Staying on Track with Your Marketing Plan
Read more about: Budget Marketing, Marketing, Marketing 2.0, Marketing Mix, Marketing Planning
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I’m so sorry it’s been a while since I’ve written! Last week I had the Plague, and it’s taken me a while to get back up and running (we won’t even talk about how long it’s been since I went to yoga). There’s always an excuse to get off track, isn’t there?
Speaking of getting off track, how’s your marketing plan? It’s just February, but are you still being diligent about reaching your marketing goals?
Let me guess, you’ve been swamped. You’ve been out of town. Your dog ate your marketing plan.
Whatever the excuse, it’s time to get back on track before your excuses spin out of control. Here are some tips to get you focused.
Put your plan on your desk. If you get your plan out in plain site, you’re more likely to review it. Tack it to your wall. Print it on pink paper. Just don’t forget about it.
Review it regularly. I make a task in outlook at the end of every quarter to review my marketing plan. That way I can’t forget. Things change, so you need to make sure your plan keeps up with what’s going on in your business.
Don’t make big decisions without referring to the plan. It’s tempting to take marketing opportunities as they come, but if they’re part of a bigger picture, they’ll be more effective. If you’re like me, you get calls for marketing and advertising opportunities weekly. Just kindly tell the rep calling you that you will consider it for next quarter, but your plans for this quarter are locked in. This will keep you from making impulse decisions when they tell you you only have a few days to take advantage of this amazing price.
Make your budget match your plan. If you’ve identified budgets for different areas of your marketing (networking, advertising, research), set it up in your accounting program so you can keep tabs on where your spending is going. If you’re not spending enough in one category, you might want to step up your efforts. Likewise, if you’ve already blown half your annual budget on advertising, it’s time to pull in the reins.
I want to hear from you! Are you on track with your marketing plan, or have you already strayed? Let the Marketing Eggspert keep you accountable!
-Susan
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Susan Payton is the Marketing Eggspert, and owner of 
I suppose it’s all part of being organized and making sure that ideas don’t run amok. No matter how great an idea seems to be, we can’t just keep adding and adding them to the original plan. They’ll only break the whole flow apart. Still, I think that if there’s room, then a great idea shouldn’t be passed up. Only if there’s room, of course, and nothing less.
Hi Susan, this is my first visit here.Good article! I agree, you need to have a plan of action and then stick to it and do whatever it takes to achieve the goals you have set for your self.