Building effective marketing plans

When it comes to marketing and outreach, there is always a seemingly endless list of tasks to get through. Project managing and organizing those efforts can often fall down the priority list, prompting things to slip through the cracks. However, spending too much time setting processes prevents you from actually getting things done. But keeping yourself organized when it comes to marketing efforts can ensure that you and your team don’t miss some critical opportunities to reach out and engage with your audiences.

This week, I want to help you develop effective and organized marketing and outreach plans. My goal is to provide you with a useful template that will help you efficiently organize your efforts, track your progress and not miss all the important details while providing transparency to your organization.

So, where do we start? First, I’d encourage you to review your current process. If you have go-to Word docs, Excel templates, project management tools or to-do lists, determine whether they still serve you. No matter where you are at, I hope this exercise and template will help you improve your process.

BUILD YOUR MARKETING AND OUTREACH PLAN

I’ve been using a version of this template for years and continue to update and iterate it based on the project. This is a great to-do list for folks like me who work in small teams, need to get things done fast and keep all the essential information in one spot.  Download the marketing and outreach template here. 

Here is where to start:

• Gather key project details
  • Make sure your project/initiative/event title is short, descriptive and SEO-friendly. Note timelines, key dates, capacity, location, price, etc.
  • Create the necessary tracking links for newsletters, social media, website banners, partner outreach, etc.
• Set your marketing goals
  • What is the primary goal? (Ex. awareness, registration, subscriptions, etc.) How are you tracking that goal?
  • What is your target audience? Are there any ‘unaware’ communities you hope to reach? 
• Craft marketing copy and visuals 
  • Write engaging, succinct copy to explain what you are offering. Emphasize the value that audiences are getting. Depending on the platform, a one-sentence description can also be beneficial. Add bullet points when needed to make it easier to digest.
  • Don’t forget about visuals like featured images, social cards, printed materials, QR codes, etc.
• Keep in mind partner/sponsor/funder needs
  • Request all needed assets (logo, preferred social handles, taglines, etc.) and allow time for approvals if required.
• Use your channels
  • What owned channels do you plan to promote this in? How often? Consider social media, newsletters, websites, easy-to-find landing pages that provide clear information, pop-up banners, apps, etc.
• Do the outreach
  • Draft marketing emails that you can easily adjust based on recipients. Reach out to relevant community organizations, leaders and influencers for amplification. Be creative! Can you share your event with online community groups, Facebook groups, Slack channels, or community boards? Are there any physical places that you can go to?
• Consider paid promos
  • If you have a budget for paid promotions, consider which platforms are best for your efforts. Think of goals and timelines.
• Allocate time to strategize
  • Consider where this initiative falls in the audience journey. How do you want to continue engaging with these new audiences?
  • How do you plan on gathering feedback for your initiative?
  • Review analytics and set a post-mortem. Did you meet your marketing goals? Review which marketing channels worked and which didn’t. Share those insights.