I’m a fan of simplicity.  To me, the best marketing strategy is one that can fit onto one page. A one-pager is easy to reference day-to-day while you’re running your business. I created this video to show my 5 steps to a concise, simple one-page marketing plan – I hope you find it helpful!

Prefer to read the blog?  Here you go!

Step 1:  Who are you?

Your brand is the personality of your business.  It tells your customers what you do and why you do it.  

Do you have a clear vision of your brand?  Do you know the unique value you provide?

Before you can market, you need to understand your brand.  Think about the fundamental / core attributes of the work you do: Your vision, mission, values and purpose.

This will help to define your unique voice and your visual identity.

Step 2:  Who are your ideal customers?

This is almost more important than understanding your own brand.

At the heart, marketing is about connecting with your customers and showing them how you can solve their problem. Marketing is pointless if you don’t know who your ideal customer is.

Who are your existing customers?  Who is your ideal customer? What qualities do your existing and ideal customers have in common? How are they different?  Is what you offer really aligning with your existing customers needs?

Step 3:  What are their pain-points?

Pain-points are problems that your potential clients need help with or challenges they face.  Know and understand these pain-points. This will inform your service offerings as well as your marketing plan.

Are they trying to become more environmentally sustainable but don’t know how?  Do they need more customers through their door? Are they stuck on increasing awareness of their products?

Your focus is on your customer.  Not solely on what YOU have to sell THEM. What answers do you provide to solve the problems they are facing?

Step 4:  What are your key messages?

You know your brand. You know your ideal customer persona. You know the problems you can solve for them.

Now you can craft your key messages that will connect you with the right clients.

A key message is the essence of what you want your marketing to communicate.   It communicates your brand’s values and attributes. It also should explain how you can solve their problem in a succinct way.   

Two or three key messages is a great start.  Think about how you help your existing clients.  Go through reviews or testimonials you received.

Remember you’re not trying to be everything to everyone!  You are building trust and connection first.

Step 5:  How to communicate the message?

The previous steps combine to create the foundation of your marketing plan. Step 5 is figuring out how you want to share your message.  And it will lead you to more concrete marketing efforts. 

Ask yourself the following questions. And remember, keep a simple and high level view!  Nitty gritty details come later.

What format will your message take? Online or offline? Blogging or podcasting?  Email marketing or social media? Networking or speaking engagements? Conferences or consultations? 

Think about where your ideal customer is hanging out and how to reach them. 

Also consider how much time and effort are you able to allocate every week toward marketing your business?  Is support an option? What are you comfortable with doing on an ongoing basis?

And finally, what are the ways in which you can provide your ideal customer valuable content that they really find helpful?

Commit the plan to the page

While there are so many more steps that I could tie into this exercise, this will help to form the basis of what becomes a more comprehensive plan that you can review, revise and build on.  

Consistency, Connection, Clients.