The Rocket Fuel for Marketing Success
Are you sending your marketing tactics off into…outer space? Enter Mission Content Calendar – the marketing “rocket science” behind driving more leads to convert.
For most companies, small and large, marketing is like launching a rocket. They have exciting ideas, their engines are blaring and they blast off marketing tactics into…outer space. Houston, we have lift off – but what’s the trajectory after that? Whether they would admit it or not, the majority of businesses are scrambling to launch marketing tactics that enhance their customer journey – often without a comprehensive plan and mixed results.
Are you blasting off marketing tactics into a black hole?
Beyond the annual postcard and quick social media blast, most of us are too busy to map out a carefully crafted marketing strategy. A content calendar takes time and strategic planning, and you’ve got guests to respond to and payroll to get out the door. Yet, experience has proven that haphazard marketing efforts will add up to unintended consequences for your business.
Enter Mission Content Calendar
You likely wouldn’t argue that having a robust marketing plan and content calendar that outlines your monthly marketing activities is a good idea. But this is where the problem lies for the majority of companies – it seems like a “nice to have” – an optional way to organize your efforts. And I would argue the opposite – a marketing strategy and content calendar is absolutely vital to your success. If you want to see a return on investment for the hours and dollars you spend on any advertising, then you absolutely need to create a content calendar that connects the dots. Yes creating this requires an initial investment in time and resources, but the pay-off is substantial, and the costs from not creating one are noteworthy.
The Marketing Playbook – The Rocket Fuel to Success
Marketing calendars transform random outreach into comprehensive marketing strategies – enhancing your brand visibility and credibility – this is why at Vintory we begin by creating a marketing playbook for each and every one of our partners. At Vintory, we’ve seen the results – you will attract, retain and convert more leads with a content marketing calendar – it’s the rocket fuel for our partner’s business success. This tool is crucial if you want to proactively invest in your business.
Creating a Content Calendar – it’s not rocket science
At Vintory we know that the secret to creating, optimizing and publishing content that will drive more qualified leads to convert is planning how and when to market.
Content calendars are living documents that map out all of the marketing activities for your organization. Its purpose is not only to ensure tactics are organized and executed but also to manage which messages are going out into the marketplace and when. They help to ensure you are delivering a consistent online voice that will enhance your brand, while also anticipating seasonal trends that will maximize content effectiveness. Content calendars will improve the quality of your content as planning in advance usually means less errors and more creative ideas. Not to mention that this is a resource to coordinate all members of your team – sales, marketing, leadership – to provide oversight for your messaging and to visualize how your content and channels will work together.
When it comes to the technology used to create a content calendar, there are a lot of options out there. From Google Calendars to customized spreadsheets, whichever platform you choose, it’s crucial to not only map out upcoming dates and deliverables, but record your results.
- Start with recurring tactics such as blog posts, newsletters or email blasts
- Identify the frequency and timing of message delivery
- Plan out any significant or unique campaigns – ex. Holiday marketing
- Map out which channels will be publishing content and when
- Look for gaps in your calendar, or times where too much is going on
Mapping Success back to Mission Control – Track your ROI
Today, marketing has many layers and components, and to realize the complete value in each of them – it has to be planned out. Your content calendar should be directly aligned with the business goals of your company. For example, if you’re looking to increase your inventory, decrease churn and attract repeat guests, each of your marketing goals should be aligned with these objectives. You should then be able to tag, or categorize, your marketing tactics to see how often you are delivering content that is aligned with your goals. After each campaign – whether it’s a social media advertisement, postcard or drip campaign – track your results in your calendar. Review your results quarterly and look at which messages are working and which are falling flat. Gage which tactics are helping you to achieve your business goals, and where you need to ramp up your efforts. Being intentional about your content marketing will result in more effective efforts, with less time and resources.
It’s never too late to adjust course
If you don’t currently use a marketing calendar – remember it’s never too late to adjust course. A new quarter, new year or season are some of the best times to start planning and tracking. At Vintory, our marketing playbook only consists of proven marketing strategies that we curate and tailor to each of our partners in one robust plan and content calendar. Our marketing playbook is our rocket booster – it’s what takes us from lift-off to where we want to go – delivering more homeowners to the programs of our partners.
Author: Brooke Pfautz
Brooke is the CEO and Founder of Vintory and is well known in the Vacation Rental industry as the authority when it comes to growing Vacation Rental inventory. You'll find Brooke at his home office, on the latest Vacation Rental webinar or podcast, or at industry events across the States.
