After working with over a thousand of small business owners one-to-one on on their marketing strategies, I know what business owners need in their strategies and action plans and what they don’t 

I don’t hunt around for what other people do, but every now and again I’m sent a strategy from a business owner who has paid thousands for what amounts to a four page document, or a thick array of pretty graphs, or a spreadsheet. None of these have been able to translate into the actions a small business owner needs to take to make their marketing work

So for me, a marketing strategy needs that action plan to sit alongside it. You as the small business owner needs to understand how the marketing proposition bit (all the brain stuff) works with the activity 

I used to apolgise for the lack of spreadsheets and pretty graphs in the strategy and action plan documents we create for and with our small business clients. I used to feel weird I gave our clients lists, and spent so much time showing how to do the things we recommended.

I also knew that often our plans don’t have “razzmatazz” - and now I’m proud of it. A big idea is easy to think of, and plan. But once it’s done, what about all the basic marketing activity you needed to have to keep that growth consistent?

Now I say what we do is exactly the sort of marketing strategy a small business needs. One that meets your stage of business, your goals, your budget, your capacity and your skill levels. All of which can change and adjust as you grow. 

In this episode I’m going to share with you what I consider are the must have elements of a marketing strategy and action plan for a small business 

Follow along, take notes and see if you’ve got all of these elements on hand to help you flesh out your marketing and make it work better for you over the next twelve months. 

In this episode we cover:

• Why a small business strategy is different to one for a large business
• What stresses and needs small business owners need to take into account
• What limitations your strategy needs to consider
• What small business owners often want but are not often required in a strategy
• Why we need to ask tricky questions
• What I believe all small business marketing strategies need
• Closing the circle - what we include that I consider essential practice for small business owners 

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