Creating a Marketing Calendar for Your Business

by Michelle Hill-Smith
www.OnTaskAssistants.com
www.MichelleHillSmith.com

Want to target your most specific needs as it pertains to your marketing? Want to reach your target market with targeted marketing?

How do you expect to do that without first created a targeted plan and a calendar to help you execute it...successfully and consistently?

Listen up.

If I didn't take the time to develop a marketing calendar for my business, I don't think I would have been able to win with my business. There was no way possible that I could have keep sporadically creating content, playing the guessing game of when to post, or anything else that was stealing some of the most valuable time away from me. 

Everyone dreads marketing unless you're this marketing guru that loves it. However, when it comes to reaching new customers, keeping the current ones interested and signaling the specific target customers, creating a marketing calendar will be the key. 

A marketing calendar is most effective if it is used to specifically spell out individual promotions or events. Most businesses create a calendar based off of the type of platform they use such as Social Media, Direct Marketing or Pay-per click. I personally found that social media is most effective for my business. Therefore, I've created my plan and calendar based off of that. You can include the cost in your specific calendar as well. I don't as none of my advertising efforts are paid.

THE BENEFITS OF USING A MARKETING CALENDAR

Using a calendar helps your focus and allows you to not only have a look at the investment involved but it also allows you to crystallize the results in your marketing program. By monitoring your stats via Google Analytics or Hootesuite stats, you will be able to see the effects of your efforts in plan sight. 

Here's how we use a marketing calendar at OnTask Assistants:

Be sure to try this out for your own business. Commit below to let me know how it works out and what you're using a marketing calendar for!

Finish It Friday: How to Seal the Deal!

by Michelle Hill-Smith
www.OnTaskAssistants.com
www.MichelleHillSmith.com


It's Friday. Simply Friday. You've worked for 4 days straight. None stop. So, what does another day mean?

FRIDAY. For me, Friday is that day where I put my mind in "Finish" mode. Sure, most weekends, I'm still working my butt off to meet deadlines. However, recently I've been accepting the need to quit at quitting time and stop all communication until the next work week.

How do you do that if there are tons of emails to be answered, posts to be posted and calls to be made?

I can only share with you what's worked for me for the past 3 years. The 3 years prior to those 3 were filled with chaos, non-stop incompleteness and massive burn-out...each and every day.

So, here's exactly how I'm able to manage my day-to-day routine and seal the deals for Friday (which always bring in the money):

1) SCHEDULE MY WEEK

My weeks are planned out. That doesn't mean that I don't allow unscheduled tasks invaders to not jump in line. I do. However, with my scheduled week, I give everything a timeline. All of my tasks are given a day, amount of time to complete and time stamp to have them done by for each day. Unscheduled tasks or requests from my clients have to go at the end of the line. That requirement is relayed to my clients and also comes with stipulations as well.

2) DESIGNATE A COMMUNICATIONS PERIOD

The nature of my business produces a high-demand for nurturing communication. It sounds weird, I get it. However, it's true. Many of my clients like constant, direct communication from me, however, it's not always productive. My solution is to have a specific call, email response period in place. For instance, my communications period is between 9am and 10am as well as 2pm and 4pm. At this time, I do call backs, follow ups, email responses, etc. Communication is always thorough as well. This eliminates the need to go back and forth.

3) SEAL THE DEAL ON FRIDAY

Leaving money on the table will obviously leave you broke. Friday, should represent a day to sum up all that you've done in the previous days as well as making the connection with your potential customers/clients. Set Fridays as the day to focus on locking in your clients or customers. For me, this includes a call-to-action that's requested by me. I want them to make a move so I leave the ball in their court until the next week. I send them information to get started with me and/or offer to walk them through the steps on Friday. This day, gives people enough time to take action over the weekend. Fill them up with enough good information, activities and fuel in order to make the decision right then and there or by Monday.

In conclusion, sure Friday is recognized as the week's end. However, going out with a major bang could be the difference between an effective work week that brings in money or one that just trickles over to the next work week.

Make your Fridays count.

Accepting Your Position as a Vessel

by Michelle Hill-Smith 
www.MichelleHillSmith.com
www.OnTaskAssistants.com

Good Morning and Happy Wednesday! 

About 6 years ago, it was really hard for me to connect the dots in my life. I couldn't see the difference between my passion and what it was that I was put here to do. This time in my life was the most confusing, painful and discouraging.

For a lot of us in the age range of 28 to 38 years old, we tend to reach a point that becomes stagnant and almost crippling. We become unsure, unsettling and dissapointed with ourselves. 

I've finally discovered that it's at this point where we are transitioning. We are growing. We are morphing into what we're supposed to be to make the impact needed in order to be the change. 

The word for today is GIVE. 

Once we are able to accept this transitional development period and allow it take it's course, we then must learn that we have to open ourselves up and allow the Higher Power to work.

The first impact we make, will be in the lives of others. Often times we take the presence of others in our lives for granted. They are in your path for a reason and for a season. For the time you have been given to know, love, see, touch and hold this person, I encourage you to also GIVE to this person. Give your encouragement, wisdom, guidance, mentorship, assistance and understanding to this person. Feed them. Clothe them. Take them by the hand and lead them. 

How does this allow you to be an impact?

You were distinctly chosen by a Higher Power as a vessel specifically to serve this person and be a light for them. When their season in your life is over, you will then be faced with following the same process all over again.

Until you are able to get out of your own way and allow yourself to be the vessel God wants you to be, life would be a roller coaster that doesn't have any breaks.

My conclusion and experience has been that we all have a divine path to follow. That path includes not only fighting your own way through the obstacles, trials, tribulations but to also pick up and carry your brethren on your way and GIVE them the opportunity to find their way.

~ Michelle Hill-Smith

Dream Killer Syndrome: You've been diagnosed!

by Michelle Hill-Smith
www.MichelleHillSmith
www.OnTaskAssistants.com

That's right. DIAGNOSED. I'm not calling anyone out specifically. So, please don't fill my inbox with spam or bad emails. LOL!

But, who I am talking about is that individual that's allowing the fear of failure to intercept their mindset's vision. The one that speaks failure into existence. The one that allows the success of others to determine their destination.

Years ago, when I found myself getting ill from this very disease, I thought about my future. I thought about how bad I wanted it. I reminded myself, over and over of "MY WHY".

This video explains exactly what I'm talking about. Check it out:

Be sure to let me know what you think after watching it. 

Until next time, take care!