A forty-page marketing plan disappears into a drawer. It takes weeks to write and nobody reads it again. After three months you are back to doing what you always did, and the plan knows nothing about it.
A one-page plan on a single sheet of A4 works differently. It hangs next to your screen and you pick it up again every month. In this article you will read which four parts it consists of and how to put it on paper in about an hour.
One goal, in numbers
Start with a single goal. Not “more brand awareness”, because you cannot measure that. Choose something like this: twenty quote requests per month at a maximum of fifty euros per request. That is a goal you can check against real figures.
A good goal contains three things:
- A result that matters for your revenue, such as enquiries, appointments or sales.
- A number per month, so you can quickly see whether you are on track.
- A maximum price per result. This is also known as cost per conversion. A conversion is a visitor who does what you want, for example filling in a form.
Work backwards as well. Do you know how much a new customer is worth on average? Then you also know how much you can afford to spend on winning one. An estimate is enough. A rough guess with a small margin is better than no calculation at all.
Note that a goal in numbers only works if you can measure it. So check that your forms, phone calls and purchases are being properly recorded. This is called tracking. Are you still using the old version of Google Analytics? Then schedule the move to Google Analytics 4 now, so that you do not end up with gaps in your figures later.
Three channels, not ten
A channel is a place where you reach customers. Think of Google Ads, Facebook and Instagram, SEO or email. SEO means making your website easier to find in Google’s regular search results.
You do not need to be everywhere. Choose three channels that meet two requirements: your customers are genuinely there, and you can run the channel well. Three done well beat ten done halfway.
Ask yourself these questions for each channel:
- Are my customers actively searching here for what I sell?
- Do I have the time or the help to maintain this channel every week?
- Can I measure what it delivers?
If you answer yes three times, you keep the channel. Not sure? Put it on a “later” list. That list is not a rubbish bin. In a quarter’s time you will look at it again.
A handy mix is often one channel that delivers quick results, one that builds value over the long term and one for customers you already have. Google Ads for speed, SEO for the long term and email for existing customers is a well-known combination. It is not a rule. Your target audience determines the choice.
Budget per quarter
Do not set your budget as one block for the whole year. Divide it per quarter and per channel. That way you stay in control and can adjust if something is not working.
A simple rule of thumb: give the largest share to the channel you are most certain about. Set aside a small part to test something new. How large that test share is depends on your total budget. For many businesses, a modest minority of the budget is enough.
Also note down when you will adjust. After each quarter you look at what worked and move money around. A channel that delivers enquiries within your price limit gets more. A channel that does not gets less, or stops.
Do give each channel time, though. A new campaign often needs a few weeks to learn what works. SEO usually needs more time than advertising. So do not pull the plug after two weeks, unless something is clearly going wrong.
Who does what
Put a name and a date next to every action. A plan without an owner is a wish list. “We are going to write blogs” does not happen. “Sanne writes one blog in the first week of every month” does.
Do you work with an agency or a freelancer? Simply include them. Do record who keeps in contact and who makes decisions. Many plans stall because nobody knows who should answer a question.
Also schedule a fixed moment to review the plan. Half an hour once a month is enough. Look at three things:
- How many enquiries came in, and what did each one cost?
- Which channel performed better or worse than expected?
- Which one change will we make next month?
Deliberately choose only one change at a time. If you change five things, you no longer know what caused the effect.
How to put it on paper in an hour
Take a blank sheet of A4 and divide it into four boxes: goal, channels, budget and who does what. Allow an hour and work through these steps:
- Write down your goal, with the number, the period and the maximum price per result.
- Choose three channels and note next to each why you chose it.
- Divide your budget across the first quarter.
- Put a name and a date next to every action.
- Put your monthly check and your quarterly review in your diary.
A common scenario: an installation company with ten employees wants more enquiries for solar panels. The owner writes this goal on one sheet of A4: twenty quote requests per month, at a maximum of fifty euros per request. That means no more than one thousand euros per month can go on advertising. Per quarter, that is three thousand euros.
He chooses three channels: Google Ads for people who are searching right now, SEO pages for each service area and an email to existing customers. A colleague manages the email. The agency handles the ads. The owner himself supplies photos of completed projects every month. After three months he sees that the email delivers cheap enquiries, and that the ads cost more than planned. He moves part of the budget across and adjusts the ad copy. That is exactly what the plan is for.
Frequently asked questions
Is one sheet of A4 not too little for a serious plan?
No. A short plan forces you to make choices. Details such as ad copy, keywords or a content calendar belong in separate documents. The A4 contains only what you need every month to steer.
How much budget should I set aside?
That depends on your industry, your margin and your goal. A useful approach is to work backwards: what is a new customer worth to you, and how much can you spend on getting one? It is better to start smaller and scale up once you see it working than to spend too much in one go.
How often should I adjust the plan?
Look at your figures every month and adjust the plan every quarter. Only change your goal when your business genuinely changes, for example through a new product or a new market. Adjusting too often makes it hard to see what works.
Book a free 30-minute introductory meeting
Would you like someone to look over your A4 with you? In a free 30-minute introductory meeting, we will discuss your goal, your channels and your budget. You will get honest advice on what is smartest to do first. Even if you decide to take it on yourself afterwards, you are under no obligation.
Contact Adventio Marketing in Amersfoort and book a time that suits you. Bring your current figures if you have them. If you do not, we simply start from there.
