Live by a Marketing Calendar

“A good plan is like a road map: It shows the final destination and usually the best way to get there.”

H. Stanley Judd

One of the core principles I preach to the business owners I work with is the necessity of operating their business by implementing a Marketing Calendar.  Simply put, a Marketing Calendar is a written road map for your marketing activities for a period of time.  And, what better time to plan your Marketing Calendar for 2008 than  in December of 2007.

If this sounds like a daunting task, it doesn’t need to be if you follow these simple steps for creating your Marketing Calendar:

1. Your calendar must be in writing.  If it’s not in writing you won’t commit to it.
2. Keep it simple.  Your Marketing Calender can be stated effectively in 1 or 2 pages. 
3. Develop a “marketing wish list”.  Include all marketing objectives that you would like to accomplish in a given period of time, even if the objective may not be realistic for your budget .
4. Develop a realistic marketing budget.  Choose those strategies that you can afford.
5. Implement an Objective and Strategy to Achieve the Objective approach.  State what your marketing objectives are and then the strategies required to achieve your objectives.

Finally, understand that your Marketing Calendar is a dynamic, living document that will change over time.  Remember, plans are useless, but planning is essential for the success of your business.

     

A formula for making your ideas stick like glue!

Why do some ideas thrive while others die?  How do we improve the chances for worthy ideas? 

Every business owner is on the “look out” for new ideas to propel their business into the stratosphere.  But, how do we come up with ideas that “stick”, ones that resonate with our customers and make them want to do business with us?

Give up?  Well, I recently read a book called Made to Stick, by Chip and Dan Heath where this issue is tackled head on.  The brothers offer what they consider the anatomy of ideas that “stick” and explain sure fire methods for making ideas “stickier”.

By “stick” the authors mean that your ideas are understood and remembered, and have a lasting impact that changes the audience’s opinions or behavior. 

Specifically, the book uses the SUCCESS acronym to illustrate the key elements required to make ideas more likely to “stick”.

S – Simplicity – ideas should be easily understood

U – Unexpected -create mystery

C – Concreteness – help people remember and understand the idea

C – Credibility – the idea needs to be believable

E – Emotions – your idea must provoke an emotion in the reader or listener  

S - Stories – people love a good story that they can relate to.

This book is a worthwhile read for anyone looking to have their ideas “stick like glue”.