I've got my marketing plan, so now what am I going to do with it? Don't even think about putting it on the bookshelf! There is too much to do, now that I have clearly defined goals. I will interview a designer for the printed materials, and a web guy, talk to the exhibits people, oh right, speak with that SEO guy to bring traffic to the site... I need to write the content for the email newsletter or blog and create accounts for LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube… Then I need to find all those people on the sites that I know. What should I do first? How much time does each item take to implement in order to meet the schedule in the plan? I still need to run my business - how can I add all this to my plate? Often it isn't realistic to do it all by yourself. You need to manage it, or hire someone to do it for you. A lot of companies will hire a marketing person right out of school or with a few years of experience to manage it for them. These employees, although well intentioned and capable in their own right, might not understand your business, thus requiring a good deal of handholding for an indeterminate period. They also might not have the resources available in their network for the various skill sets needed. Sometimes you need a consultant to come in and get your plan implemented, saving you time, energy, stress, money and creating a much more effective campaign than you otherwise would have. Although perceived as more expensive, you do not need to worry about salary, vacation, benefits, management and having enough work to keep them busy on a consistent basis. A consultant can provide experience in business, a network of resources, and works on retainer-based contract, on specifically outlined deliverables. No matter which route you choose, self-management, new hire, or consultant, do not put that plan on the shelf! Implement it! In this economy, you don't want to lose a competitive advantage.
