Like most of the plans you make for your business, nothing is like reality. Once you’ve started implementing your marketing plan and see how closely your assumptions align with reality, you can start modifying the plan to keep it current and grounded in reality.
There are many ways to test whether or not you need to revise your strategy.
ask your customers
You’ll want to automatically survey new customers to find out how they found out about you so you can gauge whether or not they found you through current marketing plans or in some other way. If they give you a reason why they found you that is contrary to how you thought they might find you, then it might be time to review your marketing strategy.
At the end of the marketing cycle
Some marketing plans have a definite beginning and end. For example, if you’re running an email marketing campaign that runs for 30 days straight, you should review it at various points throughout the plan and also at the end to make sure you got the results you thought you could get.
by the numbers
Many business owners are in the habit of reviewing their marketing plan quarterly to match finances with effort.
To ensure your strategy is unified
If your overall strategy is to cater to six-figure business owners and above, then every element of your marketing plan needs to match that goal. It’s easy, without review, to get lost and get sidetracked. A good time to check the alignment of your strategy against the steps you are taking to implement the plan is at least quarterly.
To know your return on investment
How much does it cost you to acquire a customer and what is the lifetime earning potential of each customer? Do your plans reflect the financial truth? Does your marketing strategy directly influence your ROI? If not, you may need a complete overhaul of your marketing strategy.
Your educated guess
Sometimes you just have to go with what you feel. If you feel like your current strategy doesn’t match what you want for your business, then it’s time to review everything so you can figure out where to make changes and where to implement a new strategy.
When you develop a new product or service
Any time you develop a new product or service is a good time to review your marketing plan so you can incorporate plans to drive the new product and/or service. How you did things before might not work.
Check the numbers weekly
By checking the numbers on a regular basis, whether weekly or quarterly, you can simultaneously understand how all of your actions affect your marketing strategy and ultimately the bottom line.
