Gear Up To Pare Down
January 4, 2012 by MaryEllen · 1 Comment
What one action could have a real impact on your business for the next few months? Define and begin that action, and prepare to reap profits.
Too simple? Simple makes sense.
If you have difficulty narrowing a myriad of projects to one goal, welcome to reality.
I participate in a mastermind group that tackles reality with a theme. Each participant develops the wording to focus their actions for the year. For example:
- Transcend What Is and Invent The New
- New Me
- Heart Vision, Intuitive Momentum
The theme offers a solution to multiple projects because, like an umbrella, it embraces all. Scheduling determines priorities.
Although every person has the same amount of time in one day, some get far more done than others. I’m convinced productive people know exactly what they need to do.
The steps look like this:
- Establish a theme
- Define goals
- Break goals into realistic steps, i.e., what will I concentrate on this month?
- Take monthly goals or concentrations and divide them into weekly ones
- Each week, for example, list the top 10 goals for the week
- For each weekly goal, list the steps or tactics that must be taken
- Define a realistic amount of time for each tactic
- Physically schedule tactics on your calendar
A calendar facilitates reality. If you have realistically estimated the time involved and marked it on your calendar, it’s simple to see if you are over-committing. I, for one, frequently list far too many projects for the time allotted if I fail to visually map out the tasks on a calendar.
One of my most important projects for first quarter 2012 is paring my 198-page ebook, “The Six Week Marketing Master Plan” to Four Weeks.
- Step one is to revise the 45-day table of contents (toc) outline to a new 30-day outline.
My TOC outline is due on/before next Tuesday. I estimate it could take as long as three to four hours to complete. My calendar has time blocked for completion of this task.
- Step two, the copy portion of the project gets more complicated. Working from the toc outline I plan to complete all content rewrites prior to February 15. I will then and submit the new product to a graphic designer for finalization.
- Step three, the finalization of the project will be complete on/before March 15, 2012.
I determined one action – the rewrite of this ebook – could significantly impact my business in the next few months. I added accountability to my own project with a promise to copy someone else on my toc outline due next Tuesday. Then, I published my own deadlines here for the world to see.
It’s simple, this effort of gearing up to pare down.
What one action could have a real impact on your business for the next few months?
What’s stopping you from taking action?
Review and Update Marketing Plan to Increase Success
July 20, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
Even the best marketing plan requires review and updating.
Business climates change. The competitive landscape shifts. Communication tactics morph (Facebook, anyone?) and your business is forced to take notice.
If additional marketing focus is one of your business goals, enroll in “Four Weeks to a Master Marketing Plan,” a class series presented by the Albuquerque South Valley Small Business Development Center.
The Marketing Master Plan derives its success from facilitated sessions with small business owners. This series begins Thursday August 11, 2011 at the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, 1309 Fourth Street SW.
Details: 1pm – 4pm, Thursdays
August 11, 2011 – September 2, 2011
Investment: $250 per attendee
Register online
Dozens of small business owners have completed this series. When asked what they liked best about the classes, previous participants said:
“Group feedback from peers who are knowledgeable and interested in class discussions”
“Directed conversation”
“The push to pinpoint your client and describe your business in seven to eight words is very helpful”
“Development of business bio”
“Goal setting”
“I enjoyed peer input as well as the introduction to many tools to assist in my marketing plan.”
“Finding out ways to multi-task”
“Feedback, helpful weblinks and utilities”
“The comfort level to ask any question”
Five reasons to consider enrolling in the Four-Week Marketing Master Plan class series:
- The structure of this program makes it easy to proceed. No more questions about where to start. Instead, you focus on your business, beginning with its goals, an analysis of its strengths and weaknesses and an overview of your best customer.
- Small groups increase your market planning effectiveness. Participants serve as sounding boards, trusted advisors and creative catalysts for brainstorming.
- With no ringing phones, you concentrate fully on your business and identifying the marketing tactics to make your product/service noticeable.
- Interactive weekly meetings hold you accountable and by the end of the four-session class series, you develop a detailed plan with time lines for each action.
- The workbook, 197-pages of worksheets, guides, resources and questions, is yours to keep.
Costs for the sessions is $250. Participation is limited to 10.
Sessions are presented by Mary Ellen Merrigan, author of “The Six-Week Marketing Master Plan.”
Comments from previous 6WMMP participants include:
“I found it was easier to start thinking about a comprehensive marketing plan for my own business through our sharing and feedback sessions and reviewing other class attendees’ strategy.” – Aubrey Owens, BigByte.cc Corp
“Positive ways of learning how to manage the marketing mudslide and use it to your advantage.” Jonathan Kronz, Aveda Institute New Mexico
“I love how the material holds you accountable with lists and worksheets.” – Karyth Becenti, Mark Pardo Hair Skin Body
“Mary Ellen’s program helped me focus, answer questions, and provided direction and suppork.” – Dolores Maez, Inn at the Delta
“The people you meet in class are wonderful and the synergy of ideas are mind-expanding. So much information – you leave each session bursting with new ideas.” – Margaret Onuska
“Mary Ellen’s program was very informative with many social media ideas as well as a detailed outline on developing a marketing plan.” – Janea Davis, Advanced Transcription.
Create Your One Page Marketing Plan Now
May 11, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
“It’s expensive to advertise.”
“With so many choices, where do you put your money?”
“Everything is changing – will my business survive?”
If you recognize yourself in these statements/questions, you’re not alone. The sheer proliferation of marketing channels causes many small business owners to request help with marketing. Every day I hear from individuals who want reassurance. It’s a fact: there’s no easy solution.
Move from questions to action in a series of Marketing Master Plan classes sponsored by the South Valley SBDC. Learn from your peers, other small business owners who experience some of the same problems you face.
The Marketing Master Plan Series is back by popular demand. Each of the four-week sessions provides opportunities for hands-on work. Participants receive a copy of the updated 197-page e-book, “The Six-Week Marketing Master Plan,” a $69.95 value.
Weekly agendas include:
6WMMP in 4: Week 1 Objectives (1:00pm – 4pm, Thursday May 26, 2011)
• Engage in the 6WMMP challenge
• Prepare a SWOT analysis
• Connect value and differentiation in business
• Define your target audience
• Find your audience online
• Assess your competition
• Grasp the importance of Google analytics
• Understand how this places in the plan
6WMMP in 4: Week 2 Objectives (1:00pm – 4pm, Thursday June 2, 2011)
• Assess your business and social media
• Understand the social threesome
• Solidify the social choice of a Facebook Page
• Identify differences between Profiles & Pages
• Boost knowledge of mobile and local search
• Grasp how a bio fits in and boosts visibility
• Build a measurable social media strategy
• Understand social media’s place in the plan
6WMMP in 4: Week 3 Objectives (2:00pm – 5pm, Thursday June 9, 2011)
• Develop Fact Sheet for collateral materials
• Formulate and prioritize edit list for website
• Review additional web resources
• Discover additional media to showcase
• Prepare to launch an online media room
• Understand how this places in the plan
6WMMP in 4: Week 4 Objectives (1:00pm – 4pm, Thursday June 16, 2011)
• Plan promotions for your business
• Develop and prioritize an editorial calendar
• Produce a blog calendar and categories
• Schedule your strategic publishing plan
• Build your One Page Marketing Plan
• Define next steps
• Celebrate! Completion
The South Valley SBDC first offered this program in April 2011. When asked, “What did you like best about this seminar series?” participants responded:
“feedback, helpful weblinks and utilities”
“finding out ways to multitask”
“group feedback from peers who are knowledgeable and interested in class discussions while Mary Ellen directs the conversation”
“the goal-setting, designing the path”
“flow and positivity”
I enjoyed the opportunity of peer input as well as the introduction to many tools to assist in my marketing plan”
Register through the South Valley SBDC.
“The people you meet in class are wonderful and the synergy of ideas are mind-expanding.” – Margaret Onuska
“I found it was easier to start thinking about a comprehensive marketing plan for my own business through our sharing and feedback sessions and reviewing other class attendees’ strategy.” -Aubrey Owens
“Uplifting, informative, positive ways of learning how to manage the marketing mudslide and use it to your advantage.” – Jonathan Kronz
Conclusion:
Tom Landry, former coach of the Dallas Cowboys said, “A coach is someone who makes you do what you don’t want to do so you can become who you want to be. Get coached on a current marketing plan with the Master Marketing Plan Series. Participants develop their plan during the month and present it at the final session.
Details:
South Valley SBDC
Thursdays, 1-4pm
May 26, 2011 through June 16, 2011
Register online or for more information call Liliana at 505-248-0132.
Marketing with Social Media Course Slated for March
February 17, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
The combination of moving faster and being connected 24/7 means one thing: you must be more clear in your communication.
Social media provides an opportunity to directly connect with customers, vendors, potential employers and friends. Frequently, the proliferation of social channels and the lack of a cohesive strategy dooms the effort before it begins.
Marketing with Social Media, a nine-hour course from UNM Continuing Education puts you in a position of choice. The three-session course will help you:
- Realistically assess where you are and where you want to go
- Explore social options that complement current strategies and serve your purpose
- Understand how major social media channels best serve their participants
- Explore the ever-changing world of Facebook Pages (formerly called Fan pages)
- Identify the differences between Profiles and Pages on Facebook, the number one social media choice, and review communication strategy differences for the two
- Gain knowledge of resources to automate and systematize your social media experience
- Develop a strategy for choosing your communication channel and making it more successful
- Review examples of best practices to solidify thought processes
Details:
What: Course # 55623
When: Wednesdays, 6pm – 9pm – Three sessions, March 16, 23, 30
Where: CE South Building, 1634 University NE
Price: $229
About the Instructor:
Mary Ellen Merrigan specializes in practical and sane marketing strategies for small business owners. She offers realistic solutions customized to each participant.
Workshop participants say:
“With Mary Ellen as guide, I learned how to navigate the tsunami of marketing strategies, how to create a marketing plan for my business and most important, how to stay true to myself. Get her eBook, but take her course or get her as a consultant. For it is Mary Ellen herself that brings the magic, that inspires, that helps you probe deep into what makes your business unique. And, the best part is that she models what she teaches. She is authentic. Thank you, Mary Ellen.” – Gail Summers
“A great place to start marketing your business with social media.” – Victor Lopez
“Extremely useful for initiating business strategy for social media.” – Janet Bridgers
Mary Ellen continues to keep abreast of the ever-changing world of social media. She has two social media certifications and just completed a two-week Facebook Page training course. For special questions, connect with Mary Ellen via email.
Untangle the Marketing Knot
January 5, 2011 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
Stymied by marketing?
Fed up with social media that sucks your time and offers little or no return?
Disgusted that your competitor got a feature in the local paper and you did not?
Tired of hearing promise after promise about the four hour work week as you put in 40, 50 or 60 hours of effort?
You’re not alone.
It’s time to stop the insanity. Do something different. If your New Year’s resolution involves changing your marketing results, look no further.
“The Six Week Marketing Master Plan” untangles today’s many marketing channels. (Disclosure: I collaborated with designer and web specialist Maria G. Nozza to produce the book in 2009.)
A group of dedicated consultants and coaches is now working through the program. Revision 1.11 launches later this month.
During the past year dozens of professionals have used this system to set and achieve marketing goals. They’ve produced detailed marketing plans customized for each of their businesses.
The Six Week Marketing Master Plan gives structure and streamlines efforts. Participants learn a systematized method to customize collateral and define tactics for visibility.
A new group now forming begins the week of January 24, 2011. For details, complete this contact page.
Each participant receives the revised, expanded and updated Six Week Marketing Master Plan. Classes, limited to 10, meet weekly for three hours.
Six week classes also begin in March and April.
“This program helps you sort and prioritize so you know which business efforts help you succeed,” commented author and facilitator Mary Ellen Merrigan.
“Don’t let another year pass without accomplishing the marketing goals you choose.”
Get Strategic, Get Results! DIY Social Media
August 9, 2010 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
If you’ve ever asked, “What’s the point?” this seminar is for you.
If you’re positive you could do than ask people to buy, this seminar is for you.
If you’re not sure that your time online is well-spent, this seminar is for you.
In the second workshop of a three-part Do-It-Yourself series for the Albuquerque South Valley Small Business Development Center, (SBDC) Mary Ellen Merrigan discusses social media for entrepreneurs.
“Get Strategic, Get Results!” provides guidelines for business owners who want to do more than simply get on board with social media.
- Learn why engaging customers online is a must.
- Transform your efforts with five big “Best Practices.”
- Build your foundation for Facebook with 10 tips for using a Facebook page.
- Discover when to hire it out, and what you should know before you do.
To get effective you may only need to tweak your current efforts. Find out more in this free, two-hour workshop sponsored by the South Valley Small Business Development Center.
Details: 10a – 12noon, Tuesday, October 20, 2010 at the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, 1304 Fourth Street Southwest. For additional information or registration, call 505-248-0132.
Mary Ellen Merrigan has developed successful, sales-building D.I.Y. (Do it Yourself) smart marketing strategies for a wide range of clients promotes the benefits of combining traditional and social media. She is the author of “The Six Week Master Marketing Plan: An hour a day to take your business to the next level,” available online at http://www.sixweekmarketingplan.com. Join Mary Ellen to learn how you can use smart marketing to achieve a positive bottom line.
Public Relations Workshop Builds Skills for Entrepreneurs
May 20, 2010 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
You’ve gotten pretty good at free marketing which is why you’re all over social media, using Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to promote your buisness. But what’s up with your competitor getting coverage in the Sunday paper? What can you do to get that?
Your competitor likely used a press release to alert the media to a newsworthy event. Now you can do the same.
No need to pay a professional public relations person to write a formal press release. Learn this important skill for yourself in a two session workshop Mary Ellen Merrigan presents for WESST, 4 – 6pm on June 16 and 23.
In an interactive seminar cover the reasons to generate a press release and then review an easy formula to produce one. Test your press release idea in front of a small group of participants and get input from other small business owners who, like you, prefer to market on the cheap.
You’ll write your own release during the week between sessions using guidelines provided. In part two, discover specific media outreach techniques, best practices and ideas to align your business with other community partners. The workshop concludes with a discussion of free publicity outlets.
Registration is $59, $49 with seven-day advance purchase.Register online or call Lorena Schott at 505-246-6939 to reserve your space.
Six-Week Marketing Plan E-Book Launches Online
May 9, 2010 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
Simplify marketing with “The Six-Week Marketing Master Plan: an easy, step-by step action plan to boost your business in one hour per day,” published this April by Mary Ellen Merrigan and Maria G. Nozza. 
The 157-page e-book, now available online, serves small business owners with no marketing department, service providers, coaches and consultants.
A series of questions and exercises guides participants through the experience offering an all-in-one guide to marketing. As users complete the program they produce a solid foundation for their own visibility program.
The master plan idea began as an outline for one client. Then, as Mary Ellen collaborated with Maria on a website revision, the two challenged each other to walk their talk. The two made a 45-day pact to work on their business.
Discussions with other clients developed into a beta test.
“The book almost wrote itself,” Merrigan said. Every Monday I delivered the next week’s assignments to my beta group of ten.”
“This is a 360-degree view of a firm. It can be a daunting experience, overwhelming even, to consider on your own,” Merrigan continued. “Realistically, 6WMMP solidifies everything and lets you streamline your communication.”
Within 45 days working just one hour per day, participants have a complete plan for their business. The guide helps them assess their current efforts, evaluate specifics, list to do’s and set immediate goals.
Designer Maria G. Nozza made the user experience easier with a visual presentation to support the user. High-impact visuals, easy-to-follow directions, and a consistent presentation make this workbook appealing.
Feedback has been gratifying. One experienced entrepreneur printed the workbook and now uses it for a reference. Others mention the opportunity to concentrate on one facet of the business at a time.
Chapters include:
Week One, “Getting Started,” concentrates on overview, offering a template for evaluating current marketing efforts. This module supports existing businesses as well as startups.
Week Two, “Find Your Audience and Seek Them Out,” offers an in-depth look at target marketing as participants research and reach for their potential customers.
Week Three, “Find Your Competitors and Your Keywords,” begins to define the nuances separating a business from others with flagship content.
Week Four, “Social Media,” concentrates on incorporating social strategies into a marketing plan, exploring tips on bios, “about my company” paragraphs, email signatures and more.
Week Five, “Develop Content Plan,” helps participants outline promotional collateral as well as media to showcase on the website.
Week Six, “Strategic Marketing,” discusses promotional strategies, editorial calendars and long-range strategic solutions. A one-page marketing plan incorporates the previous week’s work into a marketing visual for the future.
The final three days in the Six Week Marketing Master Plan include a review of accomplishments, challenges and an implementation schedule.
Each week of the effort builds on the previous work. By the end of the 45 day period, an entrepreneur will review every aspect of his plan from branding and visual image to aspects of search engine optimization including keywords and backlinks.
“We wanted to make it easier for solopreneurs,” Merrigan said. “They really can do it themselves, thanks to the plan.”
The Six Week Marketing Master Plan sells for $69.95 and can be purchased from http://www.sixweekmarketingplan.com.
Additional offerings including video as well as teleseminars will be forthcoming from the Merrigan-Nozza duo.
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