Any business owner will tell you, there is an art to marketing. It is much harder than putting a cute cat video out there and hoping for the best. There is strategic planning, recognizing a need and fulfilling the demand. The work doesn’t end there, however. Analyzing your work and seeing what work and what didn’t is equally as important. Your marketing cycle will never be the same and should never be the same. You will never reach new audiences without adjusting to your audience.

Step 1: Define the Need

In order for your marketing efforts to work, there needs to be a clear “what” and “why.” What are you looking to accomplish and why are you accomplishing it? The answer should not always be “make money” either because in today’s day and age, you will not be successful from that angle. The consumer is onto your games.

Step 2: Clarify the Goals

Set a clear, proper goal that can be measured. Have a starting point, and ending point and a deadline. It’s important to have the basics in order to build around it and dive into how this will get accomplished.

Step 3: Create a Plan

This is the “how” to your master plan, or as I like to call it- “fluff.” This is the extra add-ons that bring the goal to life. Each part must have a direct connection to the overall goal. If not, disregard it.

Please note: there is more to marketing than social media. Expand your marketing plan past the basics.

Step 4: Execute the Plan

Very simple. Put all your hard word into play.

Step 5: Analyze & Optimization

Analyzing your response data will be the most beneficial part to your strategy. Understand how your efforts are working is crucial to your success. See what material is getting the most attention; what does your target market seem to be looking for? After collecting and analyzing the data, optimize your strategy. Make improvements to the plan and improve our reach next time around.

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