If you’re like most SME owners, chances are you ended 2014 in a mad panic, trying to get projects closed off before the summer break. Things that hadn’t been actioned all year suddenly became urgent … or fell off the radar completely. And now it’s January, your batteries are recharged and you’ve spent the whole break formulating dozens of brilliant new marketing ideas and things you need to get done to get your business blazing ahead. But after a couple of weeks you’ll be bogged down in the daily routines again, other jobs gain priority, and you’ll never get a chance to action your new ideas. And sometimes, having too many ideas swimming about in your head can become overwhelming; you don’t know where to start so none of them come to fruition. I’m a massive advocate of good, thorough marketing planning – it’s absolutely vital to keep your business moving ahead. But planning doesn’t always have to be a long, complex, involved process. And if you’ve got a bunch of great ideas, it’s important not to leave them on the shelf. When budgets and time are tight, what I advise my clients to do is put together a quick, down and dirty, marketing action plan: something to help clarify ideas, gain focus and get you going. Something to help you just start getting some rubber on the road. Not sure where to start? Grab a coffee and download Blaze Marketing’s quick 1 page marketing action plan template – a bite-sized template we’ve developed to help our clients to kick off and just get going. Block out an hour or so to work through the Marketing Action Plan template, organise your thoughts, clarify your focus for the next few months and translate your ideas into bite-size, actionable chunks. Tasks will seem less daunting once broken down, prioritised and printed in black and white. Taking the time to sketch out a quick marketing action plan is like the ultimate New Year’s resolution for your business. Keep it specific, results-focused, actionable and – most importantly – make it happen. It’s all about rolling into 2015 on a clear path with fresh energy and momentum behind you and a whole year of success and achievement ahead.
About the Author
Previously Marketing Director for a large multinational, Nicki Walsh is an award winning Fellow Certified Practising Marketer and member of the PRIA.Now the creator and Head Trail Blazer of Blaze Marketing, Nicki gives businesses of all different sizes, access to a strategic yet practical Marketing Director without the cost of...
