Marketing has changed tremendously during my years of owning businesses. There was a time when I could make a purse, take it to a show, sell it, come home, and make another one. Now we're thinking about emails, videos, social media, websites, launches, photography, text messages, ads, and a whole lot more. And if we aren't careful, marketing can become the thing we're thinking about at the dinner table because tomorrow morning we still don't know what we're supposed to post. I don't want that for you—or for me. Over the years, I've built a system that allows me to see what's coming before it becomes urgent. I call it my Marketing Promotions Calendar. The important thing is that I don't want you to copy my exact calendar. I couldn't possibly account for every industry, service, product, customer, or business model listening to this podcast. Instead, I want you to take the framework and build a version that fits your business and your life. The goal is simple: Decide where you're going before you start creating the marketing that gets you there. In This Episode We Cover: 1. Start With the Biggest View: Your Year Before you decide what you're posting Tuesday, zoom way out. Ask: What does my business year naturally look like? Look for the marketing moments you already know exist. For my product business, that includes things like: holidaysproduct launchesseasonal collectionsshows and eventssalesproduct-of-the-month promotionsseasons when customers naturally shop moreBut yours might include: enrollment periodsappointment-heavy seasonsconferences or workshopsclient renewalsannual eventsseasonal servicespackages or launchesAnd remember: you do not need something happening every month. Build your calendar around your actual business and actual customer—not what somebody on Instagram says a business owner is “supposed” to be doing. 2. Zoom Into the Next 90 Days Once you can see your year, narrow your focus. Ask: What do I want my customer to know about, buy, book, join, or do during the next 90 days? Then choose approximately three to five things that actually matter. Maybe you're promoting: a producta servicean eventa seasonal offeran educational topican enrollment perioda special packageThose become the backbone of your marketing. You don't have to have the entire year perfectly mapped down to every Instagram caption. You're simply deciding what matters before you start communicating about it. 3. Figure Out Your REAL Lead Time And I mean real. Not how quickly your ambitious little heart thinks you could pull it off. Ask: How long does it actually take us to get this ready to sell, launch, book, or promote well? I used to plan about two weeks ahead. Then I moved to a month. Then 90 days. Today, we plan considerably farther ahead, while much of the actual production work for a product launch begins roughly eight to nine weeks before the launch. Your answer could be completely different. Maybe you need: two weeksfour weekseight weeksthree monthsThe point isn't the number. The point is knowing your number. Then put your launch date on the calendar and work backward. 4. Separate Preparation From Promotion These are not the same thing. My MPC essentially has two calendars living together: Preparation + Production What has to happen behind the scenes before this is ready? Promotion How are we going to tell people about it? For me, preparation might include product design, materials, production, photography, website setup, pricing, inventory, and COGS. For your business, preparation might mean: creating the proposalopening appointment slotspreparing the workshopbuilding a landing pagecreating client materialstraining employeesordering suppliesThen comes promotion: emailsocial mediapodcasttextadslive videopartnershipscollaborationsin-person eventsThese two calendars have to talk to each other. 5. Give Each Season a Job Now ask a slightly different question: What is my customer thinking about during this season? Notice that's different from: What do I want to sell her? If my customer is entering September thinking about schedules, routines, organization, and getting everyone back into a rhythm, I can think about how what I'm selling serves her in that season. The same thing applies to services, coaching, appointments, education, and almost any other industry. Don't just ask: “What do I want to promote?” Ask: “What is happening in my customer's life when I promote it?” 6. THEN Plan the Communication Only now are we getting down to: “What email should I send?” “What should I post?” “What video should I make?” Because now those decisions aren't random. Ask: If this is what I'm promoting, what does my customer need to hear before they are ready to buy? Maybe they need: educationinspirationa remindera storya demonstrationFAQsproof that it worksan invitationSuddenly, your content has a job. You're no longer staring at your phone thinking: “Shoot. I need to send an email today. What do I say?” You've already decided where you're going. Now your marketing is helping your customer get there with you. 7. Build in a Weekly Review A marketing calendar you never look at isn't much help. I personally review mine twice during the week. One review helps me think about what needs to be prepared or ordered. Another helps me make sure the upcoming promotions are actually ready. Ask: What's coming in the next two, four, and eight weeks? Not just: What's happening this week? That's where breathing room starts showing up. You suddenly notice the supplies you haven't ordered, the photography that isn't finished, the email that still needs written, or the piece of the launch that needs more time. And you're noticing it before it's an emergency. 8. Don't Copy Someone Else's Calendar Learn from other businesses? Absolutely. Copy and paste their entire strategy into yours? Probably not. Your marketing calendar has to account for your: customercapacitybusiness modelindustryfamilyteamseasonsnatural sales patternsAsk yourself: What does consistency realistically look like for my business? There may also be promotions that work so well that you repeat them every year. That's helpful! Repeating successful promotions gives you data and lets your customers begin anticipating what's coming. The goal isn't to recreate my system. It's to create a system you can actually use. If This Feels Overwhelming, Start Here: Grab one big calendar and do these four things: 1. Write down the major things you want to promote. Don't worry about beginning in January. Start wherever you are. 2. Circle the next 90 days. Choose three to five things that really matter during that period. 3. Determine the lead time for each one. Then work backward and put the start date on your calendar—not just the launch date. 4. Ask what your customer needs to hear leading up to it. Those answers become your emails, posts, podcasts, videos, texts, and other marketing. That's it. Start there. Key Takeaway: You may not need to get better at marketing. You may need to get better at planning your marketing. When you know what you're promoting, when you're promoting it, how much lead time it really requires, and what your customer needs to hear along the way, marketing stops feeling like a daily emergency. And for those of us building businesses alongside families and full lives, that breathing room matters. Good planning doesn't just serve the bottom line. It can serve your family, too. Reflection Questions: What are the natural marketinLove the Episode? Leave review here!
