What do they all have in common? They all summon up the sentiment of the infamous Marmite slogan – “You either love it or hate it.”
Christmas: the time for celebrating with family, for big meals, long walks, presents, laughter…or family rows, indigestion, rain, unwanted gifts and tantrums. A “good” Christmas can be fantastic, however a “bad” one can put people off the whole thing for years.
In the same way – good marketing is a thing of beauty, it is elegant and balanced and it gives great results, while bad marketing – poorly planned and executed can lead to dissatisfaction and the feeling the money could have been better spent elsewhere. The Christmas equivalent to opening the January credit card bill and thinking – “I spent that much on that one dismal day?”
However help is at hand.
• Don’t ignore it – neither Christmas nor your marketing will go away.
• Decide on a budget – if you are not keen on either fix on a feasible budget and stick to it.
• Decide on the scope of your project – full blown family Christmas with 20 people, or an extensive social media campaign – pick something you can feel you can manage.
• Make a plan – planning will make you feel more in control – even a simple plan like a monthly newsletter (marketing) or going to the pub (Christmas)
• Record your plan – we use Basecamp – a brilliant online project management tool (marketing) a pen and paper also works well (Christmas)
• Execute your plan – make sure all the jobs have a to-do date and stick to it.
• Enjoy – you created it – your newsletter, your turkey
• Analyse – keep track of your increased sales (marketing) peace of mind (Christmas)
• Reward – you did it! Well done! Only 364 days till next Christmas!
Happy Marketing!
Lizzie