Strategic Success/Publicity planning: Before it gets too late, do this
Monique explains the power of publicity
September is probably one of the most important months of the year for business owners in my opinion. That’s because I learned many years ago when I worked for a small PR firm that THIS is the month that small businesses need to set aside at least ONE day to do strategic planning.
That should include answering the following basic questions:
- What were my revenues last year and how can I increase them by ____%?
- Who were my best clients and how can I get more of them?
- In what areas does my company show the most productivity/profitability?
- What do I love about my business and how can I do more of that?
- What do I hate about my business and how can I eliminate or delegate that?
When I did publicity for clients on a regular basis, we would always take time to map out their plan for the upcoming year in September. September is key because once October hits, the holidays are right around the corner. At that point, there’s little time left for strategic planning. Then before you know it it’s the first of the year and you are left without a plan. Not a good feeling.
This is why I lovingly command you to get those plans done NOW! 
In order to ensure your success, marketing MUST become a part of your DAILY routine. EVERYDAY, you should be doing things to make people aware of who you are and what you do. ..yes, I said EVERYDAY. (Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post on that…)
At my recent media, marketing and publicity workshop for entrepreneurs, I shared my signature blueprint on how to get consistent publicity and how to stay in front of your target market.
My next entrepreneurs workshop isn’t until March of 2012 but you can grab my e-Book right now to help you start getting media immediately. In the meantime, start your marketing planning by answering these simple questions:
get uncomfortable
- What are 3 things I can do to step outside my comfort zone and expand my sphere of influence?
- Who is my ideal client?
- Am I speaking to them now through branding and messaging?
- Where do they get their information from?
- How can I leverage social media tools like Twitter, Facebook and Linked in to start reaching them regularly?
- How can I position myself as an expert and pitch myself to the media by tying in to a story currently in the news?
These are just a few of the questions you should be able to answer as you set up your publicity and marketing strategy.
The bottom line is this: If you create a simple plan and stick to it, you can succeed no matter what your goal is. However, you must make sure that marketing and publicity are at the top of your list!!!
Sadly, most companies cut their marketing and publicity budgets when times get tough. Don’t make that mistake!! This is the time to ramp up your marketing and carve out your territory in the media marketplace!
As I mentioned earlier, my next entrepreneurs workshop isn’t until March of 2012 but you can grab my e-Book right now to help you get your media plan in place so that next year will be YOUR year!
