stare at a blank page. But, before you go and swipe a marketing strategy that you found on the internet meant for a completely different industry to use, why not use a template specifically meant to help you?
The biggest way to save time and relieve yourself of the stress of finally building a tailored marketing strategy for your business is to give yourself a roadmap. From tips to help you define your niche and an outline to guide you as you formulate your plan for world domination, our DIY Marketing Strategy Blueprint will help you crank out yours in no time!
Pro-tip: The basic function of a marketing strategy is to define the who, what, where, and how often you are going to do things from 30,000 feet. Don’t complicate it or add to your plate by squeezing the details of individual campaign ideas you come up with. Yes, list out those awesome ideas in a bulleted list but separate the fully baked campaign in a different doc.
Booking season starts in just a few months. Is your strategy written yet so you do what you need to put yourself in front of all those newly engaged couples? Pick up our marketing strategy template today to help you write your marketing strategy in just a few hours!
