I made a video (link below) that outlines some of the sections that you should definitely make sure to have on your marketing plan. I also am giving away a FREE copy of a marketing plan template that I use.

You don’t have to use all of it, but it will give you a good idea of what you should have laid out for your business to have a successful marketing campaign. This will also help you stay on track better since you can see the goals and really break them down.

Sections of the Marketing Plan 

You need to make sure that your marketing plan has all of the specific sections that will lay everything out for you.

• Who are you? What is your business? Why is this valuable to the customer or client?
• Who is your audience or target audience? – what person would use your service or product and why?
• Who is your competition? Why are you better to use than them?
• What kind of marketing do you want to do or think is the most effective when thinking about your target audience?
• Overall goals – main goal and then broken up into different goals

Remember to keep track of everything – you want to know how many followers you start with, how many jobs you get or things you sell to make sure you’re moving up and not down. If you are moving up, keep up the good work! If down, re-evaluate your marketing and do something else that works.

Tips for a Marketing Plan

These tips can help you create the best marketing plan and also make sure that you have actionable, attainable goals that you are able to reach when considering your marketing efforts.

• Use the SMART method (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Based)
• Set up a strategy to reach the marketing goal you set up whether you are going to send out 10 letters a day or 20 emails to get 2 new clients, do it!
• Assess your resources. Are you using qualified people to help? Do you have a budget to do something bigger? Something better?
• Always establish time frames and stick with them. Know what you want to accomplish and when.
• Remember! Try everything! You never know what might work and what might not!

When putting together a marketing plan, create goals that are easily attainable and something that can help you grow. Even if your business is growing slowly, it is still growing! Of course, if you need help, make sure to contact me today and I’d be more than happy to help with marketing plans and making them actionable!

If you missed out on the video where I talked about what the marketing plan was and what it does, check it out here on Facebook!

Make sure to CLICK HERE for your FREE Marketing Plan Template!

The post Creating a Marketing Plan: Tips for Small Businesses & FREE Plan! appeared first on Web Design & Marketing Services.

Here are five time management tips that can help you put that free back into freelancer.

Limit your Information Intake

Information can come in multiple forms.  At times it can be frivolous – such as browsing Reddit or Hacker News. Other times it may appear to be important, in the form of a meeting or a conference call.  The fact still remains that it is almost always impossible to multitask.  Sometimes you will just need to inform your clients that you cannot complete the task that needs to be completed ASAP if you are on a call with them.  Not all information is bad, but going on a diet is not a bad idea either; when it is time to focus in order to get things done.

Eliminating Distractions

Skype, IM, Email, Twitter.  All of these social media applications are killers of your productivity and will cause you to lose your focus as well as time.  By limiting your email checking to once maybe twice a day will increase the time that you have to accomplish things that need to get done.  This will also let your clients know that not everything in their life is an urgent situation and worthy of an instant response from you.

Working in Short Burst

Work in a span of twenty-five minutes (and do nothing else but work) take a break for five minutes.  Stretch out your legs, make your favorite cup of tea, stare out the window, do anything except think about work.  This will allow time to detach from your work, and you will be able to turn off or on your working mind.

Practicing the Word “NO”

Essentially people want to be able to please other people.  But, we also should not do this by sacrificing our very own happiness in the process.  Typically things that may need to be accomplished right away can actually wait a little bit.  Many freelancers tend to take time away from their own free time in order to satisfy a client.  They sacrifice time with their own family and friends so that others can spend time with their family and friends.  So, learn to say NO, people tend to respect those who will not answer “how high” when they are asked to jump.

Treating Freelancing as a Normal Job

This may actually sound just a little bit crazy.  But, treat it as a normal regular nine-to-five job.  Too, many freelancers will work from home and at all hours of the day as well as well into the night.  This actually makes their home life and family suffer more than if they worked out of the home.  So set up a work schedule and stick to it.  When it is family time make sure to spend that time with your family, not answering emails or writing. This can bring a bit more time management to the table and keep you organized at the same time.

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