Marketing Your Plan or Planning to Market

I recently gave a presentation to a group of enthusiastic recruiting specialists on using social media to find professional truck drivers. There is a huge driver shortage coming in the industry and marketing and recruiting will be a significant issue. The one thing that was stressed through the presentation is that just getting onto social media will not have people flooding to your door. It is just one piece of the marketing puzzle.

For an entrepreneur it is important to have a plan for your marketing strategy on paper before you even sign up for social media or any other type of advertising program. Know your audience, know your demographic profiles, know your cost and budget, and know your time frame. It will take at least six months of dedicated work to get any marketing program off the ground. Even more important is do you have the dedication to keep the train moving even when nothing is happening. For more on that check out my last blog post called “Working Your Game Plan“.

Now the other problem is planning your marketing startegy so much that you don’t actually implement it and do nothing. The fun part is planning is having the action plan. The hard part is actually doing the action plan. I have seen many great ideas sit on the sidelines due to inactive participants. It can be very hard work to keep it going.

The best way to start is to take small bites, and get them going sufficiently before taking another bite. Build your network slow and steady and you will have a stronger network. Keep it sustainable and you will be able to manage it over the long term. So to recap, evaluate the media you can afford and that will get you in front of your potential clients. Create a time frame for success and build it slow. Keep at it with dedication, even when not much is happening. You’ll make it just keep going, by taking small steps you can tweak your plan as you go along.

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is leadership consultant in the transportation and business sectors. He specializes in the subjects of complacency, time management, customer service, and marketing for entrepreneurs and professional drivers. For more information on programs and services visit http://www.outridge.ca