In a few months, I’ll be running my first marathon. And when you’re running a marathon, it’s important to let as many people as humanly possible know about it. That way, they can be suitably impressed by your dedication and athleticism.

So, I decided to write a blog about it.

To ensure that I survive until the end of the 26.2 miles without any major injuries, I’ve been training regularly, gradually increasing the distance that I run every weekend.

There have been many aches and pains and I’ve learned a lot along the way. Surprisingly, some of those lessons could be applied to marketing.

Read on to learn what marathon training can teach you about developing a winning marketing strategy.

It all starts with clear goals

Having some clear goals to aim for helps keep me on track with my training. I’ve set myself three different goals for the upcoming race:

• Goal A – Finish in under 4 hours 30 minutes. This is technically doable, but very unlikely. Still, it’s nice to have something to aim for.
• Goal B – Finish in under five hours. This is more achievable, but still tough.
• Goal C – Survive until the end.

Similarly, when you’re developing a marketing plan, it’s useful to think about your goals before anything else.

Are you trying to generate more leads from a specific demographic? Maybe you want to increase website traffic or build more professional connections?

Consider what your aims are and then develop some specific goals. Having several goals, like those listed above, gives you more flexibility.

This is because, while it’s useful to have a best-case scenario, you might not meet your primary goal. Having secondary goals means you can still determine whether your strategy has been successful or not.

Even if I don’t finish with a good time, I’ll consider it a success if I make it across the finish line without collapsing.

You need a detailed plan

Once I had my goal of finishing the marathon in one piece, I needed a plan to get there.

My 16-week training plan sets out one long run each week, gradually increasing the distance over time. It also includes shorter runs with details about the specific pace to aim for, or if I should practise on hills. Some sessions are designed to build stamina, while others help increase my speed.

It’s important to follow the plan week by week because, if jump ahead and try to run too far before I’m ready, I’ll likely injure myself.

You may want to approach your marketing in a similar way. After identifying your goals, you can then outline specific actions you’ll need to take to achieve those goals and give yourself a timescale to work to.

Having this clear plan means you can remain consistent and enact each step of your marketing strategy in a logical order.

For instance, the first step in your plan might be to overhaul your website. You might then move on to the next step of creating content, with the aim of driving more traffic to your site.

In this case, it’s important that you redesign your website first. Otherwise, you risk drawing leads to an outdated site that doesn’t reflect your business, and you could fail to convert potential clients as a result.

That’s why having a clear plan that sets out each step of your strategy is so important.

Measuring your progress is crucial

Some days, I head out for a run and, despite all the training, find it harder than ever. I struggle to maintain my speed and I’m out of breath in minutes. Sometimes, I can’t finish the route without stopping to walk.

When this happens, it’s easy to feel as though I’m not getting anywhere and wonder how I’m ever going to finish a marathon.

Then I look back and remember that the first time I went for a run a few years ago, I could barely make it more than a minute before I was lying on my back in the middle of a park, gasping for air.

And each week, I run a little bit further than I ever have before.

That’s why I find it useful to track my runs. I can look back and see my progress, which makes it a lot easier to keep going.

Tracking your progress could be equally beneficial when developing a marketing strategy. Often, it might feel as though you’re investing resources and not seeing any return on that investment.

By measuring your progress, you can clearly see the benefits of your efforts. This gives you more confidence in your strategy and prevents you from deviating from your plan.

Alternatively, you might find that you’re not making the progress you expected, in which case, you can adjust your plan.

You may want to consider your goals and use these to create KPIs to measure the success of your strategy.

Get in touch

We can’t help you train for a marathon, but we can support you in developing a winning marketing strategy.

Email hi@theyardstickagency.co.uk or call us on 0115 896 5300 now to learn more.