The Marketing Plan Cheat-Sheet

Here is a New Resource for Battlefield Operators: The Marketing Plan Cheat Sheet

Today's Battlefield Business Operators have more marketing options than ever before. Marketing strategies like pay-per-click, and Search Engine Optimization, from traditional advertising like direct mail, radio and TV and print to digital marketing like social media and email marketing. Sometimes it can all seem a bit overwhelming!   

Here is a great little marketing plan cheat-sheet to get 2020 off with a bang! 

Consistency is an important element of a successful marketing plan.

Did you know that according to the Small Business Marketing Trends Report from LeadPages have found that 21% of small business owners don't store contact information anywhere? Keeping your customer list is a valuable asset for your battlefield business. Battlefield Sports offers its clients free software called “Battlefield HQ” which you can store your customers’ details and record their bookings. At least that’s sorted!

So what will a successful Battlefield Business's marketing plan look like this year? 

The start your new year is a great time to take a look at what you did last year and what you'd like to improve on for this year. 

Why you need a Marketing Plan Cheat Sheet?

Sometimes good intentions are not enough. You might have a new year's resolution of creating a fantastic marketing plan for this calendar year. 
Also too, most Battlefield Operators do not have a marketing team working in concert, unlike big brand companies you might not have a team of in-house experts keen to help. 

Sometimes being an entrepreneur can be a bit lonely. You might have to handle the marketing decisions on your own. 

So that is why the team from Battlefield Sports has created this Marketing Cheat Sheet for you. 

You need a plan to stay on-message, stay focused, stay motivated, and above all stay accountable. Sometimes it is difficult to track your marketing return on investment. 

But business realities can sometimes get in the way. 

So here is a simple Marketing Plan Cheat Sheet to help you plan a whole year’s worth of marketing in just minutes.

This Year's Marketing Opportunities

Open a blank spreadsheet and then create a summary tab and then one tab for each month of the year. 

Then type in the important holidays and special events for your business each month. Select one per month to focus on. Or if that is too much, choose one every second month. 

If you have a blog that is integrated with your website or if you have social media brand presence, such as Facebook, then you can write up a blog post or social media post about which relate to each of these things and then you can schedule or set the date for when these posts will publish. 

For example, you could write up a paragraph or two about Chinese New Year with an associated image and then set for that post to publish in late January/early February depending on when Chinese New Year falls. 

Combine these monthly specials with traditional advertising campaigns like radio, TV or direct mail. 

The reason why you want to focus on special events throughout the year is to give your customers a reason to book. Most groups to get people motivated need 3 elements:
1.    A reason or special occasion
2.    An Organizer & 
3.    A Deadline. 

So a Marketing Cheat Sheet is a great way to generate ideas regarding “deadlines” and “special occasions” or simply excuses to come and play Battlefield LIVE. 

Download the Cheat Sheet to get your imagination soaring and your creative juices flowing. 
You can use this cheat-sheet to get your plan kick-started. 

Consider what important in your local market and adjust accordingly. For example, some countries celebrate Father Day on a different date to that which is celebrated in other countries. 

How to use your Marketing Plan Cheat Sheet

The first page of the Marketing Cheat Sheet is the summary tab. This links through to all 12 months of the year.

Read through the important dates and holidays for your battlefield business to give yourself a big-picture view of the year ahead.

Many battlefield businesses are seasonal, so consider if you would like to throw a sale during your slow season. 

Think about if you would like to create a special promotion to boost your business during the holiday season? 

Fill in those important dates now.

Consider if there are any holidays on this list that would be a good fit for your battlefield business?
If you publish a monthly newsletter, plan to communicate with your subscribers regarding these highlights.

What comes next?

Now that you know your focus for each month, you will want to track how much you spend on marketing & advertising each month. Ideally, you will keep your budget to 15% or less of your overall turnover.