Creating a Comprehensive Marketing Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide
How to make a 12 month marketing plan
Here is what you need need:
- Your hook(s)
- Your offer(s)
- Your segment(s)
- Your feature(s)
- Your benefit(s)
- Your event(s) (campaigns)
- Your product(s)
Step 1: Brainstorm
The firsr step is to brainstorm as many of each category as you can. Have absolutely no judgement, write absolutely every idea you can think of. We want as many options to choose from as possible. We are going to test each over 12 months so the more you have, the more motivared you will be. As if you make one and it flops, well then what then? So have a few.
Segments, features and benefits don’t change, so you will reach the end of the list pretty quick, which is good, I will explain why below, but quickly, segments are ‘why’ someone buys, which is only for a handful of reasons.
The ‘offer’ you give for them to sign and or the ‘hook’ (question you ask to open the conversation) could be anything though, so the options m are endless. There are guidelines, which we will go over but come up with as many as possible.
Which could be either awesome as you get to be creative or daunting as it’s so overwhelming. But don’t stress as it is fun.
Products are interesting as they’re actually more similar to an offer then a segment. Segments (so say ‘why’ someone will hire a videographer) really don’t change, but the cameras, the team, the delivery, the pricing, the platforms change all the time. Which is usually called ‘innovation’ but really, it’s just the product adapting.
Anyway, now let’s go over each aspect in detail, so you can properly brainstorm ideas for them.
1. A hook or hooks
The hook is your open/pre-close. It is a short statement or question which ‘open’s’ the conversation.
In game we call it an ‘opener’.
There are two styles of ‘openers’ or ‘hooks’ either: direct or indirect.
Alex Hormozi is a fan of indirect, personally I prefer direct as it wastes less time.
Some direct examples:
“Are you considering hiring a videographer”
“Are you thinking of making a youtuber channel”
“Have you ever considered doing tiktok videos”
Or indirect:
“Hey, could I get your feedback on a video project I am doing”
“Hi, how are you?”
“Hey, do any of your friends want to make any videos”
I don’t know man, to me, that just feels weak. Just fucking ask dude. I mean worst they say is: “no thanks” Like who gives a fuck. But anyway, do not judge. You’ve never done this before so probably have to try all of them.
A few guidelines
I want you to honestly come up with anything, so don’t let this hinder your creativity. You have a line you think is cool, any! try it! Or at least at it to the list and compare later.
- Remember it is a ‘pre-close’ and not a ‘close’.
So you’re not saying: “do you want to buy it”, you’re Asking: “are you considering buying it?”
- The more ‘broad’ the better.
Saying: “are you looking to shoot any videos in the next 6-12 months” is a better opener than: “Do you want to shoot a video this weekend?” Why? Because someone looking to shoot in 3 weeks and someone looking to shoot this weekend are both covered with ‘next 6-12 months’ but the one shooting in a week is excluded if you say this weekend.
- It should be ‘art’ if possible
When you see a nike ad, with someone in shoes. They are actually saying: “hey bro, you want some shoes or not?”
But it just appears as if it’s a beautiful photo of an athlete.
So if we’re opening correctly it should never be offensive. The person should feel happy you asked/called. Either as an ego boost or just that you’re ‘handling’ something they don’t want to think about.
We are making art with words.
- You are an expert, an advisor and on the same side.
Think of yourself as their guardian angel. You are swooping in to ensure they get the thing done, they probably already should have done.
So for example:
“Have you shot your yearly ads?”
“Have you done your yearly marketing audit”
This question is super innocuous it might seem like nothing. But it’s SO powerful!
This gives a person the sense that YOU are their mentor. You are looking out for them and their schedule. You are an asset, not a liability.
Short side tangent, but these junior sales people listened into one of my calls a good decade ago. And I literally called and said something like:
“Is that Jenny”
(say her name to create rapport)
“Can you help me Jenny”
(start a compliance ladder of yesses upwards)
“I’m looking the person the people in charge of __”
Yes, that’s me.
(I’ve literally just anchored three yeses in a row, what sales)
oh cool. Hi Jenny, I am Steve from Thomson Reuters, how are you?”
I’ve said her name like 3 times in 15 seconds, got a three step compliance ladder and ai haven’t even properly opened.
But we’ve done a ‘soft open’ by introducing Thomson Reuters, which is a famous brand she would probably know as she’s a lawyer.
Okay, so now I’m going to properly drop the ‘hook’ and see how we roll:
“hey, I’m doing the yearly stocktake call. Last year you guys ordered 115. Do you want to order the same?
Soft closed, hooked BUT! there’s so much more going on here, I am essentially there advisror, not a salesperson.
“Okay cool. I can add a 10% discount as it’s a bulk order and can lock in last year’s price now to avoid the increase after financial year.”
We’re on the same team with the same goals.
“Will give you a call if anything new comes out, feel free to message me with any questions otherwise chat next year. Will email you the order details.”
So now, that part of their job, is completely handled by me. I’m now a complete asset to their company, their legal software ‘advisor’ (which is what I was selling then) and we’ve built trust in both sides. She’s paid, I’ve helped her get a discount and taken one thing iff her list.
I mean she can go home like:
“ahhhh. I got that software sorted. I got the company a discount.”
All while sitting back and not having to worry about it next year.
Not what a win/win!!
I remember the kids listening thinking: “oh, that was simple”. As they had just listened to like 5 other sales people do the ‘hard close’ for 45 minutes.
Yeah, it was ‘simple’ but SO much is going on in that call:
- Assumed familiarity.
- On the same team.
- Same goals.
- I’m working for them essentially.
- I’m also an expert (at least on the pricing) so they don’t have to think about it.
- My open was flawless! It would have been something like: “
- This is an artform, not a science. The more
You’re not wsking them
Okay, so what we’re going to do is think of as many statements and questions as possible which:
- Bring up clearly the end outcome of what we want to do.
Examples:
“Hey, I’m ____ from ____, how are you?”
Just saying the company, will make it clear that it’s what you are selling.
“Hey, I’m Jogn from John’s real estate how are you?”
Or, segment specific:
“Hey man. Are you looking to hire a videographer?”
- Your offers
You want as many steps as possible with as high a reward for the customer at each step as possible, low with as low cost & effort for you as possible.
This might be counter intuitive, but offering to ‘have a coffee’ is far higher ‘compliance’ and ‘lower reward’ then: “am having a webinar teaching how to do”.
My rules for offers.
1. DO NOT punish older customers: I hate offers like: first two weeks free! Unless! you offer 4 weeks free after a year, 8 weeks free after two years. Yeah, you will make sales punishing old customers, but you won’t win long term.
2. Offers should be fair and to all. So for easter, say every member gets an easter egg. THIS is the difference between a $25 billion dollar a year university and a $100k per month course. People want to go to the uni parties which are exclusive!!! Not get two weeks free at uni. So be exclusive, not ‘easy’.
3. Have a time restraint – A real time restraint. If you give away an easter egg to all members, then if they don’t join by easter, they don’t get an egg.
4. Have incentives to stay, built into the offer: If you give an Easter egg this month, I wander what I get next month? This is FUN not punishing like the 1 week free gyms generally do. But that’s still an offer, any offer is better than no offer.
5. Offers can (and should) be stepped out. So you’re not asking: “hire me for $25,000 right now!” you’re asking them to take the ‘first step’ which could be having a phone call, signing up to an email list, watching a webinar or whatever.
The product:
For videography there is multiple types of shoots you can do, some for
- To shoot a wedding.
- To make a portfolio.
- To capture an event.
- A music video.
- Fun
- rock
- rap
- Sexy
- For marketing:
- Instagram.
- TikTok
- TV
- youtube
- Adult
- Porn
- Onlyfans
- Segments
These are ‘why’ people buy the product, not personal feautres of the people And they do not change.
Now these are the ‘products’ but the ‘segments’ are the ‘why they are buying’ so:
- Wedding:
- To capture his/her happy day.
- As a present to the bride/groom.
- To boost their ego.
- To look sexy.
- To feel like a princess.
- To rub it in their friend’s faces.
- To show they are adults.
- To capture a memory.
I’d have to think a little harder, but those are the first that come to mind. Notice how most people just stop at ‘wedding photos’ but you need to go a step deeper. What is the ‘real’ reasons people are doing/buying something. Some reasons can be petty and that’s fine, you can use these segments to filter who you do/don’t want to work with.
3. A list of your features and benefits, then pair them to eaxh segment: licensed personal trainer?
4. A list of events which make up your ‘campaigns’ – Can have up to 12 for a full marketing plan, one per month and tweak/repeat every year.
5. The product (can change per segment)
Examples
Campaign: Summer
Segment: Lose weight
Feature: Science knowledge
Open (hook/pre-close): “Ever thought of getting a personal trainer?”
Offer: Training video
Product: 10 week zoom training, twice per week
“Hey man, ever thought of getting a personal trainer? [open/pre-close]. I’ve made a quick 15 minute video [offer] teaching how to scientifically [feature] lose weight [segment]. So if you want to get ripped [repeat segment] with biohacking [repeat feature] for summer [campaign], let’s do it!
Campaign: Summer
Segment: Get Sexy
Feature: Army experience (I don’t know your experience, so coming up with it on the fly)
Open (hook/pre-close): “You wanting to get ripped for summer?”
Offer: Free mini course
Product: 10 week online programme
“Hey man, You wanting to get ripped for summer?“ [open/pre-close]. I’m offering 10 guys a 10 week military [feature] zoom training course [Product] and have made a free mini course [offer] to get you started. So if you want to get ripped [repeat segment] with an ex-military officer [repeat feature] for summer [campaign], let’s do it!
Campaign: Summer
Segment: Optimise Performance (my category)
Feature: Science Knowledge, accountability
Open (hook/pre-close): “Hey man, are you performing at your peak level?”
Offer: Free strategy call
Product: 10 week individual sessions and group classrooms about mindset and nutrition
“Hey man, are you performing at your peak level [segment]? [open/pre-close]. I’m running a 10 week science backed [feature] course to maximise your energy levels, first I offer a free strategy session to get you started [offer]. So if you want more energy [repeat segment] using biohacking [repeat feature] and want some accountability [second feature]for summer [campaign], let’s do it!
You test the wording, offers and opens continuously to see which works and then run the best as ads.
I, for example am in the ‘peak performance’ segment and not ‘lose weight’ categorys.
I would also run these as ads, using ‘gohighlevel’ as all follow up is automated.