I mean, really, creating a traditional marketing plan is about as exciting as picking lint off of a sweater. Hardly the stuff to feed and nourish inspiration!
Plus, for the soul-inspired woman entrepreneur, a traditional marketing plan fails to capture the heart and spirit of our dreams and ambitions.
So I've created an alternative marketing plan that skillfully weaves together marketing must-haves with what matters most to furthering our Soul's Divine Mission.
Here are five key elements you can use to create your own Marketing Soul Plan for 2008 and make this year, YOUR year!
Marketing Soul Plan Element #1: Clarity
Who are you most attracted to working with who will pay for what you offer? There is no virtue in trying to help women entrepreneurs who don't value what you do. Instead, choose a tribe of women entrepreneurs who are hungry and eager to have their problem solved and are generous in paying for that help.
Marketing Soul Plan Element #2: Money
Who else wants to be a Spiritual Millionaire™? I do, and I am well on my way to achieving that goal with my woman owned business. If you're one of those woman business owners who have been holding back from allowing money to flow abundantly into your business (and hence, your life) then it's time to do some soul-searching to clear out your old money stories.
Yes, it's okay to be spiritual AND rich... so how much do you want to make in 2008? Choose a number to include in your Marketing Soul Plan that is both a stretch and realistic. Write it down, and then decide how much you want to create every 90 days and write those numbers down too. Stay focused on your Marketing Soul Plan numbers as you decide how you spend your time each day.
Marketing Soul Plan Element #3: Boundaries
The road to success isn't paved with good intentions (or affirmations); it's lined with great boundaries that honor you and your Soul's Divine Mission™. What are five boundaries that you've been soft on? Those are costing you big time in lost focus, lost income and a lost sense of your own personal power. List them out in your Marketing Soul Plan along with one small action you, as a woman entrepreneur, are a commitment to taking to clean up each of them.
Marketing Soul Plan Element #4: Perfectionism
Perfectionism is fear in disguise. It's simply a smoke-screen that women entrepreneurs' egos create to keep them playing small or hiding out. Include in your Marketing Soul Plan this statement: "I agree, commit and promise to take action BEFORE I feel ready, BEFORE I feel that I know enough and BEFORE I know how it's all going to turn out!" Then do it and see how much you leapfrog ahead of where you are now.
Marketing Soul Plan Element #5: Receiving
There's no point in practicing gratitude and attraction principles if you aren't also practicing receiving. If you believe that the universe wants to give to your woman owned business then you must be skilled at receiving. So where to practice? How about starting by raising your fees, asking for a referral or even just accepting a compliment with a gracious "Thank you?"
My vision for you is that 2008 is truly YOUR year. Use these simple guidelines to create your own Marketing Soul Plan and it will be!
Simple Plan 2008 Album
October is generally the time I like to get ready for the next year. And in order to plan for 2008, it's imperative to evaluate 2007. Here is the straightforward assessment I use to critique my email marketing campaign for the year. I suggest you apply this evaluation to your own campaign as you put your 2008 email marketing plan together. Simply ask yourself the following questions:
1.What was the overall goal of my email marketing campaign? Was I trying to generate more leads, make more sales, increase brand awareness? What specific numbers was I trying to reach and did I attain the numbers I wanted? (For instance, if your goal was lead generation, exactly how many leads were you aiming for and how many leads did you actually acquire?)
2.If I did not achieve my overall goal, can I pinpoint the trouble areas? Are my open rates below industry standards? Are my clickthroughs lower than expected? What can be done to improve my email messages on an individual basis? (If you don't analyze your email messages on an individual basis, you should definitely plan to do that in 2008.)
3.What techniques did I use to grow my list and which of these techniques were most successful? Which were most time consuming? Which were least effective? Which techniques do I plan to repeat and which will I drop from my repertoire? (Remember the 80/20 rule. Don't waste your time on ineffective list-growth programs.)
4.How have I segmented my list and how have I taken advantage of these individual segments? How can my list be further segmented and what can be done to increase relevance and personalization? (As in-box clutter becomes even more serious, segmentation, relevance and personalization will be keys to effective email campaigns in 2008.)
5.How often did I send useful, content-driven messages? What was my planned publication schedule and was I able to maintain this schedule? Did I send too often? Not often enough? Do I plan to continue this same schedule in 2008?
6.Which of my email campaigns got the best results? Which received the worst results? What can I attribute this to? Subject line? Content? Personalization? How do I plan to improve my results in 2008?
7.What were my delivery rates for 2007? How do these rates compare to industry standards? Where do the problems with my delivery occur? Technical issues? Hard bounces? Soft bounces? Spam rejections? What are my plans for increasing delivery in 2008?
8.Have I maintained CAN-Spam compliance throughout my email marketing program? How do I handle unsubscribe requests? Is my list double opt-in? Do I include my mailing address in all of my messages? Have I ensured my SPF record is up to date? (If you're not familiar with maintaining CAN-Spam compliance, request a copy of my free CAN-Spam checklist.)
By reviewing the best and the worst of your 2007 email marketing program, you'll be better equipped to plan an amazing campaign for 2008.
Both Kendall Summerhawk & Karen Scharf are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Karen Scharf has sinced written about articles on various topics from Strategic Planning, Computers and The Internet and Marketing. Karen Scharf offers several whitepapers, free reports and checklists, including her FREE Can-Spam checklist and FREE email pre-flight checklist to ensure your emails get delivered, get opened and get read. Download your copies at. Karen Scharf's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.
Best Modern Short Stories So go ahead and add a touch of class to your bathroom by adding these bath vanity and contemporary vanity fixtures to your bathroom. Your bathroom will become the talk of town in a day!