Yes, for me and many business owners, the last quarter really does feel like the most wonderful time of the year! I say this every year, but there are few things more exciting than Q4!
Whether you own a retail shop and sales are about to soar, or you are coming off a busy season and things are cooling off, you will likely be planning your next marketing campaign before the end of the year.
Planning a campaign can feel a little uncomfortable at first. For many small business owners, when they want to get the word out about something new it typically looks like this:
- Send out an email or two.
- Schedule a social media post or two.
- Done!
If this sounds familiar, that is fine! There is no judgement here!
But if you are looking for different results, you may want to add in a couple more marketing channels.
Could you send a video through email? Could you create a Facebook or Instagram ad? Could you revisit that email, and make sure that your copy is attractive/fun to your prospect?
One free tool that I recommend to every small business owner is to create a campaign document for each promotion. Before you blast off an email or a social media post, sit down and write out how the campaign will work.
For our clients, before any new project, we create a campaign document and it contains:
- The goal for the campaign.
- The timeline to accomplish the goal.
- Marketing channels that are available (email, social media, ads, press releases, SMS, etc.)
- The copy. (Emails we will send out, copy for social media posts.)
- The look and feel of the campaign (graphics, vibe, etc.)
- Notes for the next campaign: things we want to remember in the future.
- Results: this goes in at the end.
Fair warning: when you start doing this, you will start thinking of new marketing channels, and new ways to connect with your prospects and clients.
Clarity on your project and timeline is nearly guaranteed.
When you take the time to put a little more thought into your marketing campaigns, you will be pleasantly surprised by the results, and you will be able to replicate it for future campaigns.
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