I recently listened to a recording of the "The E-Myth Revisited" by Michael E. Gerber. It's an excellent book that focuses on why you should systematize your business processes. The idea is to spend less time working IN your business and more time working ON your business. Gerber suggests that you should manage your business as if it were a franchise - a turn-key operation with clearly defined processes. 

This same systematized approach can be applied to your marketing plans too - so you will be more organized and effective. Here are some quick ways to get started.

Create a Marketing Calendar
Most marketers will agree that organizations should have a marketing calendar. But, it's easy to forget. You get busy, and the last thing you have time to work on is your calendar. That's exactly when you need it. A marketing calendar will keep you on track, so you don't get bogged down in projects that aren't contributing to your bottom line.

Set Marketing Goals
How will you know that your marketing efforts are a success? You won't unless you set some goals. For example, you could set goals to generate 30 new leads per week, attend 2-3 networking events per month, issue a press release each month, plan four speaking events per year and so on. When you combine your goals with your marketing calendar, you'll have a powerful template to work from.

Define Your Roles
Whether you have one person or ten people working on your marketing, each role and responsibility should be clearly defined. Who should renew your web URL? Who's responsible for placing advertisements? Who should be tracking leads? By defining marketing roles and responsibilities, you prevent the risk of important tasks slipping through the cracks.