The Marketing Planning Method That Actually Works for Small Businesses.
Does this scenario sound familiar to you? “Sarah” had been running her accountancy practice for five years. She knew she needed to market her services, so she tried a little bit of everything: LinkedIn and Insta posts when she remembered, the occasional Google Ad, sporadic email campaigns to her database. Nothing seemed to stick.
Her problem wasn't effort. It was the absence of a proper plan connecting it all together.
The truth is, most small businesses treat marketing like a to-do list rather than a strategic system. They jump from tactic to tactic, hoping something will work, without understanding how it all fits together.
Why Planning Matters More Than Tactics
Here's what happens without a proper marketing plan:
You waste money on tactics that don't support your goals
You can't tell what's working and what isn't
Your marketing feels exhausting rather than energising
You struggle to justify your marketing spend
Results remain frustratingly inconsistent
With a clear plan, everything changes. You know what you're trying to achieve, how you'll get there, and whether it's working. Marketing becomes manageable.
The Five Critical Questions Every Business Must Answer
1. Where Are We Now?
Before you can plan where you're going, you need honest answers about where you are:
How well is your current marketing actually performing?
Who are your best customers and what do they really want?
What are your competitors doing that's working?
What resources do you actually have to work with?
How strong is your brand in the market?
Most businesses skip this completely and jump straight to "let's post more on social media." That's like setting off on a journey without checking your starting point.
2. Where Do We Want to Be?
Vague goals like "get more customers" don't cut it. You need specific targets:
What revenue growth are you aiming for?
How many new customers do you need?
Which markets or customer types are you targeting?
What does success actually look like in 12 months?
The more specific your destination, the easier it is to plan the route.
3. Which Way is Best?
Once you know where you are and where you want to go, you need to choose your approach:
Should you focus on selling more to existing customers?
Or finding completely new markets?
Should you launch new services or improve existing ones?
What strategy gives you the best chance of success with the resources you have?
This is where most businesses get it wrong. They try to do everything rather than choosing the path that makes most sense for them.
4. How Do We Get There?
This is where strategy becomes action. You need to work out:
What specific marketing activities will you do?
When will you do them?
Who's responsible for what?
How much budget do you need?
What tools or help do you need?
A plan that stays in your head (or in a drawer) is useless. You need clear, actionable steps.
5. How Do We Stay on Track?
The final piece most businesses miss: measuring what's actually working.
What numbers will tell you if you're succeeding?
How often will you check progress?
What will you do if something isn't working?
How will you capture what you learn for next time?
Without this step, you'll keep repeating the same mistakes and missing opportunities to improve.
Real Results from Proper Planning
When businesses take time to plan properly, the difference is remarkable.
One of our clients, a recruitment firm, had been doing "random acts of marketing" for years. After working through a proper planning process, they:
Identified their most profitable customer segment
Focused their limited budget where it would make the biggest difference
Created a consistent pipeline of qualified leads
Could finally measure what was working
The marketing didn't become easier overnight. But it became manageable, measurable, and most importantly, effective.
Getting Started: Your Free Marketing Plan Workbook
I've created a practical workbook that guides you through this entire planning process.
It's designed specifically for small business owners who know they need a proper marketing plan but don't have time for complicated frameworks or consultancy jargon.
Inside you'll find:
Clear questions to help you analyse your current situation
Space to define specific, achievable goals
Tools to evaluate your strategic options
Practical templates for planning your activities
Simple ways to track and measure results
To get a copy of the FREE marketing plan document, email me on marie@reemarketing.co.uk
Three Steps to Get Started This Week
Don't try to do everything at once. Start with these three steps:
This week: Spend an hour honestly assessing where you are now. Write down what's working, what isn't, and what opportunities you're missing.
Next week: Set three specific goals for the next 90 days. Not vague aims like "do more marketing" but concrete targets like "generate 10 qualified leads per month."
Week three: Choose one focused approach and plan the first practical steps. What will you actually do, when, and how will you know if it's working?
After just three weeks of focused planning, you'll have more clarity than you've had in years of random marketing activity.
Why This Matters Now
Your competitors are probably still doing random marketing. Posting when they remember. Running ads occasionally. Hoping something sticks.
That's your opportunity.
While they're guessing, you can be planning. While they're hoping, you can be measuring. While they're frustrated with marketing, you can be using it to grow your business systematically.
The businesses that thrive aren't the ones with the biggest budgets. They're the ones with the clearest plans.
Your Next Step
Request the workbook. Set aside an hour this week. Work through the first section.
You'll immediately see gaps you've been missing and opportunities you've been overlooking. That clarity alone is worth the investment of time.
And if you'd like help putting your plan into action? That's exactly what I do.
[Get Your Free Marketing Plan Workbook Now → email marie@reemarketing.co.uk
No email walls. No hard sell. Just a practical tool to help you create a marketing plan that actually works for your business.
Because scattered tactics keep you busy. Strategic plans make you successful.
The Most Common Disconnects Between Sales and Marketing and How to Fix Them.
As a marketing leader, I’ve always believed that sales and marketing should operate as one team, yet, all too often, I see these functions locking heads.
While each department has distinct and equally important roles, neither can thrive without the other. Time and time again, I see the same challenges arise, whether they are operational issues or cultural ones.
The Most Common Disconnects
Even though sales and marketing share the same goal of driving revenue and delighting customers, misalignment between the two teams is all too common. When roles, expectations, and processes aren’t clearly defined, misunderstandings can escalate into frustration, missed opportunities, and stalled deals.
Below are some of the most common disconnects I see between sales and marketing:
Unclear roles, responsibilities, and lead definitions
When accountability isn’t defined for each stage of the buyer journey, leads bounce between teams, creating frustration, stalled deals, and tension. Confused definitions of lead quality add to the confusion, as marketing and sales may not agree on which leads are ready to engage.
Slow or inconsistent follow-up and poor communication
Even the best leads can go cold if responses are delayed. Teams working in isolation or without strong communication may fail to share insights about content, campaigns, or prospect behaviour, leading to missed opportunities and wasted effort.
Different KPIs, incentives, and feedback resistance
When marketing is measured on lead volume or engagement and sales is measured on closed deals, collaboration suffers. Weak feedback loops make it harder for teams to learn from each other, and insights may be ignored, further reinforcing misalignment.
Inconsistent messaging and limited understanding of the buyer journey
If marketing campaigns promise one thing while sales delivers another, prospects get confused, trust erodes, and conversions drop. Misunderstanding each other’s challenges or the buyer’s journey further exacerbates the problem.
Over-reliance on tools and lack of shared data
CRMs, dashboards, and automation platforms are helpful, but they can’t replace alignment. Without shared data and reporting, teams may rely on different numbers, fueling finger-pointing and misinformed decisions.
What True Alignment Looks Like
Getting sales and marketing aligned isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s essential for driving revenue and creating a collaborative, culture. When teams work together effectively, every campaign, and every customer interaction becomes more efficient and impactful.
Here’s what sales and marketing alignment should look like:
Shared definitions, clear ownership, and documented processes
Agree on what constitutes an MQL, SQL, and Opportunity, and define exactly who is responsible at each stage of the buyer journey. Document hand-offs, timelines, and follow-up processes so nothing slips through the cracks and accountability is clear.
Ongoing communication and feedback loops
Regular check-ins and open dialogue ensure both teams stay aligned on lead quality, campaign performance, and conversion bottlenecks. Treat this as a collaborative improvement process rather than a blame session.
Shared goals, incentives, and performance metrics
Measure both teams against common objectives, like pipeline growth or revenue targets. When success is defined collectively, collaboration naturally increases, and everyone wins when the organisation succeeds.
Culture of trust and collaboration
Alignment isn’t just about processes, it’s about people. When teams share language, goals, and ownership, trust replaces blame. Navigating tough moments together and celebrating wins side-by-side turns alignment into momentum and sustainable growth.
To bring this to life, here’s an insight from Guy Wendon, a fractional sales director I work with:
“What Marie highlights so well is that alignment isn’t about process alone, it’s about culture. When sales and marketing share language, goals, and ownership, trust replaces blame, and predictable revenue follows. It’s about getting through the tough moments together.
When sales and marketing work as one team, they share the pressure in the challenging periods and celebrate the wins side-by-side. That’s when the energy shifts from finger-pointing to momentum, and real growth happens.”
The Payoff
When sales and marketing truly function as one coordinated team, aligned on definitions, responsibilities, processes, and shared goals, the result isn’t just smoother operations. It’s:
Predictable revenue growth
Faster deal cycles
A culture of collaboration rather than blame
As Guy points out: “When sales and marketing are aligned, the customer feels it and that’s where the real competitive advantage lies.”
The most successful teams are those that navigate challenges together, celebrate wins together, and share a sense of accountability. That’s where alignment stops being a checklist and starts being a source of energy and growth.
Marketing Strategy vs. Marketing Plan: Why the Difference Matters
Within marketing conversations, strategy and plan are frequently blurred together. It can be an easy mix-up, after all, both are about guiding your business forward. But treating them as the same thing can cause confusion, dilute focus, and waste resources.
In reality, a marketing strategy and a marketing plan are two very different but interconnected elements. One sets the direction; the other ensures that direction is followed.
Without both working in harmony, businesses risk either drifting aimlessly or running in circles.
🧭 What Is a Marketing Strategy?
A strong marketing strategy provides clarity on the big picture—it defines where you’re going and why. It typically addresses:
Business direction: How marketing supports the overall growth goals of the company.
Market focus: Which customer segments, geographies, or industries to prioritise and grow into.
Product priorities: Which products or services take precedence, and how the portfolio should evolve.
Positioning: How the brand differentiates itself in a crowded marketplace.
Organisational structure: The marketing capabilities, teams, and resources required to succeed.
Long-term outcomes: The role marketing plays in building brand equity, increasing market share, and driving sustainable revenue growth.
Think of strategy as the compass: it sets the direction, ensures resources are aligned, and gives meaning to every marketing decision. Without it, marketing risks becoming a collection of disconnected tactics that fail to deliver lasting impact.
📆What Is a Marketing Plan?
If strategy is the compass, the marketing plan is the roadmap. It turns strategic intent into day-to-day action. The plan answers the how, outlining the specific tactics, timelines, and responsibilities needed to execute effectively.
A well-crafted plan includes:
Campaigns and activities: The initiatives that bring the strategy to life.
Timelines and calendars: When each activity will take place and how efforts align across the year.
Budgets and resources: How funds, people, and tools are allocated.
Roles and accountability: Who owns which parts of execution.
Technology and platforms: The systems used to manage, automate, and measure marketing activities.
Key performance indicators (KPIs): How success will be measured and tracked.
Review and adaptation cycles: How often progress will be assessed and adjustments made.
Where the strategy defines purpose, the plan makes it actionable, breaking big goals into smaller, manageable steps that can be delivered consistently and measured effectively.
🎯Why You Need Both
Many SMEs fall into one of two traps:
All strategy, no plan: Vision and ideas are well-defined, but there’s no follow-through.
All plan, no strategy: Endless campaigns are produced, but they lack connection to a bigger purpose hence wasting both money and time.
When strategy and plan work together, the strategy gives meaning to your efforts, while the plan ensures those efforts are consistent, structured, and impactful.
⚖️ Bringing It Together
Your marketing strategy sets the foundation, and your plan transforms it into something tangible and lasting. Together, they ensure that marketing isn’t just busy work—it’s purposeful, measurable, and growth-driven.
I help businesses align their strategy and plan so they’re not just active, but effective, driving measurable growth with every move.
Get in touch if you’d like to understand more about my support: marie@reemarketing.co.uk
Why Being “On Social Media” Isn’t Enough: The Importance of Strategy for SMEs
Over the last 6 months in my role as a marketing consultant, I’ve had countless conversations with small and medium-sized business owners who have been told “You need to be on social media.” So, they jump in, [often reluctantly]because it feels like the “done” thing. They hire an agency, start posting a few times a week, and... nothing happens.
No engagement. No real traction. Just mounting frustration and the sense that social media is a waste of time and money.
Here’s the hard truth: social media without a strategy is like driving without a map. You’ll burn fuel, but you’re unlikely to reach your destination.
Why Social Media Feels So Frustrating
Most SMEs enter the world of social media with the best intentions but with little clarity. They're told it's essential, so they jump in. But here’s where things go wrong:
No clear objectives: What are you trying to achieve? Brand awareness? Lead generation? Customer loyalty?
No understanding of the audience: Who are you speaking to? What platforms do they use? What content resonates with them?
No alignment with wider business goals: Social media doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It must support your wider marketing and sales funnel.
No metrics for success: If you don’t define success upfront, you won’t know what’s working or what’s not.
When these aren’t defined from the beginning, even the best agency can’t deliver real results. Because they’re posting for the sake of it, not with purpose.
How to Create a Social Media Strategy That Actually Works
Here are some practical tips to help SMEs take control and use social media intentionally:
1. Start with Your Business Goals
Everything should flow from your main objectives. Are you trying to:
Increase brand awareness?
Drive traffic to your website?
Generate qualified leads?
Improve customer service?
Define this early. Social media isn’t the goal it’s a tool to support your business goals.
2. Know Your Audience
Avoid posting into the void. Research and define:
Who your ideal customer is
Where they spend their time online
What content formats they prefer (video, carousels, infographics, etc.)
What challenges or pain points you can help solve
3. Choose the Right Platforms
Not every business needs to be on every platform. Focus on the ones where your audience is active and where your content can shine. For example:
LinkedIn for B2B services
Instagram for visual brands
TikTok for trend-driven or creative storytelling
Facebook for local community engagement
4. Create a Content Plan
Consistency matters but so does relevance. Plan your content around themes that align with your business goals. Some ideas:
Educational posts (to position you as an expert)
Testimonials and case studies
Behind-the-scenes glimpses
Industry insights or thought leadership
Pro tip: Don’t just post what you want to say—post what your audience wants to hear.
5. Measure What Matters
Track the metrics that align with your goals. For example:
If your goal is awareness: look at reach, impressions, and new followers.
If your goal is leads: focus on click-throughs, conversions, and DMs.
Regularly review what’s working and adjust accordingly.
Social media isn’t a magic bullet but when used strategically, it can be a powerful part of your marketing toolkit. Don’t let FOMO or peer pressure push you into a scattergun approach. Take the time to clarify your goals, understand your audience, and develop a content plan that serves both.
And if you’re not sure where to start or want a second opinion on what’s working (and what’s not), that’s where I come in. Let's have a conversation about aligning your social media presence with your business strategy so your efforts don’t go to waste.
Unlocking Growth: How a Comprehensive Marketing Audit Can Transform Your Business
In today’s fast-paced business environment, staying ahead requires more than just intuition and good ideas, it demands a deep, strategic understanding of your market, your customers, and your own operations. This is where a comprehensive marketing audit becomes a game-changer. Far from being a simple checklist, a marketing audit provides a 360-degree view of your company’s marketing health, illuminating opportunities and revealing hidden challenges that might be holding real business growth back.
Why a Marketing Audit?
Many businesses get caught in the day-to-day grind of campaigns, sales targets, and customer demands without ever stepping back to ask:
Are we truly aligned with our business goals?
Are our strategies driving sustainable growth?
A marketing audit is the essential pause button. It’s a detailed evaluation that helps you understand not only what’s working but also what’s missing, enabling you to refine your approach and maximise impact.
Starting with What Matters Most: Your Business Goals
At the heart of every marketing audit is a clear understanding of your business goals. Whether you’re focused on expanding your customer base, improving retention, launching new products, or entering new markets, your marketing efforts must be designed to support these objectives. We start by clarifying these goals and ensuring that every marketing initiative aligns seamlessly with them. Without this foundational step, even the most creative campaigns risk missing the mark.
One of the most critical outcomes of a marketing audit is a renewed understanding of your customer, who they are, what truly matters to them, and how your brand fits into their lives. It uncovers where your strongest relationships lie and highlights new opportunities to connect with audiences you may not have considered before. This customer-centric perspective is essential because growing a business depends on both attracting fresh interest and nurturing lasting loyalty. It’s this delicate balance between acquisition and retention that the audit helps you master.
But customers don’t exist in isolation. An audit should explore the broader context of the competitive environment, emerging market trends, and even your internal capabilities plays an equally important role. A marketing audit provides a panoramic view of these factors, giving you a clearer sense of where you stand, where you have an edge, and where you may need to adapt. Every business needs to regularly evaluate the strategies and partnerships that drive its growth. Sometimes, what once worked well no longer delivers the impact it used to. At other times, promising collaborations are overlooked or underutilised.
Measuring progress toward your goals is fundamental to sustained success. The audit clarifies which performance indicators genuinely reflect your business’s health and growth, allowing you to shift from guesswork to data-driven confidence. It also uncovers whether your current technology stack supports your ambitions or if upgrades are needed to keep pace with changing demands.
Why Businesses Benefit More from an External Marketing Audit
While internal audits can provide useful insights, there’s a unique and powerful advantage to bringing in an external perspective when evaluating your marketing efforts. Businesses often find that an external marketing audit delivers deeper, more objective, and actionable insights. Here’s why:
1. Unbiased Objectivity
Internal teams are deeply involved in day-to-day operations, which can create blind spots or biases. It’s easy to become attached to existing strategies, campaigns, or assumptions. An external auditor approaches your marketing with fresh eyes and no preconceived notions, allowing for a more honest, impartial assessment. This objectivity is crucial for identifying issues that internal teams might overlook or be reluctant to challenge.
2. Broader Industry Expertise
External auditors often work across multiple industries and businesses, giving them a broader perspective on market trends, best practices, and emerging technologies. This wide-ranging experience enables them to benchmark your marketing efforts against industry standards and competitors more effectively, providing valuable insights that internal teams may lack.
3. Specialised Skill Set
Marketing audits require a blend of analytical skills, strategic thinking, and deep knowledge of the latest tools and metrics. External consultants are typically specialists trained specifically in conducting audits and interpreting complex data, which means they can uncover nuances and opportunities that might be missed internally.
4. Fresh Strategic Ideas
An external audit can inject new ideas and innovative approaches based on market-wide learnings and cross-industry experience. This infusion of fresh thinking often helps businesses break free from entrenched habits and opens the door to creative strategies that drive growth.
5. Enhanced Credibility
For stakeholders, investors, or partners, an external audit carries additional credibility. It shows a commitment to transparency and accountability, which can be reassuring when making strategic decisions or securing funding.
6. Resource Efficiency
Conducting a thorough audit requires time, focus, and expertise that internal teams might not be able to spare, especially if they’re managing ongoing campaigns and daily operations. Outsourcing the audit frees your team to keep running the business while ensuring the evaluation is done thoroughly and professionally.
In essence, a marketing audit is much more than a routine checkup, it is a strategic compass. It reveals the interconnected elements that influence your success and empowers you to make informed, deliberate choices. If your business is ready to move beyond fragmented tactics and toward a holistic, purpose-driven marketing approach, a comprehensive audit could be the catalyst that sparks lasting transformation. Get in touch.
Fractional Marketing vs. Full-Time Hire: Which Is Right for Your Business?
It all begins with an idea.
When your business hits a critical growth point or needs stronger strategic marketing direction, the next step is clear, you need experienced marketing leadership. But should you hire a full-time marketing director or bring on a fractional marketer?
This decision isn’t just about budget, it’s about aligning the right level of expertise, flexibility, and focus with your business goals. In this article, we’ll break down the costs, flexibility, and impact of each option to help you make the best choice.
What’s the Difference?
Full-Time Marketing Director: A permanent employee who leads your marketing function day-to-day, usually working 40 hours a week with full salary and benefits.
Fractional Marketing Director: A senior-level marketing consultant who works part-time or on a project basis. You gain strategic leadership and execution support, without the commitment of a full-time role.
Cost Comparison
Full-Time Hire:
Annual salary typically ranges from £80,000–£150,000 (or more, depending on location and industry)
Plus: employer pension contributions, bonuses, benefits, training, and other overheads
Total cost often exceeds £100k annually
Fractional Marketer:
Costs are based on a fixed monthly rate or day rate
Typically ranges from £1,500–£8,000/month depending on scope and time commitment
No long-term contracts, employer taxes, or added overheads
Winner on Cost Efficiency: Fractional Marketer
You get senior-level insight and leadership at a fraction of the price.
Flexibility
Full-Time Hire:
Fixed hours, fixed cost
Less adaptable during slow periods or transitions
Harder to scale up/down quickly
Fractional Marketer:
Flexible hours and project scope
Scalable depending on your growth or campaign cycles
Ideal for temporary leadership, growth phases, or restructuring
Winner on Agility: Fractional Marketer
You only pay for what you need, when you need it.
Impact & Strategic Value
Full-Time Hire:
Can be deeply embedded in the business
Strong internal relationships
Available for day-to-day management and long-term initiatives
Fractional Marketer:
Brings external perspective and cross-industry experience
Quick to identify gaps and recommend changes
Often more focused on strategic outcomes and efficiency
Great for businesses lacking internal marketing leadership or needing a reset
It Depends:
If you need deep operational management, a full-time hire might suit.
If you need strategic clarity, executional oversight, and faster results—a fractional marketer is often the smarter choice.
Final Thoughts
Hiring a fractional marketing director is an excellent option for businesses that want strategic leadership without the high cost and long-term commitment of a full-time executive. You gain fresh perspective, faster implementation, and results-driven insight that’s focused entirely on growth.
If you're considering fractional support and want to understand how it could work in your business, let's talk. I offer strategic marketing leadership tailored to your stage of growth, with a focus on ROI, efficiency, and long-term success.