Planning your 2009 Marketing

I read a comment on Linkedin tonight from someone who thought that when times were tough, the place to cut back was in the marketing department.

What was he thinking?

Without marketing there are no new customers, and without new customers, business dries up. It's true that past and present customers are vital to success, but you can't depend upon them for your entire business.

The tougher the marketplace becomes, the more important marketing becomes. Those who stop are signing up for "failure on autopilot."

So... since marketing is so vital, and since so many small business owners push it over in the corner for attention "when they have time," I created a marketing pre-planner to help speed things up a bit.

You'll still have to sit down and do it, but hopefully it will help you focus and cause you to actually get your marketing plan for 2009 written.

Why should you? Because a written plan, with dates and deadlines, will keep you on track. It will save you money and produce better marketing materials - if you stick to it. It won't help at all if you put an entry in your planner for Feb. 5 that says "Get ads ready for Feb. 10 deadline" and you ignore it until the morning of Feb. 10.

Anyway, the pre-planner is yours for the asking. Just send a blank email to marketingpreplan@getresponse.com

And no, I'm not collecting names to sell, share, trade, or give away. I think that's not nice.

Go get your pre-planner and have your marketing plan written by January 1. You won't be sorry!