It’s an old adage, but true nonetheless:

“Plan your work and then work your plan.”

Applied to a company’s digital marketing efforts as well as the traditional advertising in which they may invest, the strategic plan is critical. Gone are the days when a quick newspaper ad is all a merchant needed to let people know about a big sale or when a simple postcard could be mailed and put up on the fridge to hold top-of-mind awareness.

Small business owners (SBO) have so many options today but I don’t know that it’s necessarily helpful. The market is fragmented and all those options were developed to target different parts of our segmented market. Or, would you argue that the many options have served to fragment the market? It’s kind of a chicken or the egg situation.

A plan is necessary and the illustration below is just the plan you’ve been looking for! No, really…it is! I’ll be posting a brief blog post on each spoke of the wheel, but not until I’ve addressed the hub. Take a look.

The company blog is the center of attention and all the other platforms being used serve the blog either by sending information out from it or directing customers in to it. It is as simple as that.

Keep in mind, I said simple, not easy – there is a difference. Follow the series of posts to this blog about the wheel above and it’s parts, but for now, you’ve got the plan. We’ll fine tune it and then begin to work the plan.

“Strategic Planning” a short series you can follow to better get your head around social media for a small business owner (SBO):

 

1. Strategic Planning
2. 7 Reasons to Maintain a Company Blog
3. Social Media is Massive (Part 1)
4. Social Media is Massive (Part 2)
5. Social Media is Massive (Part 3)
6. Going Traditional
7. Bringing it all Together (The Blog)
8. Bringing it all Together (The Networks) Part 1
9. Bringing it all Together (The Networks) Part 2