Pierpont Communications, Inc.

I ran the Houston Half marathon on Sunday. It was a great race, with perfect weather and very supportive fans. It was my first half, and I finished in under 1:52, which I was pretty happy with, especially given a recent injury I was overcoming.

So what does my half marathon have to do with YOUR marketing campaign? A lot, actually. Like when you are training for a long distance run, there are a few important things to keep in mind when developing an effective marketing plan.

It’s not a sprint. A good marketing campaign takes time to plan and implement. It doesn’t happen overnight. Slow and steady, with a clear plan and strategy in place, is what wins the race.

Practice makes perfect. When you are training for a half marathon, you have to run – A LOT! One long run isn’t enough. The same applies to your marketing campaign. Hitting your target once with an email campaign or an advertisement won’t be effective. You have to connect with your audience multiple times, and on multiple levels, to make a difference.

Be flexible. I had a lot of personal obligations this past fall, as well as an Achilles injury, so I wasn’t able to train as planned for the half. And then, only a week before the race, I pulled my quad and gluteal muscles. Yep, not pretty. As a result of my busy schedule and injuries, I had to adjust my training plan leading up to the race. The same applies to your marketing campaign. A marketing plan can’t be set in stone – you need to adjust it depending on the results you’re getting and any unexpected situations that may appear.

It’s hard – but it’s worth it! At times, you may want to give up. “Creating this plan is so hard,” you may think, or “This is taking so long!” Trust us – we understand your frustration. Like running a race, an effective plan takes hard work. It requires extensive research and discussion, planning and strategy. But in the end, when the plan is implemented and your new customers begin rolling in, your hard work will be rewarded.