Marketing sounds easy, right?
You talk about your services, your products, your offers and then people buy them! You’re helping them with what you can offer and give, they’re happy with what they got out of the transaction, and now it’s time to sell something else.
But… what if you’re not giving people enough time to learn about your services and products?
What if you’re not giving them enough time to know, like, and trust you first?
What happens then? Well – you don’t sell as much, you don’t meet your goals, and you’re wondering why the heck no one bought anything (don’t worry, it’s happened to me, too… many times).
4 Steps to Plan a Holistic Marketing Strategy
A holistic marketing strategy is a game-changer, when you have specific promotions, deals, and offers you’d like to sell out.
A marketing strategy, specifically a CONTENT marketing strategy is my favorite way to build the “know, like, trust” factor. Through a content marketing strategy – businesses (ie: tourism, hospitality, and gastronomy businesses) are able to share about new promotions, build brand loyalty, and create content that is easily consumable, digestible, and fun!
I’m walking through how I plan my own marketing strategy, all through the content that I create.
Download your FREE content marketing brain dump workbook here!
[yikes-mailchimp form=”1″ submit=”Give me the workbook!”]
A few things to keep in mind:
- I don’t have any paid advertising (no ads, Google Adwords, etc.)
- The money I invest in my business is used for systems, mentors, and branding purposes
- Any marketing I do is “in-person” through networking events or through online coffee chats (these are free or paid)
- I do NOT pay for any memberships, business associations, etc.
- I have paid for group coaching programs and different types of coaching or consulting for my business
All of the marketing I do (social media, blog posts, videos, etc) are created by myself and then repurposed into different content for different platforms.
Here are my 4 steps to plan a holistic marketing strategy:
1. What promos, offers, discounts, etc. do I want to push for the next 3-months?
When I sit down to start planning my marketing strategy, I like to take it from a “holistic” point of view and think big picture, THEN break it down further. What I usually do is break things down like this:
- The whole year
- Quarterly
- Monthly
- Weekly/daily
Since I am now based in Spain and trying to break into the local market, I take into account holidays from both the United States AND Spain. I also try to keep track of “fun” holidays to throw into my content, like “National Pineapple Day”, “National Donut Day”, etc. I only acknowledge holidays that I find interesting and that would work with my brand’s personality. For example, I don’t talk much about Valentine’s Day because it isn’t something that is important to me or my brand, even though there are a lot of other entrepreneurs who use Valentine’s Day to push specials or sales.
2. What content can I create that relates to these promos, offers, discounts?
Did you know that it takes people 7x to see something before they remember? Isn’t that crazy?!
Now when you think about it – isn’t it annoying when you see the SAME 7 things repeated SO often that you get annoyed? Yeah, me, too. Just because it takes people 7x to see, hear, or read something to remember it, doesn’t mean that you should send out the SAME 7 things each time you create content. It becomes repetitive, slightly annoying, and a bit lazy. You become “that brand” that is shoving things at their clients to buy, besides presenting it in a more approachable way.
When I create content – I focus on these things first:
- What is the big picture
- Where can I create supporting content
- How often can I add it into my content strategy to make it natural
3. Which platforms would be the best place to share this content?
Next, I think about which platforms I want to use, what types of audience members are hanging out there, and how I can “repurpose” the content. My favorite platforms to use are:
- My blog
- Newsletter
- YouTube channel
PRO TIP: Social media audiences are different from each platform. Twitter has a different function than Facebook – which means content on these platforms need to be different. Thnk about what people want to see on the platforms that you use, how can you repurpose content for each one?
4. How do I create excitement around each of these promos, offers, etc?
What I’ve learned as an entrepreneur is that I need to be my biggest cheerleader.
To make sure that my audience is equally as excited about my content as I am, I need to be excited about the content and offers that I share/create. The biggest rule I follow in this is: IF IT DOESN’T FEEL GOOD – DON’T DO IT.
Also, if I “feel” like I need to do it because everyone else is doing it, that’s when I take a step back and rethink my strategy and plan. When I feel excited and good about my content, I know that it will be easier for me to promote it and share it across different platforms! Of course, some content I am more excited about than others, but if it isn’t going to be good – I decide to NOT post besides ruining my brand image.
It’s taken me a long time to realize that pushing out content ALL the time can actually hurt my brand. Creating buzz starts with genuine excitement for what you’re sharing!
At the beginning of the year, I sit down with my editorial calendar and start planning out my content. I am flexible with myself because I know what it’s like to be burnt out trying to do too much. What I enjoy doing is planning in chunks at a time, focusing on each quarter and what my goals are for the 3-month period, what types of services and packages I’d like to sell, and my income goals.
My content marketing strategy allows me to create content that I enjoy, gives me the flexibility to be spontaneous when unplanned things come about, and allows me to consistently present myself online and build my brand loyalty.
I’ve found that content marketing (which can be free or paid) is one of the best resources to create an overall brand image, build a community of loyal clients, and remain top of mind with consumers – depending on if you have a strategy and a “fresh” new take on opinions and perspectives.
To review, here are the 4 steps to plan a holistic marketing strategy:
- Decide what promotions, discounts, offers, etc. that I want to push for the next quarter.
- Brainstorm ideas on what content relates to all of these promotions, discounts, offers, etc.
- Strategize which platforms are best to share certain types of content (taking into account my audience on each platform).
- Build excitement and “buzz” around my content – connecting my platforms and content in one.
What is your biggest struggle with a content marketing strategy? Do you have one? Let’s continue the conversation in the comments below!
Enjoyed this post? You might like these, too:
Most Important Lessons in Entrepreneurship
6 Common Mistakes in Community Building
Attracting Your Ideal Clients Through Experiences
Building an Audience of Clients and Fans Using Quizzes
Want more help with your content? Grab your FREE Content Generating Machine here!
