I admit that I used to be a person who cringed every time I heard the word Marketing – The idea of putting my Self out there, showing up and doing sales felt uncomfortable for many reasons. However, I soon learned that this is part of a Self-growth process… for getting out of my comfort zone to offer my service to the world.

Keeping things simple and having weekly routines that get results – In doing this, we can create a schedule and flow that we feel comfortable with. We can keep our energy focused and our connection to our audience clear. We can plan our time to do things that we love because we are working smarter.

Sustainable and profitable results take time – I see it everywhere… The Earn 6-figures overnight content that many people fall for. Maybe it is possible to get big earnings quickly… But I have also seen how quick gains lead to quick falls because there is no solid foundation in place. If we truly want a healthy business that lasts for years to come, the foundations need to be solid… This is the part that may take the longest to create. Just like building a structure, the foundation takes the longest to build but then the rest of the structure takes quicker to grow once it is in place.

We want to be thinking of how we can create a marketing plan that will be a strong foundation – It may change, expand and evolve in time (just as our business will do), but this method can always be used as a foundation to start from.

I like to go by THE ONE RULE… Create a solid foundation to grow from.

A simple marketing plan:

ONE niche

Who is your ideal client? Good marketing plans are based on knowing who your audience and clients are. These will most probably be people who you already enjoy spending time with and know well. Think of what your ideal client needs, what their lifestyle is, and what they struggle with – Build the picture of what your ideal client does and who they are.

For example: Let’s say that you are a health coach who loves to travel – Your ideal client and niche community might be the people who are health-conscious travellers.

Pick a niche that you love to work with. There is no point choosing to work with a group of people that you don’t… Think of how much energy, time and money you will be investing into your business for them! If you don’t enjoy working with your ideal client, it can start to quickly feel really draining. If you love the people you work with, it can have the complete opposite effect and make you feel more inspired and passionate to continue growing your business.

ONE problem you can solve

What problem does your niche/ideal client want to solve in their life? If you can solve one problem that your ideal client is struggling and working through, what would that be? How can you create a product, service and/or course to directly give them step-by-step solutions? If you can show them that you have a realistic practical solution, this is key.

Think about a problem that you have already solved in your own life. You probably already have the solution to create the product, service and course for them. Don’t forget to do some market research to see what is out there and what others are doing.

Using the previous examples of you being a travel-loving health coach: In the past, you might have had problems staying fit while you were travelling… But now, you have solutions to overcome this problem in your life. Your health-conscious traveller niche would love to know how you can do this. Share it as part of what you offer as you also have experienced this.

ONE organic funnel

One of the most basic and fundamental funnels is our email marketing funnel – Your email list is gold – Think of how many times social media and online platforms have changed over the years. Yet, many of us keep the same email. If you have a strong email community, then no matter what happens on other websites, you will still be able to directly connect with your community. Focus on growing your email list.

Use a free high-value gift to grow your email list – This is something that you can create once and then promote on your online platforms. This free gift will typically be a useful high-quality tool that your niche community will find valuable – Some common examples: A free online 5-day course or webinar, free downloadable materials (like an ebook), and a free journal planner. This is also a great opportunity to introduce your Self and to let them know who you are and what you are all about. In time, you can change it and create more free offerings. Start with one good one first.

What can you create that will invite people to be curious and gain knowledge? Put some love into your free gift and you’ll soon be able to connect and grow your email community. On the way, it is important to engage with your community and gain trust.

People often think that size matters when it comes to this, but I think having an engaged passionate community matters more. Make your free offer irresistible, practical, and realistic to follow and people will notice!

Have an online space to engage with your community – Along with your free gift, you can also invite new subscribers and people who read your content to join a free online community group – This could be a private Facebook group or similar. This way you can take it further and nourish your group with more content that is special for them. This creates more trust and allows people to really see you.

There are plenty of automated email websites that will help you with the practical side of collecting subscribers. Mailchimp is a popular one that integrates with many other websites. There are many more, with different free and paid plans to choose from. Be sure to add your free offer and email subscription form/link to as many places as possible, starting from your main website.

ONE main platform and sustainable content strategy

ONE unique offer

One of the final outcomes is getting your clients to buy your unique offer. Can you create a package for your clients that stands out? If you are a health coach, this could be an online coaching package (individual or group). if you are a yoga teacher, how can you create a course for transformation for your niche? If you are a therapist, what area will excite you and your clients to work together?

This is when it is important to really know what your niche wants. If you are launching a new offer, you need to also be sure that what you are launching is what your community wants. You can gather ideas and information by asking your email list and online community about their thoughts – Through fun surveys or by asking reflection questions etc. There is no point working on and offering an offer that your niche is not interested in. This may take time but this is an important part of doing some more market research on your niche, the pricing and all the details involved.

If you launch something new, start to promote it 3 months in advance. When you have decided on what you are offering, you can build momentum with your niche audience by promoting a launch date to begin. As a general rule, start promoting your course, product, or service at least 3 months in advance. You can use your email mailing list as a way to get new subscribers when you promote this and to keep them updated on how to get involved and buy your unique offer.

Your confidence in your offer matters. I have worked with many experienced people in the health and wellness field that literally have years of experience and education to go by – But they deeply struggle with their income. I have also met people who have just completed their training in their field and launched their businesses straight away which grew into a full-time income. The difference between them – The belief and acknowledgement of their worth. Believe in your Self and what you offer!

✅ CHECKLIST

So now that we have gone through the details, here is the simplified checklist for how to create a simple marketing plan. I always recommend writing this down in your business journal as a reference to return to every time.

Does this look like a lot of work? So is this really simple then? Yes and Yes… I say this because it does take time (in the beginning) to invest in getting these steps in order and correct. Once you have this in place and have a regular weekly routine, it becomes so much easier because the harder work is done. As you grow in your business, you may return back to this and make changes or add anything at any time.

You can start TODAY!

As a way of starting today, you can start a new content planner now and set it up for the next 3 months ahead. Your aim could be to get most of these systems in place and start promoting your Self to the world! We have a free content planner that you can download. Enjoy!