Creating a Strategic Marketing Plan in 3 Simple Steps

Marketing doesn’t need to be complicated ; it can be a clear path leading straight to success if you know which turns to take. 

And It all starts with laying down a strategic plan—a blueprint guiding every other action you take in your quest for market dominance. But before diving headfirst into planning mode, it’s crucial to understand where most entrepreneurs stumble—it’s usually not due to lack of effort but rather due to a lack of clear direction, which can lead to wasted effort and missed opportunities.

This guide offers a solution with insights from Kristi Mitchell, a marketing mentor & consultant at Marketing Uncomplicated by Kristi Mitchell where she reveals the simplicity behind creating a strategic marketing plan in just three straightforward steps drawing on her expertise showcased on Kalicube Tuesdays with Jason Barnard.

What Are The Three Simple Steps for Creating a Strategic Marketing Plan?

Let’s start with step 1. 

Step One: Attract

The journey begins at the top of the funnel where attraction is key. 

This step involves getting out in front of people and making them aware of your brand or business and saying, we’re here and here’s our solution.

How do people discover you?

“By being present where your audience naturally hangs-out, whether it’s LinkedIn posts or real-life networking like my experience at Podfest in Orlando—where I interacted with around 200 people—the goal is to get their attention by showcasing solutions in their preferred spaces.”

Jason Barnard, CEO and founder of Kalicube

Note: This stage is all about making a great first impression. It’s crucial at this stage that businesses make themselves known through strategic positioning across different platforms where their target audience hangs out. 

Once you’ve attracted an audience, what’s next? 

Step Two: Convert

Once attention has been grabbed successfully through attraction efforts comes conversion.

In the convert stage, the goal is to bring people into your world, build the know, like and trust factor and convert them into leads. 

This can be accomplished through getting people on your email lists or lead magnets such as webinars, master classes or downloadable resources which require visitors to provide their contact information. 

Here are some strategies to make conversion happen:

1. Brand Yourself Effectively: Create content that brands you so well that people search for your name or associated brand elements like books or podcasts, signaling relevance to Google.
2. Quality Backlinks: Ensure that when your name or brand is searched, there are quality links pointing back to your website to boost visibility on search engines.
3. Connect Across Platforms: After meeting people, connect with them on various platforms such as LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and Facebook. Ask for their preferred communication channel for personalized connections.
4. Organize Networking Events: Host events like online Zoom meetups after conferences to reconnect with attendees and expand networks by meeting new contacts.
5. Promote Valuable Resources: Regularly share resources like white papers across social media and during presentations to attract potential conversions.
6. Use Pop-Ups Tactfully: Incorporate pop-ups on websites strategically—after visitors have engaged with content—to capture attention without being intrusive.
7. Build an Email List: Develop an email list which is a valuable asset you own outright for direct communication with your audience without depending on algorithms.
8. Engage Through Newsletters: Keep engaging your audience through newsletters and updates about new offerings or content.

And for the convert phase, it really is for you. Getting people on the newsletter. The newsletter is the key. Better than any other.

Jason Barnard, CEO and founder of Kalicube

Kristi Mitchell points out that while attracting people is crucial, converting them into leads is where the real magic happens. 

By offering valuable resources and engaging experiences that registration or sign-up forms filled out willingly by participants—you build a database of leads who recognize you as trustworthy and are more likely to become dedicated customers over time.

Step Three: Nurture 

The nurture stage is a critical and final phase where businesses cultivate relationships with potential customers. This stage involves staying in touch with your audience through strategic use of social media and email marketing. 

Strategies for cultivating lasting relationships are the following:

1. Leverage email marketing as a powerful tool for keeping your brand at the forefront of your audience’s minds. Email campaigns are not just about bombarding subscribers with promotions; they’re an opportunity to establish yourself as a thought leader by providing valuable content that addresses their problems. When you consistently deliver solutions, you become the go-to expert they’ll remember when it’s time to make a purchase.
2. LinkedIn newsletters in nurturing leads. Despite the extra effort required to manage another newsletter platform, it can lead to increased followers and better engagement on LinkedIn.
3. Ensure clear communication about your intentions in each interaction—whether selling resources or inviting prospects for a call—every message should be purposeful and directed towards building trust.
4. Building trust also means letting people into your world; sharing stories of client successes, insights into how you started your business, or simply fun facts about your team can all contribute to forming genuine connections.

By focusing on nurturing strategies that foster trust through engaging content via social media or personalized email sequences, businesses can ensure they’re not just capturing leads but also cultivating lasting relationships that could lead to future growth.

Why Include Branded Search in Your Marketing Strategy?

Branded search should be considered a crucial piece of your marketing puzzle. It’s essential to ensure that when people are searching for your brand or the services associated with it, they can find you easily. This means incorporating tactics into your strategic plan that will attract your ideal audience and convert them into clients. Branded search is an effective tool to achieve this because it targets individuals who are already interested in what you offer and are likely closer to making a purchase decision.

Visibility is key – and Kalicube does the job for you.

At Kalicube, we empower brands to dominate their Brand SERP (what appears on Google when someone searches your brand name), ensuring every search becomes an opportunity to connect with qualified leads.

Our Brand SERP Optimization Services ensure maximum visibility and a positive first impression when users search for your brand. Book a call to make sure you are seen by your potential customers. 

Interested in joining our journey as we fly towards the future? Sign up for our Kalicube newsletter to stay up to date with the latest developments in digital marketing.