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Many advisors fall into a start-and-stop marketing pattern, focusing on it when business slows or when there’s a rare block of free time, only to set it aside again once client work takes over. The result? Inconsistent activity and unpredictable results.
A better approach is to follow a yearlong marketing cadence, a rhythm that keeps your marketing moving forward even during busy seasons. The structure is simple:
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Annually: Set the strategy.
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Quarterly: Turn strategy into a tactical plan.
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Weekly: Execute and track.
In Part 1 of this series, I covered the first step: your annual strategy. Now it’s time to take that high-level framework and turn it into something actionable: your quarterly tactical plan.
Quarterly: Turn Strategy Into a Tactical Plan
Your annual strategy is the big-picture framework. Your quarterly plan is how you bring that framework to life. This is where you take the broad channels, content, and relationships you identified in your strategy and break them down into a focused plan with specific actions, deadlines, and responsibilities.
A clear quarterly plan should answer three questions:
1. What Are Your Quarterly Objectives?
Start by setting specific, measurable objectives for the quarter. I recommend establishing a set of standard measurables you track every quarter:
- New Leads
- New Introductory Calls
- New Clients
While you can’t directly control these numbers, tracking them will help you determine how much activity is needed to reach your goals. Over time, as you repeat this process each quarter, you’ll begin to see the relationship between your marketing activities and these key metrics.
In addition to your standard measurables, choose one to three one-time objectives or outcomes you’d like to accomplish during the quarter. You may not have complete control over these either, but they help guide your focus. Examples include:
- Launch a new podcast.
- Schedule three speaking engagements.
- Meet with every CPA at your sister accounting firm.
- Launch a new website.
Your objectives give you focus and act as benchmarks for evaluating your progress at the end of the quarter. This doesn’t mean every single activity will directly support your objectives, but it ensures you have a primary focus for the quarter.
2. What Tactics Will Support Each Objective?
Once you have your quarterly measurables and objectives in place, the next step is to outline the specific tactics that will help you achieve them. Think of tactics as the “how” behind your goals. If your objective is the destination, your tactics are the step-by-step directions to get there.
Start by reviewing your annual marketing strategy for the channels, content, and relationships you identified. This strategy is your guiding light, and your quarterly tactics should connect directly back to one of these areas.
From there, ask yourself: How am I going to achieve one of my measurables or objectives under the umbrella of the annual strategy I created?
For example, if your goal is to add 150 leads to your database this quarter, and your strategy includes trade shows as a marketing channel, you might decide that sponsoring a trade show booth is a great way to quickly add names, especially if you offer a giveaway. In this case, a specific tactic could be sponsoring a booth at the local ABC trade show.
If your one-time objective is to schedule three speaking engagements, because speaking events are one of your chosen channels, you can look back at the relationships you listed in your strategy. Which connections can help you secure these engagements? That’s where you’ll focus your outreach.
When building your plan, be intentional:
- Decide which marketing channel activities you’ll participate in.
- Choose the content you’ll create from your content strategy.
- Identify the specific people within your influencer categories to meet or nurture.
The clearer you are when linking your tactics to your annual strategy, the more focused and effective your quarterly plan will be.
3. When Will Each Task Be Done and Who Is Responsible?
With your tactics for the quarter defined, the next step is to make them actionable by assigning deadlines and, when appropriate, responsibilities. This is where your quarterly plan becomes a weekly checklist you can actually complete.
From the tactics you identified in the last step, turn your quarterly plans into weekly tasks with specific deadlines. Start with recurring activities that happen daily or weekly and carry over from quarter to quarter, such as:
- Spend 15 minutes engaging on LinkedIn daily.
- Write an article for the company blog and LinkedIn newsletter every Monday.
- Send LinkedIn newsletter every Thursday.
- Attend the XYZ Business Association lunch on the third Thursday of each month.
Then add one-time or quarter-specific activities, such as:
- Submit application for ABC Trade Show by October 1.
- Order new logoed promotional products for trade show by October 5.
- Attend ABC Trade Show on November 15.
- Meet with John Doe to discuss joint speaking event on October 15.
From Planning to Doing
Breaking your annual strategy down into quarterly objectives and then into specific, actionable tasks ensures you know exactly what needs to happen each week to move the needle. Your job for the rest of the quarter is simple: Look at your weekly plan and follow it. No more replanning or debating — just doing.
In the next article, I’ll talk about how to execute and track your plan on a weekly basis so you can keep your marketing momentum going all year long.
About Kristen Luke
Kristen Luke is the president of Kaleido Creative Studio, a marketing consulting firm that helps financial advisors define their “who” and “how” through their OnNiche® program. With nearly 20 years of experience, Kristen has consulted with hundreds of financial advisory firms and shared her expertise through industry conferences and publications nationwide. She is also the author of Uncomparable: The Financial Advisor’s Guide to Standing Out Through Niche Marketing. Eligible advisors can request a free copy at onniche.com/book-request.
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Advisor Perspectives welcomes guest contributions. The views presented here do not necessarily represent those of Advisor Perspectives.
