A Marketing Plan That Actually Works: 3 Principles to Ditch the Guesswork

Ever feel like you’re just throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks with your marketing? You post on social, send an email, and maybe write a blog, all without a clear idea of what’s working. The truth is, the best marketing isn’t about doing everything; it’s about doing the right things with intention.

A solid plan is your secret weapon. It turns your effort into an investment. Here are three simple principles to help you stop guessing and start growing.

1. Stop Marketing to Everyone. Start Marketing to Someone.

This is the biggest mistake I see. You can’t be everything to everyone. When your message is for "everybody," it ends up resonating with nobody. A great plan starts with knowing your ideal customer inside and out.

Go beyond the basics. Don’t just list their age and location. What are their biggest frustrations? What do they dream about achieving? What's the one thing that keeps them up at night? When you can answer these questions, you can create marketing that feels like a personal conversation, not a generic ad.

2. Ditch Vague Wishes for Concrete Goals.

"I want more sales" is not a plan—it's a wish. A solid strategy is built on goals you can actually track and measure.

Instead of saying, "I want more website traffic," try this: "Our goal is to increase organic search traffic by 25% in the next six months." This kind of goal gives you a clear target and a way to know if your efforts are paying off. You can't improve what you don't measure.

3. Pick Your Platforms and Stick to Them.

You don't need to be everywhere. Trying to manage a TikTok, a Facebook, an Instagram, and a LinkedIn

account all at once is a surefire way to spread yourself too thin. The result is usually mediocre

content on every channel.

Go back to your ideal customer from step one. Where do they spend their time online? That's where you should be. If your audience is on LinkedIn, you don't need to be creating dance videos on TikTok. Master one or two platforms, and put all your energy into creating killer content there.

A great marketing plan isn't about being everywhere; it's about being focused and intentional. When you follow these three simple principles, you'll stop wasting time and start seeing real results.