Why you need a promo calendar
As a small business, it’s not lost on us the amount of time it takes to brainstorm new product ideas, see how they all match up on a calendar, tie them into seasonal news hooks, and then figure out how to implement them.
It can be downright overwhelming!
Enter in the promo calendar, a twelve-month calendar of content that shows you what to cover (and when) so that you can share the appropriate info with your target audience.
All on a consistent basis.
We know what you’re thinking. Something like, “But I already have to develop new products, plan out my social media posts, keep up with shipping, and market my products. Why do I need a promo calendar?”
Funny you should ask.
In our experience working with clients, they tend to have one of two problems with promotions and publicity. Either, they can’t think of anything to promote. Or, they have so much going on, that they’re overwhelmed—and they are overwhelming their audiences.
Both cause overwhelm. Leading to inactivity. Meaning nothing gets promoted. Which leads to no revenue.
Enter in the promo calendar.
Here are three of our favorite reasons for why you need a promo calendar.
Maintains consistency
Above all else, a promo calendar helps you maintain consistency with your messages.
Consistency is crucial when it comes to publicizing and promoting your offerings. Once you’ve set expectations with your target audience, you must to maintain them.
If you hire influencers to all post on one day to promote your newest product, and then don’t ever have them mention it again, it’s a waste.
Especially if you yourself haven’t been mentioning or promoting your latest product.
That’s where a promo calendar comes in.
A promo calendar will help you strategically plan when and where to promote your messages, products, brand, and collaborations.
It can even help you see when you have more content to use than usual. Which allows you the flexibility to post more or push that content to another week.
On the reverse side, a promo calendar also alerts you to when your content is light. Allowing you advanced notice to gather new material with time to spare.
Serves as a record
A promo calendar isn’t just for planning your future content, it also can be used to record what you’ve previously promoted.
Think about it, you have a lot going on.
It isn’t always easy keeping track of how often you’ve mentioned your latest freebie or when your next sale is happening.
And, how do you know what you want to promote this February isn’t the exact same thing you promoted last February? Or, what if last February was your greatest month in sales? Don’t you want to know what you were promoting to have been so successful?
For this reason, you can use your promo calendar as system of record. And you’ll never be in the dark again.
Keeps you on message
By maintaining a promo calendar, you help yourself stay on track with your key messages.
At Hearsay, we operate by the 3GT Rule—a rule which says we will try to post three educational and entertaining posts (we call this gives) for every one promotional one (we call these takes).
We use this approach across all our publicity channels—in email marketing, on our blog, and especially on social media.
This strategy allows us to find common ground with our target audience. It also allows us to get to know them and gain their trust. Which, in turn, provides common ground for them to one day purchase our products.
Using a promo calendar is a key part in keeping our publicity balanced, as it allows us to see the big picture on what types of promotions we’re sharing and when.
