Starting a business
A simple 90-day marketing plan for a new small business
A marketing plan doesn't need to be a 40-page document. For a new business it's a short list of things you'll do every week, aimed at the customers you want most. Here's a simple 90-day version you can follow.
Before you start: who is your best customer?
Write one or two sentences about the customer you'd clone if you could. Where do they live, what do they care about, and where do they hear about businesses like yours? Every task below aims at them.
Month 1: Get found
- Finish your website and Google Business Profile.
- Tell everyone you know, in person and on your personal social pages, that you're open.
- Ask your first few customers for a review.
- Hand out business cards wherever your customers gather.
- Post twice a week: your work, your story, your first customers (with their OK).
Month 2: Build trust
- Keep posting twice a week. Show real work, before and after, and the person behind the business.
- Introduce yourself to businesses that serve the same customers and can refer you.
- Ask every happy customer for a review, every time.
- Make one short video about what you do and why.
Month 3: Grow what's working
- Look at where your customers came from. Do more of that.
- Add a simple offer that brings people back or brings friends, without discounting your work.
- If you have a budget, try a small, local ad aimed at your best customer.
- Plan your next 90 days.
Keep it to 30 minutes a week
The best plan is the one you'll actually follow. A posting calendar with ideas for each week makes it a ten-minute job instead of a daily worry. Our business package includes a 90-day plan and posting calendar written for your business.