Best Little Marketing Plan Curriculum by Dr. Sean Harry This curriculum is a guide for business advisors, trainers and consultants who work with small business owners and entrepreneurs. This curriculum provides you with the tools to teach practical marketing skills that are immediately applicable and provide tangible results for your clients. With this tool and an hour or two of preparation you have a full solution for providing excellent content to your clients, while at the same time leveraging your time and receiving revenue to support your programs. Suggested texts for this curriculum are: - The Best Little Marketing Plan and accompanying worksheets. www.chairsevenbooks.com - GrowthWheel frameworks, articles and worksheets. (Requires GrowthWheel license) In this curriculum packet you will find: - Syllabus for 5 sessions (edit to fit your own needs) - Session outlines for each session with suggested timing - Expanded session outline with notes There is a supplemental resource packet is available which includes lecture notes, additional thoughts and resources, and articles. You can download it at http:// drseanharry.com/blmp-curriculum-download/ an effective and valuable structured methodology for optimizing advisor time, meeting client needs, and generating revenue, a trifecta of goodness. Marc Manley, Director Small Business Development Center at Linn Benton Community College Dr Sean Harry's marketing plan is solid gold. After four class sessions, I learned enough about marketing my business to get a brand new venture off the ground immediately- it literally made me thousands of dollars within the first 3 months of opening my business. I cannot overstate the incredible value of this information! Ellen Beaman, Owner of Ellen Beaman Fitness copyright 2014 Dr. Sean Harry Marketing Curriculum p. 1
Course Syllabus Course Goal: Participants will develop a comprehensive Marketing Plan for their small business. Learning Objectives By the end of this course participants will: 1) Identify and demonstrate the key concepts of Marketing, Branding, Positioning, PR, Advertising and the Sales Funnel. 2) Articulate the Customer Relationship Arc and the You/Them Model as these tools relate their marketing initiatives. 3) Create a Customer Persona for their business. 4) Develop a Marketing Plan and/or a specific Marketing Campaign that can be put into action immediately. 5) Explore Networking, Social Media, Website, and other online tools and build a strategy for using them in their business. Course Outline: Session 1 Renting Out Space - What is Marketing? What is a Brand? Why do you need one? - Creating your Customer Persona Marketing Plan Workshop: Pieces of the Marketing Plan Session 2 Build Your Brand - The YOU/THEM Model - Your Brand Description Marketing Plan Workshop: Setting SMART Goals Session 3 Don t be THAT GUY - Why (and how) Networking is the MOST Effective Form of Marketing. - Simple Surefire 2-Step Networking Process Marketing Plan Workshop: Campaigns make you money Session 4 Websites, Search Engine Optimization and Social Media - Website Basics for Small Businesses - Social Media and SEO Marketing Plan Workshop: Pulling your plan together Session 5 Plan Your Work, Then Work Your Plan - Project Management for Marketers - Next Steps Marketing Plan Workshop: Putting your plan into action copyright 2014 Dr. Sean Harry Marketing Curriculum p. 2
SESSION 1: Renting Out Space TOPIC TYPE Estimated TIME Introductions Group Discussion 5-10 minutes Course Introduction and Learning Objectives mini-lecture 5 minutes Introduction to the text mini-lecture 2 minutes 1a. Marketing and Customer Relationship Arc Concept overview List ways you can reach a prospect Small Group Exercise 10 minutes Customer Relationship Arc mini-lecture 8-12 minutes 1b. What is Marketing? Branding? Concept overview What is your favorite brand? Large group popcorn 4-8 minutes Marketing is Not Selling mini-lecture 8-10 minutes Branding" mini-lecture 8-10 minutes 2. WORKSHOP Concept overview Explore Unique Value Proposition (UVP), Positioning Statement and Market Description from the text book. Spend most of the time on Market Description and Unique Value Proposition. Lecture and Discussion with time to begin worksheets 55 minutes Review & Assignments review 5 minutes Total Time 90-120 minutes Intro of instructor & Intro of participants - Instructor Introduction (They will want to know why they should listen to you.) - Please give us your name, business, 1 thing you need from this course (Keep this moving! Each person should only be given 30-60 seconds. Bonus suggestion: Use a kitchen timer set to 45 seconds.) Course Goal and Learning Objectives (as per syllabus) Text - The Best Little Marketing Plan 1a. Types of Marketing and The Customer Relationship Arc Small Group Exercise - in groups of 2 or 3 identify as many ways as you can to reach a prospect (i.e. newspaper ads, website ) List each idea on a PostIt Note. Give them 3 or 4 minutes for this exercise. While they are working writing headings on the whiteboard from the Marketing Mix list (in lecture notes) or from the GrowthWheelTM Marketing Fan Framework. copyright 2014 Dr. Sean Harry Marketing Curriculum p. 3
Mini Lecture - from the article provided in the attached lecture notes, explain the Customer Relationship Arc (CRA) and where marketing fits into the CRA. (The lecture notes are located in the supplemental resource packet available at http:// drseanharry.com/blmp-curriculum-download/) $ale Sales Product/Service Delivery Marketing Customer Service Prospect Customer GrowthWheel FRAMEWORK - After the above exercise hand out the Marketing Fan framework and briefly review (G2. Marketing) GrowthWheel ARTICLE - Understand Your Customers And They Will Understand You 1b. What is Marketing? What is a Brand? Why do you need one? Large Group Exercise - Ask: What is your favorite brand? What does is the promise of that brand? Have the group popcorn answers. The idea here is to prime the pump by helping people recognize that the promise of their favorite brands. - key here is to bring awareness to the thousands of brand messages each of us are exposed to every day, and the role of marketing in helping potential customers find us through all of the clutter. copyright 2014 Dr. Sean Harry Marketing Curriculum p. 4
Mini-lectures - Marketing and Branding - For Marketing ref. pages in the BLMP Marketing Is Not Selling (p.9-12). - For Branding see attached lecture notes. (Lecture notes located in the supplemental resource packet http://drseanharry.com/blmp-curriculumdownload/) 3. WORKSHOP: The Best Little Marketing Plan (BLMP) - Ref. pages 13-30 in BLMP pdf. - Introduce BLMP (blank worksheets - introduce and explain) - Marketing Description - size, geo, demo, psychographic, behavioral - Briefly explain Unique Value Proposition - Briefly explain Positioning Statement - have them take a swing at this. We will cover it again in Session 4. Alternate GrowthWheel Resources GrowthWheel WORKSHEETS- Customer Persona (G2.02) and Storytelling (Y1.03) Assignment - Begin the Best Little Marketing Plan by completing the Market Description (use separate sheets for each customer segment), Unique Value Proposition (UVP), and Positioning Statement. - You will report on your UVP next week! copyright 2014 Dr. Sean Harry Marketing Curriculum p. 5
Session 2: Building Your Brand TOPIC TYPE Estimated TIME Welcome and Re-Introductions group discussion 15-20 minutes Quick Review mini-lecture 5 minutes 1. Your Brand. Your Identity. Your Value Concept Overview 2 minutes You/Them Model mini-lecture 5 minutes Your You/Them Model Individual Work 15-30 minutes 2. WORKSHOP Concept Overview 5 minutes SWOT Analysis video video 8 minutes SWOT Analysis exercise and discussion Exercise & discussion 15 minutes Marketing Goals Assignment preview 10 minutes SMART Goals Assignment preview 10 minutes Review and Assignments Discussion/Mini-Lecture 5 minutes Total Time 90-120 minutes Welcome and re-intro of self and course Group introductions and Assignment Review Please introduce yourself by giving us your name, company, your Unique Value Proposition. Quick Review: Customer Relationship Arc? Marketing? Branding? UVP? Market Description 1. Your Brand. Your Identity. Your Value. Before you can determine where to effectively spend your marking dollars, you MUST have a clear understanding of both your customers and the value you provide to them. One huge mistake small businesses make is that they go out and spend a lot of money on advertising If I build it, they will buy. They do this without having a clear understanding of who they are both the customer AND the company. Mini Lecture: The You / Them Model (The You/Them Model lecture notes are located in the supplemental resource packet at http://drseanharry.com/blmpcurriculum-download/) copyright 2014 Dr. Sean Harry Marketing Curriculum p. 6
- Ref. article The You Them Model the overlap is your brand Your brand centers around your customers it is NOT for you. Your brand provides a way for clients to find you! Exercise: Your You / Them Model - Have the students draw intersecting circles (i.e. the You / Them Model). - Using the Customer Persona and/or Market Description from last session, fill in the Them part of the model. - Now begin to fill in the You section of the model with your offerings, service, products, etc. Give details about the things you do. - Identify what fills the space in between. the overlap is your brand - Share with each other in groups of 2 if time. GrowthWheel ARTICLE: From Nice Logo to Strong Brand GrowthWheel Branding WORKSHEETS -- Brand Description (G5.01) and Brand Authenticity (G5.02) 2. WORKSHOP: The Best Little Marketing Plan (BLMP) - SWOT Analysis - Reference the following YouTube video: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnxyi10po6a (5 min. 21 seconds). - Have students work on their own SWOT Analysis for 5-10 minutes. - Lead a discussion around the importance of matching internal strengths with external opportunities. Have class give examples from their own business. - Discuss Annual and Quarterly Marketing Goals - Ref. article How to Set SMART Goals Assignment: Complete the BL Marketing Plan - SWOT Analysis, Goals/Budget and Objectives AND Annual Marketing Goals + Objectives. Be prepared to share one SMART marketing goal at the next session. GrowthWheel ARTICLE: 100 Ways To Market Your Business GrowthWheel Branding WORKSHEETS -- Revenue Model Mix (Y3.01) and Idea Review (Y1.42) copyright 2014 Dr. Sean Harry Marketing Curriculum p. 7
Session 3: Networking and Word Of Mouth TOPIC TYPE Estimated TIME Welcome and Re-Introductions group discussion 10-15 minutes 1. The Sales Funnel and Networking To Fill It Concept Overview The Sales Funnel mini-lecture 5 minutes Define your funnel Individual exercise + Sharing in groups of 2 15-20 minutes What Is Networking? mini-lecture & Discussion 5-10 minutes Simple Surefire 2-Step Process Exercise & Discussion 10-15 minutes 2. WORKSHOP Concept Overview Introduction to Campaigns mini-lecture 5 minutes The Marketing Mix mini-lecture & activity 15-20 minutes Setting a Marketing Budget Review and Assignments mini-lecture, activity & discussion Total Time 15-20 minutes 5 minutes 90-120 minutes Welcome and re-intro of self and course Group introductions and Assignment Review Please introduce yourself by telling us your name, company, ONE marketing goal for the next three months. 1. The Sales Funnel and Networking To Fill It Mini Lecture + Exercise: Sales Funnel - Mini lecture The Sales Funnel - Use: Have each participant take a few minutes individually to define the stops in their own sales funnel. - Exercise: in 2 minutes define your sales funnel Mini Lecture + Exercise: What is networking? Give a mini-lecture on networking with emphasis on the Special Sauce of the BLMP (Simple Sure-fire 2-step Networking process located in the supplemental resource packet available at http://drseanharry.com/blmpcurriculum-download/) Lead a group discussion of how to apply the Secret Sauce of the BLMP to your network connections. copyright 2014 Dr. Sean Harry Marketing Curriculum p. 8
GrowthWheel Article: Selling Through Our Network GrowthWheel FRAMEWORK: The Company s Network (G1. Networking) and The Sales Funnel (G3 Sales and Service) GrowthWheel WORKSHEET: Network Activities (G1.01), Network Mapping (G1.03) and Elevator Pitch (G3.26) 2. WORKSHOP: The Best Little Marketing Plan (BLMP) - Marketing Campaigns - explain the importance of campaigns as the place where you actually make money from your marketing. Campaigns drive a specific business objectives. - Marketing Mix - explain and have each define for their product or service with emphasis on a specific campaign (what pieces of the marketing mix would you use in a campaign?) - Marketing Budget - Once you have set your goals you will begin to develop a budget for your marketing activities. Don t worry if you do no have all the details at this time. Use your best SWAG (GUESS). GrowthWheel WORKSHEET: Marketing Mix (G2.01) Assignment: Fill out your Marketing Mix (4-Ps) for a specific campaign AND bring your questions on website and social media to next class. copyright 2014 Dr. Sean Harry Marketing Curriculum p. 9
Session 4: Facebook & Twitter & Pinterest, Oh My! TOPIC TYPE Estimated TIME Welcome and Re-Introductions pop-quiz 5-10 minutes 1a. Positioning Statement Review concept overview Developing A Positioning Statement Mini-lecture 10 minutes Developing YOUR positioning Statement Exercise + pair discussion 10 minutes 1b. Website Best Practices and SEO Basics concept overview 10 Must Have Elements... Mini-lecture 5-10 minutes Article Review Small + Large Groups 15-25 minutes 1c. How to Work With Your Designer Mini-lecture + Discussion 10-20 minutes 2. WORKSHOP concept overview Objectives discussion + worksheets 10 minutes Stragety discussion + worksheets 10 minutes Milestones discussion + worksheets 10 minutes Review and Assignments Discussion/Mini-Lecture 5 minutes Total Time 90-120 minutes Welcome and check in on progress Pop-Quiz - Have the class take the quiz. Invite volunteers to explain the answers to the quiz. 1a) Positioning Statement Review Before we can talk about your social media and website, you MUST be crystal clear about your Value Proposition and Your Positioning Statement. Mini Lecture - Use the Developing A Positioning Statement notes to discuss Positioning Statement. (http://drseanharry.com/blmp-curriculum-download/) Exercise - Select one of the Positioning Statement exercises in the lecture notes and have each participant complete on their own. Share in groups of 2 if time. GrowthWheel FRAMEWORK: Pricing of Products and Services (Y3 Framework) GrowthWheel Article: Price Points (Y3.02) copyright 2014 Dr. Sean Harry Marketing Curriculum p. 10
1b) Website Best Practices and SEO Basics Note to Presenter This area is a moving target. As Google and other search engines continue to update their parameters the requirements, tips and tricks for creating a good website with strong SEO can change. The information here is up to date as of the writing of this curriculum. However, we recommend you run it past your own website gurus to ensure the information is current. Search engine optimization has been a hot topic for content marketers in recent years. Google, the undeniable leader of Web indexing, is constantly changing its algorithms for what content rises to the top of search results, and attempts to cheat the system render your webpage all but invisible. These fluctuating best practices have made SEO a considerable challenge for businesses of all sizes. From 5 Steps to Building a Great SEO Strategy by Nicole Fallon, Assistant Editor to Business News Daily Here is some information that should prove to be helpful long into the future: I: Mini-Lecture: Angela Allmond wrote a nice little ebook titled: 10 Must Have Elements for Your Business Website (v.1.5.3, 2-18-2013, http://www.allographics.com/): Element #1: Mobile/Responsive Design Element #2: Quality Logo & Header Design Element #3: Strong Visual Appeal Element #4: Quality Relevant Photos Element #5: Create a Personality Element #6: Clear and Effective Navigation Element #7: Call to Actions (CTAs) Element #8: Add a Blog Element #9: Use Online Forms Element #10: Social Media Integration II: Exercise: Divide the class into 3 groups and assign each group one of the articles below. Give them 5 minutes to read the articles on their own, then 10 minutes to discuss. Have each group report to the whole on their discussions. Articles explaining Search Engine Optimization (SEO): 5 Steps to Building a Great SEO Strategy (Business Daily News, May 2014) http://bit.ly/1mque8u 6 Best Practices for Modern SEO (Mashable, November 2011) http://bit.ly/ 1EGHyQp SEO for Small Business: The Past, Present & Future of Search Engine Optimization (Business Daily News, December 2013) http://bit.ly/111aqz1 copyright 2014 Dr. Sean Harry Marketing Curriculum p. 11
1c) How to work with your designer for your website and SEO Read and discuss the attached article: Things Your Web Designer, Copy Writer, and SEO Expert Want You To Know. (The lecture notes are located in the supplemental resource packet available at http://drseanharry.com/blmp-curriculum-download/) Discuss as a group the following questions: - Who have you found to be helpful in designing your website? - What did you learn from your experiences working with designers? - What have you done that did not work? - What would you do again? GrowthWheel FRAMEWORK: The Client Dialogue GrowthWheel WORKSHEET: Customer Pipeline (Y4.04) 2) WORKSHOP: Turning your Marketing Plan into an Action Plan - Campaign Objectives (BLMP Text + Worksheet) - Campaign Strategy/Details (BLIMP Text + Worksheet) - Campaign Schedule with Milestones (BLMP Text + Worksheets) (find example) GrowthWheel ARTICLE: Useful Budgets (B1 Financials) Assignment: Create a list of campaigns that will help you market your product or service this year. You don t have to give all of the details, but do give a brief description of what the campaign entails. Example: I will conduct a direct mail campaign in the 4th quarter of next year. The campaign will involve sending 3 mailings one week apart to the entire mailing list. The goal of the campaign is to create energy for the holiday season. copyright 2014 Dr. Sean Harry Marketing Curriculum p. 12
Session 5 Working Your Plan TOPIC TYPE Estimated TIME Welcome and Re-Introductions group discussion 10 minutes 1. Project Management for Marketers Concept Overview 5 Steps to Managing a Project mini-lecture 10-20 minutes Discussion of the Project Management Checklist group discussion 15 minutes Mini Marketing Campaign Planning Groups of 3 20 minutes Mini Campaign Report group discussion 10-15 minutes 2. WORKSHOP group & individual 20-30 minutes 3. Course Review group discussion 5 minutes Total Time 90-120 minutes Welcome and check in on progress - Do a quick Check in. Remind the class that this is the final session. Finish any unfinished business i.e. schedule meeting with advisor, etc. 1) Project Management for Marketers Mini-Lecture 5 Steps to Managing A Project (The lecture notes located in the supplemental resource packet http://drseanharry.com/blmp-curriculum-download/) copyright 2014 Dr. Sean Harry Marketing Curriculum p. 13
Distribute copies of the Project Management Checklist Template and discuss each item on the list. Exercise Mini Marketing Campaign Plan - Divide the room into groups of 3 - Have each group select a campaign idea from one of their lists (see last week s homework) - Report to the whole group 2) Workshop: Next Steps Putting your plan into action - BLMP checklist Review the checklist as a group and have each student complete as you go along to see what else needs to be done/what additional info is needed. - Have participants use the 30-60-90 day planner from GrowthWheel to lay out a plan of action OR create a GANTT Chart outlining the next 30-60-90 days. - Discuss how participants will monitor and report their activity. GrowthWheel FRAMEWORK: The Project Board (B3 Production and Deliveries) GrowthWheel WORKSHEETS: Project Overview (B3.01), Project Break-Down (B3.02) and Project Timeline (B3.03) 3) Course Review - Do a quick run through of the topics covered in the course - Set appointments with Advisor - Inform participants of next steps, additional classes, upcoming workshops, etc. copyright 2014 Dr. Sean Harry Marketing Curriculum p. 14