How to create a marketing calendar that works (plus a free template!)

As a small business owner, the thought of creating an annual marketing calendar might feel impossible or like such a low priority compared to everything else you have going on. After all, you’re just trying to make it through every day. You’re servicing customers, trying to find new ones, and producing the thing you sell, whether that’s a product or service; you’ve got a lot on your plate!

We relate. As we dive into multiple ventures at once, starting a podcast, creating and executing marketing strategies for our clients, developing our email list, and the list goes on, taking a step back to create a one-year roadmap into our own marketing efforts feels hard.

But the bottom line is this: you need to think and plan ahead and not fly by the seat of your pants when it comes to your marketing approach. Otherwise, you’re just sitting, waiting, and wishing for more people to visit your website, walk in your door, or buy your product.

Lucky for you, we’re here to simplify the whole process so that you can create your 12-month marketing plan in 30 minutes or less. Don’t believe us? Start your timer, then download our printable PDF template, and you’ll see how it makes thinking long-term easier than deciding whether to pet your neighbor’s 8-week-old golden retriever. (That’s a no-brainer, amirite?)

What goes into your annual marketing calendar?

Personal/team obligations

Think about you and your employees and anything that you know is happening, whether you’re prepared or not. That includes if someone is retiring, any vacations you’ve already planned, if you plan to take summer Fridays, or work short weeks during seasons when the kids are out of school. Dump anything into your calendar that could impact your availability to produce things at a certain time of year or just general reasons to celebrate and things you don’t want to forget!

Conferences/trade shows

If you’re planning to pitch your product or service to a larger audience of people at an event, that’s going to require advanced planning. Set those dates in your calendar now so you can work backward to ensure you have enough time to develop the collateral you’ll need to take with you.

Advertising publication schedule

If you advertise your business in any print, radio, TV, or other mediums, put in key dates for the publication schedule. If you know in advance that your quarterly postcard campaigns go to print or production at set dates, you can easily backtrack to figure out when your team needs to start work to make sure you hit the deadline.

Promotions/Individual campaigns

Consider what promotions you know you want to run during the year and plan the launch date now. If you’re a personal trainer and you know you want to run a promotion for a 6-week bathing suit season boot camp that starts May 1, be sure to put a launch date for that campaign at least a month before to give people enough time to see your marketing materials and sign up.

Holidays and important cultural seasons

Depending on your business and what you sell, certain holidays might be a high time for marketing efforts. For example, a florist is likely to emphasize Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and other “hallmark” holidays where people are likely to send flowers. A company that makes hand-crafted journals and school supplies might want to focus the bulk of its marketing in June and July when parents are back-to-school shopping.

BBM Pro Tip: Keep this calendar at a high level! We don’t want to go into specific post content or blog ideas at this time. We’re simply trying to grasp the scope of your marketing efforts for the year to help you prioritize what makes sense to pursue and where you might need to pull back.

Prioritize your efforts

Once you have everything listed on your calendar, it’s time to take your trusty red pen and start slashing things that don’t make sense for your business. You have limited time, energy, and budget to dedicate to marketing, so it’s uber-important that you focus only on those things that will have the most impact on your business.

This process might leave you with only 2-3 key campaigns for the year. Amazing, you’re instantly focusing yourself and your team’s efforts on only those things that are going to be real traffic drivers for your business!

Tips for marketing success all year long

  • Don’t marry the calendar: Just date it. Keep your options open. Just because something is on the calendar doesn’t mean you have to or even should do it. Things change, especially as the year goes on, and that’s okay. This is purely a planning tool to help you wrap your head around everything that you think should be done this year.

  • Reassess quarterly: We heart temporal landmarks, like a Monday, the first of the year, or the start of a new quarter. The first week of a new quarter is a great time to reset and look ahead to what you have planned for the NEXT quarter. That’s right. When April hits, you should be looking at what’s planned for July through September. Everything for Q2 is already slated, booked, and in process. Staying one quarter ahead of your marketing calendar can help you remain flexible and ensure that your team is focused on the right things when the time comes.

  • Let things be hazy: If you create your calendar in December, it’s not a big deal if August and beyond is hazy, it should be! Things change, especially in a business that’s still trying to figure out what it does and who it serves. As long as you’re clear on your next 3 months, you’re in a great spot!

Need support with building your calendar?

We’re happy to sit down for a free 30-minute session where we can assess your approach and help you prioritize your marketing plans for the year. Schedule time today, and let’s make your next 12 months of marketing as big and bad as possible.

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