So, it’s mid-January already!  Yes, those first couple of weeks since the toast of the New Year are gone.  All those ideas of implementing a host of marketing tools, techniques and tasks . . . well, they are still sitting in your idea bin.  Runnin’ behind already?

You need a marketing calendar to guide you.  John Jantsch makes a case for marketing by a calendar as well, and you can also view how John manages his social media system on a calendar (this is an extremely practical way of doing it!)

Have you heard this cliches?

• “MORE MONTH THAN MONEY” – don’t wait until the end of the week to see what time you have left for marketing.  Just like giving to your charity or church, you need to intentionally set aside your weekly offering and give first.  If you hum-hah around and wait until Friday lunch to see what you can accomplish in your marketing, the 5:00 bell will be calling for the start of your weekend before you’ve done one thing.
• “GIVE TO YOURSELF FIRST” – every financial planner will tell you to give to yourself first.  Set aside money in savings, or pay your salary first, so that you have it to give to others.  So while this principle is about money, do the same thing with your marketing time.  Make specific marketing projects a priority, even before typical time-consuming things like responding to emails, checking Facebook, or making sales calls.
• “MAKE AN APPOINTMENT” – just like some of you demand your customers to do, your marketing needs to be set up on a systematic approach that is given a specific time/day to accomplish it.  Just like you would honor a customer’s appointment time, when that alarm goes off, push everything else aside and do whatever marketing task is demanding your time that hour.

So use a large over-sized wall calendar, create a digital calendar with Excel or Google Calendar, or make your own calendar (here’s a good sample from a fellow Duct Tape Marketing Coach, Bill Belsford – also I found this sample calendar from a real estate agent).  Whatever system works best for you and your team, just create something that identifies specific times of each day/week to accomplish certain tasks and then stick with it!  You need the accountability!

Speaking of accountability, our Marketing Strength Training offers just that for anyone looking for a low-cost way of getting fed consistent marketing strategy, with a host of practical tools and links to resources articles on a timely topic.  In the past couple of months alone, we have covered topics like email marketing, differentiation, capturing customer testimonials, and how to have an integrated social media strategy.  Why not join now for only $8!