Marketing your soap business can be an overwhelming task. Planning is key. Just because it’s July doesn’t mean you can’t develop a marketing plan for the rest of the year. The reality is, the absolute best time to start a marketing calendar is either when your business starts…or right now.

What is a Marketing Calendar?

marketing_calendar_business

A marketing calendar assists you in launching your marketing vehicles in a way that can drive you to your goal by using a structured and thought-out manner so that nothing is forgotten. Your marketing calendar serves as your blueprint and identifies what messaging you will use and how and what channels you will use to distribute that message.

Marketing can become quite complicated if you allow it, but it is absolutely necessary to running an effective business. To make effective use of all your marketing strategies, you have to first plan them out, then stay organized and consistent in implementing your plan. A marketing calendar is the best way to organize your marketing activity; the calendar also serves as a working document you can revise and update throughout the plan year.

A marketing calendar doesn’t have to be fancy. Anyone can create one. I use a very simple spreadsheet on Microsoft Excel. Across a top row, I place column headings representing all 12 months. Down the first left-hand column, I list each individual marketing initiative, event or activity I’ll use during the year.

For example, if I’m going to create a press release every other month starting in January, I would put an X in the appropriate month columns. If I were going to issue a print newsletter once a month, each monthly column would have an X (or some other symbol) in it for that item.

How do you know which activities to include in your calendar? Brainstorm all the marketing ideas that make sense for fiscal business year, but keep in mind that you can’t do everything. Balance your marketing workload with the other things you need to do for your business. Plan for what you can do completely, not halfway. Also plan what you feel comfortable with, emotionally and financially. Prioritize accordingly, then place your ideas in your spreadsheet.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Email Newsletter X X X X X X X X X X X X
Gather 5 Testimonials X X X X
Run Google Ads X X X X X X
Run Facebook Ads X X X X X X
Guest Blog X X
Freebie Item Month X
Create a Quick Video X X X X X X
Local Charity Event X

This simple marketing calendar gives you an overview of your year. You can then drill down monthly and plan your marketing efforts weekly for each month.

– Benjamin Aaron