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How to establish and use a marketing calendar effectively

December 06, 2019

 

The elements you keep in your toolbox can help you achieve your marketing goals. A main and essential tool is the marketing calendar. A marketing calendar helps you launch your marketing vehicles in a way that can lead you to your goal by using a structured and thoughtful way so that nothing is forgotten. Your marketing calendar serves as a blueprint and identifies the messages you will use and how and through which channels you will deliver this message.  

Stay on track

Your marketing schedule can keep you on track, ensuring that you use every opportunity to market your products without wasting time in your efforts. With it, you can be assured that your planning, budget and staff are taken care of. This alone could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars.  

 

The key for you a marketing calendar is to create a calendar that works for you and your team. Be flexible and do not hesitate to adapt it to your needs. Your marketing schedule should allow you to coordinate all your marketing efforts and, if done properly, it will help you establish your strategic and tactical budget. It should be a useful tool and not a tedious burden to complete.   

How to create and use a marketing calendar

Marketing calendars can be created to meet your specific needs. The most successful marketing calendars I have seen incorporate all your marketing activities with details broken down week by week for each quarter.   

 

Tip: Start with a blank 12-month calendar and track the sales cycle and seasonality of the products and/or services you offer. By doing this, you will help lay the groundwork for creating a message focused on your target market and ensure that you promote during key periods when potential customers are looking for what you offer.

 

A calendar will be better used if it is specific, specifying promotions or individual events. It is preferable to include the marketing costs for each event and the resulting results. In doing so, it is easy to see at a glance which events and strategies have been productive and have achieved their objective. This helps you plan your marketing in the future.  

 

Consider including the following elements in your marketing calendar to ensure you have a complete overview of all your efforts at a glance.   

 

  • Advertising campaigns  
  • Events & Events  
  • Contents Parts  
  • Public relations/Media relations  
  • Social Media Campaigns  
  • Marketing email  
  • Efforts to display or signal at the point of sale  

 

In this way, you are able to ensure the consistency of your planning. This avoids the marketing mistakes that cause the "feast and famine" effect that many companies experience.  

 

Remember to be flexible when creating your calendar. Rest assured that there is no right or wrong way, this is really what works for you. The purpose of your marketing calendar is to create results - this is only the first thing to match those results.  

 

If you have any doubts, write to us! 

 

The Adeo Marketing team

 

 

Additional Resources

To know the dates of the "National Days/Months...": 

  • English: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/marketing-calendar-free-templates/279759/
  • French: https://www.blogdumoderateur.com/calendrier-marketing-2020/


Infographic explaining the importance of a Marketing calendar:

  • https://coschedule.com/blog/marketing-calendar-template/

 


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