Wondering how to write a marketing plan, but have no idea where to start? Are you looking to figure out how long it will actually take to get a marketing plan up and running for your interior design or home industry business? And what should you actually focus on, anyway?
A successful marketing plan doesn’t need to take a long time to put together, but it does need to be strategic. To set yourself up for success, take yourself through these four steps and demystify how to write a marketing plan.
Step 1: Determine your goals
We often look to what other firms or service providers in our industry are doing as a way to determine our next move. “What are my competitors posting on Instagram, and should I do the same?” is a thought that has run through just about every business owner’s brain at some point.
The challenge with this approach is that it can feel reactive and disempowering. Instead, start your marketing plan by defining objectives and goals that will move the needle in your unique business.
Maybe you want to expand your brand’s followership and reach a new audience. Or perhaps your #1 priority is to attract more inquiries, sales, and clients from your existing audience. Both goals are great; it simply depends on where you want to focus your time and effort.
A good rule of thumb is to be able to describe your goal in one or two sentences. Here are a few examples:
- “We want to increase our social media following by 10% in the next 90 days.”
- “We want to increase *engagement* on our social media channels by 10% in the next 90 days.”
- “We want to increase new website traffic by 25% in the next 90 days.”
- “We want to double the number of inquiries for our business in the next 90 days.”
These are all valid goals and objectives. The key is to determine which goals make the most sense for your firm for where you are right now.
Step 2: Identify your audience
Now that you know what you want to accomplish… who exactly do you want to reach? What do these customers think about and look for when it comes to design? What do they deal with in their day-to-day lives, and why will working with you, in particular, help them?
The reason we do this type of research is to ensure the marketing strategy you create will draw in ideal clients. Rather than be wildly popular to everyone but never make any sales, most business owners would rather zero in on the audience that’s most likely to buy from them and go from there. When you identify your audience, this process goes much more quickly.
Your audience identification should not only focus on the type of audience you want to reach, but where they are in the buying process. For example, some visitors to your website or social media may already know they’re ready to work with you, whereas others are still sorting out what decor, finishes, or furnishings they actually like. Educating your audience on the exact styles you work in, scope of services you can offer them, and the unique value you bring to their life will help them make decisions about what they are truly looking for in a design partner.
Step 3: Know your platforms
Now that you have a sense of what your goals are and who you’re looking to get in front of, you’ll have a better idea of which platforms and online efforts will best serve those goals. Instead of trying to be everywhere all the time, zero in on the few marketing platforms that will give you the best return on your efforts. This is especially true if you are a solopreneur or working with a small team and have limited time to spend on implementing your digital marketing plan.
For most design professionals, the best platforms are ones in which you can show off the terrific visual work you do. These are usually Instagram, Pinterest, your website’s blog, and your email list. Focus on platforms in which you can showcase your best work and ignore the rest.
Step 4: Stay in the know on strategy
One of the challenges of digital marketing is that platforms are constantly changing and adding new features. By staying on top of these updates, you’ll know what sort of promotional material you should create to be easier to find on a platform.
This can be time-consuming; part of what you pay for when you bring in a strategist or marketing team is industry knowledge that is current and relevant. If you’re trying to use strategies or approaches that are more than a few years old, there’s a good chance they may be out-of-date or just plain wrong.
Look for ways to stay in the loop on new updates and features for your tried-and-true platforms. For example, Planoly, a tool for scheduling Instagram posts and stories, has a great blog that covers new features and updates both for the platform itself and for their scheduling software. Keep yourself in the know – or hire someone to do it for you.
Marketing strategy doesn’t have to take days or weeks to put together. In fact, when you know what tweaks will move the needle for your business, an effective action plan can hit the ground running in minutes flat.
Look for an industry partner that can help you diagnose the obstacles and challenges in your business and you’ll soon find yourself heading in the right direction.
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