It's not a marketing plan, it's your next vacation
I feel that every time I advise someone online to write a marketing plan, I imagine one of a few reactions happen:
People recoil in horror from their computer screen
They quickly construct a voodoo doll of me and start stabbing it with pins
They dismiss it quickly because it sounds intimidating and keep scrolling the thread to find the magic marketing pill that someone will hopefully recommend, to bring clients in NOW and solve all their marketing problems with no effort
As humans, we plan things.
We plan our meals, renovations, vacations, retirement contributions, our kid's playdates, dentist appointments and drinks with friends. And yet when it comes to a marketing plan, we often stick our heads in the sand or run for the hills, because how the hell do you do that?
The fear factor must first be removed, before any action can happen - that much is clear. You will NEVER write a plan if you have no idea how to start. Start googling and you may get a whole whack of 'barrier' words like: goals, strategies, tactics, objectives. Are they the same? Different? Similar?
Stick with me here...
You've been on a vacation at some point, right? So let's go through this. First, you decide you want to go on a vacation - that's a goal. Then you decide what type of vacation - the objective - relaxing and effortless, adventurous, culture-enriching, or even roadtrip with multiple pit stops. Once you've decided, you have to do some research for locations, hotels, rentals. These days, places like TripAdvisor are a go-to, or it may be a travel agent. Then you usually make yourself a list of things to do, even if it's just chicken scratch on the back of an envelope with your daughter's markers:
Book flights/hotels/rentals
Check/update passports
Make a packing list
Confirm airport transportation/parking
Plans for pets and house care while you're away
You get the drift.
And all this can apply to a simple marketing plan - it follows the same process. You set a goal - let's be simple and say 3 clients per month. You decide what type of client - ideal clients at full price, clients who want themed shoots, specialty clients in a specific genre like boudoir or pet. Once you've decided, then you have to do some research - where is the best place to tap into these people - a mommy Facebook group, a local Family/Community Centre etc. Then, you make list of things to do. If we choose the Family Centre, it may look something like this:
Contact the Family Centre about advertising with them
Design an exclusive offer just for their clients
Decide on the images to use in the materials and create an advertisement
Create a schedule for available bookings for these clients
a marketing plan is forming. Here's how one version plays out.
Goal = Three clients per month
Objective (step towards the goal) = Find ideal clients who will pay full price
Strategy (your method to hitting your objective) = Online research/social media
Actions = the bulleted list above
Building a marketing plan does take time, and involves reflection, multiple goals, objectives and strategies. But if you break it down and think of it as your vacation plan, it can take some of the intimidation factor away. If you're able to sit down and do the work, then your business can get started in a very healthy way, with a very clear path to walk. But if you don't understand it enough, are impatient and/or don't have the time, then even writing out ONE goal, as I did above, even on the back of an envelope in chicken scratch with your daughter's markers, is good enough for now.
It doesn't have to be perfect. Take action; even steal my example and adjust it (maybe re-type it into a document with your logo in it, so it feels like yours, or write it on paper - but I do encourage you to come up with your own). Once you have something written, it's just about ticking off your action items. It can be very cathartic, because things weren't a jumble in your head that you had to keep track of. It can show you how a bit of front-loaded effort can make things a lot easier down the line.
And when your marketing plan starts fulfilling its goal - helping to make you profitable - then you can actually plan that next vacation...
If this is all a bit overwhelming, I've put together a readymade marketing plan for photographers. I've done most of the work, you just tweak to suit. Find it here.
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