The Squirrel has set the challenge again!
Whilst drinking a cup of coffee at the weekend, I was watching a squirrel bury hazel nuts in my lawn and flower beds. Very cute to watch, but as I have to spend every year digging up numerous sprouting hazelnut trees, I know that I have been set another challenge!
However, it got me thinking and you have to be impressed with his strategy and planning. Without his planning for the months to come he may not survive, and the same can be said of any business if you do not let your potential customer know you are out there.
To succeed you must plan ahead, and marketing is one of the survival tools required to do this.
But before you start remember…
- Not all marketing will have immediate results, the aim is to drip feed and keep front of mind….
- You need to be creative but do not ever lie!
- You need a clear strategy – that ties in with your business plan
- You need an action plan to work to and to keep you on track
So, like the squirrel, start to plan for your future and create a simple strategy, but remember to be honest with yourself whilst doing this. In the same way the squirrel has to know where to find his hoard, you need to accurately target your potential customer to engage them too. You must identify your key target audience and the best ways to capture their attention and only then can you create your action plan - your step by step to do list to make it happen.
You may plan ahead for six months, or for a year, but either way your ideas need planning and targeting for the best cost effective rewards to be reaped.
My plump squirrel does not always find all of his hidden hoards, but looking at it in marketing terms, his planning has got him noticed. I remember him again and again and again as I pull up shooting trees and buried nuts all summer – unwittingly he has set a drip feed campaign that evokes a response.
Evaluation is also part of the key to success and each of your activities should be assessed as you complete them. You are then able to see what has or has not worked and you can adjust your plans accordingly to maximise your new knowledge. My squirrel, well, he finds new hiding places each year – my strawberry pot this year! – so perhaps he too evaluates each hiding place – who knows…….
So are you looking to work smarter with your planning and marketing and need some help to get started? You may need a full marketing service or just someone to fill in the gaps that you cannot do yourself, I am happy to help.
With over 25 years’ experience in Marketing, Events and Public Relations, JoyStars provide a friendly, highly professional and rigorously fair service, optimising creative, strategic and cost effective marketing to achieve your goals, meet your deadlines and strengthen your company brand.
Check out the website www.joystars.co.uk to explore what areas of experience we could bring to your team and if you would like to investigate further, email Heather Joy on heather@joystars.co.uk or call on 01403 790146.