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Up Your Marketing Game In 2011
The new year is upon us, and while the new year promises many new opportunities, they won't magically appear without a game plan. Setting New Year's resolutions is old fashion, and we all know they are most often broken. This year, set goals in the form of a marketing calendar. By setting a year full of achievable goals, you'll set yourself up for success and create a game plan for 2011 to market your business.
Of course, everyone's marketing calendar will be different, but I've laid out some ideas you can incorporate into your marketing strategy to get you started.
1) January - Plan a marketing campaign calendar for 2011. Plan ahead to take advantage of seasonal events with promotions and leaves room to learn at least one new thing each month.
2) February - Share the love with your clients. The season of love is the perfect time to integrate or upgrade your referral program to ensure clients feel valued.
3) March - Sign up for my newsletter/RSS feed. I admit this seems a little self-motivated,mbt sale discount, but the key to being a successful marketer is to stay on your toes, and by receiving regular marketing information you create a reminder to stay on top of things. It also creates an atmosphere for you to continue learning each month without overwhelming yourself with too much information at one time. Plus the while reason I write my newsletter and post articles is to help stylists like you learn to market your businesses. So if you haven't already, sign up. (See that box at the top of the right column, that's where you can sign up for my newsletter. Above that look for the RRS icon to grab my feed. )
4) April - If you haven't launched your business's Facebook page yet, times a wasting. Everyday Facebook becomes more and more popular and more and more important as a marketing strategy. As previously mentioned, the stylist's business lends itself perfectly to a Facebook strategy since our business is, after all, based on relationships.
5) May - Stock up on summer reading. If you don't already have a copy of my book The 6 Figure Stylist, get it. As before, I know this seems self serving, but I wrote it to help you create the kind of income you have always dreamed of from your favorite job.
6) June - As you head into the dog-days of summer, be a resource for your clients and potential clients. The summer is brutal on everyone's 'do, so use your Facebook page to publish tips about how to protect your hair from the summer sun and pool's harsh chemicals.
7) July - Celebrate Christmas in July and use this opportunity to reach out to your clients and thank them for their patronage. Everyone expects cards in December, but sending cards in July is so unexpected that you will really stand out in the crowd.
8) August - As parents start to think about sending the kiddos back to school, it is the perfect time for you to remind them about a new look for fall. It's also a great time to run promo specials on kids' cuts. What about steeply discounted kids' cuts when mom/dad gets their hair done too?
9) September - By now you have mastered Facebook. It is time to tackle a new project, how about Twitter? For some reason, Twitter seems overwhelming, but once you get started you'll see that it is very basic and lots of fun. Head over to Twitter to get started. Once you get the conversation rolling, you'll be hooked. And better yet, your clients will be hooked on you.
10) October - BOO! Don't underestimate the number of people who need a special look for October 31. Use the holiday to your advantage and market yourself accordingly.
11) November -Before the holiday rush sets in, set aside some time to take stock of what worked and what didn't work in your marketing plan for 2011. This will help you be ready to prepare for 2012, and it might point out something that is lacking for the holiday push. If you never analyze what you have done, you'll never see how to improve, so take a moment to reflect so you can adjust accordingly.
12) December - Remember the "dead zone. " If you plan correctly, you'll have people begging for an appointment during the week between Christmas and New Years, which will set you up for a great 2012.
Have a happy and prosperous new year!
Copyright (c) 2010 Tarsha Beavers.