Give your inbound marketing plan a boost

If your business had it's own marketing logbook, a to-do list that was uniquely tailored to your business, then it would be your marketing plan. Your marketing strategy gives you the 'what?', but the plan provides the 'how?'

Your inbound marketing plan is like your growth blueprint. It gets all your strategy down on paper and gets all the thinking out before the magic happens.

The roadmap to getting more business

The chances are, you've probably had to consult your marketing plan numerous times since executing any campaigns.

It's your business' marketing bible, the thing you come back to when you need guidance. It's your mid-campaign pat on the back to reassure you that things are going in the right direction.

Essentially, it's the roadmap to growth.

A marketing plan should answer your marketing fundamentals:

• What will you achieve, and when
• What's unique about your product
• Who are you targeting, and how
• Which strategies take priority
• Which platforms will funnel your marketing efforts
• Which departments and team strengths are needed for each leg of the plan

There's lots to unpack when it comes to a marketing plan, but to really get into growth territory, details and research are key. Creating a basic marketing plan is one thing, but creating a killer marketing plan can take your growth to the next level.

The fundamentals of a killer marketing plan

We all know how a marketing plan goes. Goals, execution, results.

But to add a bit of colour to a beige marketing plan, it might be time to polish some up some of the fundamentals. An effective, killer marketing plan will contain...

• Clear objectives of your marketing plan
• Realistic goals
• Thorough competition analysis
• Accurate buyer persona 
• A budget that is well-calculated
• Tactical and logical marketing strategies
• A manageable timeframe 
• Solid and structured Plan B

Clear objectives of your marketing plan

Establish what you want your plan to achieve, your plan should outline everything you want your marketing plan to achieve, realistically. Pinpoint your marketing plan's position amongst your business plan as a whole.

Setting realistic goals

Focus on baby steps to get to your bigger goals. If your goal is to make X amount of money, be realistic about that amount.

We all want to gain 10,000 followers in the first month of posting TikTok content, but if it's not realistic to the scale of your business then set smaller numbers instead.

Realistic goals = achievable results. Setting smaller, realistic goals makes your goals achievable, this sets you up for satisfaction, rather than disappointment.

Thorough competitor analysis

Take a look at what your competitors are doing in terms of their product, marketing, and services. Gather as much information as possible, their success stories are inspiration for your business, and their setbacks are cautionary tales.

You can learn a lot from analysing similar projects, it tells you what to avoid, and what to adopt. The more thorough you are with the research, the more information you can take home to your business ventures.

A well-calculated budget

A budget is more than just how much money you can spend on your marketing. It's about knowing where to put your current finances in a thoughtful way.

Look at market fluctuations, trends, and look at your own resources wisely. Making smart decisions and being conscious of your budget can help you save money, and strive for that nice chunk of ROI at the end of the tunnel.

An accurate buyer persona

It all comes back to your buyer persona in the end...after all, it formulates the basis of your whole marketing plan.

Learn what your audience likes, needs, and wants, really get to know what makes them tick. The more information you have about your buyer persona, the better you can directly target your marketing towards them. The more accurate your buyer personas and marketing analysis, the more tactical your marketing strategy can be.

Tactical marketing strategies

Be smart and tactical with your marketing strategies. This means squeezing all the information you got from your research into an informed strategy.  

Brand-build in the communities and platforms that your audience are regularly using, and 'attract' your audience thoughtfully. It's about creating polished content that will magnetise your audience and pique curiosity.

A manageable timeframe

Create a timeframe that's actually manageable. By doing this, you can clearly see when you'll do the things you set out to do.

Set up a schedule for when each leg of your strategy will happen. Break in down into bitesize, manageable chunks to avoid overworking yourself or your team.

This will help you get a better idea of how you'll get to the growth finish line.

Solid Plan B: Expect the unexpected

Sometimes plans change, stay flexible enough to change, incase things don't work out how you expected. Whether that's your budget, your buyer persona, or strategy, it means making sure you've got enough scope for change.

Remember, a killer marketing plan is flexible and always focuses on what the customer needs. That means if there are shifts in the market, there will be shifts in your customer.

If something isn't really working for you, you can always change it in the fundamentals of your plan.

As your business grows, your marketing plan grows too. Keep learning from your results and tweaking your plan to make it even better.

Need some more tips?

Calling all marketing managers...Download our most popular guide, packed with useful info to help revamp your marketing plan.

Our guide covers...

• Making connections and starting conversations
• The three steps in the buyer journey
• The final stage in the funnel and buyer journey

Not only is it free, but it helps you create a killer inbound marketing strategy and effortlessly score new business.