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<Your name> | <Your company>
RACE Growth System Planning Template
Rapidly create a 90-day marketing plan for your business
with our editable template
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About this template
Aims of this template
• This template will help you rapidly create a simple marketing
plan using the 90-day RACE Growth System. It follows a
three-step process of defining your Opportunity, Strategy and
Action to make smarter use of digital communications.
How to use this template
We start by introducing the RACE Growth System. Then, for each
of the three-steps, you will enter your:
• 1. Opportunity,
• 2. Strategy
• 3. Action - prompted by the examples for a typical small
business (an accountancy business). Examples for building a
plan are shown on the next slides followed by blank
templates for you to complete.
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How to use alongside our other resources
• This template has been created in
PowerPoint to enable you to easily
amend and present it to your
colleagues/clients.
• Use it alongside the companion
RACE Growth System Planning
Template PDF download and
further guidance on the Smart
Insights website.
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STEP 1. OPPORTUNITY: CUSTOMERS - Example
Customer analysis
Detailed example
Who are they?
Local small business owners, company size 10-250 employees.
What are their needs?
Need accounting services. Considering both virtual services like
clever accounts and physical services like ours.
Where are they?
Local business news/forums and real-world meet ups, LinkedIn
and Facebook.
What would attract them to your company?
Educational blogs, and buyer’s guides to different types of
accountancy service, offers and assistance.
What score out of 10 would you give your business when
it comes to attracting your customers online?
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Why did you give that score?
I know my local online visibility needs a lot of work - I’m spending
too much on Google Ads to compete. Our website content isn’t
effective.
To find out more about how to define who your quality customers are, our Persona guide and template is a great place to start.
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STEP 1. OPPORTUNITY: CUSTOMERS - Blank
Customer analysis
Detailed example
Who are they?
What are their needs?
Where are they?
What would attract them to your company?
What score out of 10 would you give your business when
it comes to attracting your customers online?
Why did you give that score?
To find out more about how to define who your quality customers are, our Persona guide and template is a great place to start.
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STEP 1. OPPORTUNITY: COMPETITORS - Example
Competitor analysis
Example competitor
Who are they?
Direct competitor: ABC accountants (Regional-only competitor)
How would you rate them in
attracting similar customers?
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Why did you give that score?
They have a better local search engine ranking, plan social media
campaigns effectively and use sophisticated website content to explain
what they offer.
What would help you to compete
better/what do you think they do
better than you, currently?
I need to improve my local SEO, develop more effective content and
plan engaging social media campaigns to get more leads.
To find out more about benchmarking competitors, use our Competitor benchmarking guide and template.
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STEP 1. OPPORTUNITY: COMPETITORS - Example
Competitor analysis
Example competitor
Who are they?
How would you rate them in
attracting similar customers?
Why did you give that score?
What would help you to compete
better/what do you think they do
better than you, currently?
To find out more about benchmarking competitors, use our Competitor benchmarking guide and template.
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The RACE Growth System
RACE
Framework
Plan
Define the strategy
Reach
Grow your audience
Act
Prompt interaction
Convert
Achieve sales
Engage
Encourage retention
Opportunity
Strategy
Action
Digital health check
Segment and Target
Customize Google Analytics
Market audit
Brand value proposition
Create digital dashboard
Set objectives
90-day planning
Select MarTech
Media review
Prioritize media
Campaign planning
Forecast ROI
Search marketing
Campaign ‘big idea’
Search gap analysis
Influencer marketing
Improve blogging
Customer journey audit
Define personas
Improve website
Audit content
Content strategy
Content ideation
Profile audience
Editorial calendar
Grow email list
Email nurture
Conversion optimization
Improve home page
Ad retargeting
Multichannel selling
Improve landing pages
Website opportunities
Lead scoring and grading
Online copywriting
Audit customer experience
Customer growth
Social media trends
Audit email marketing
Customer success
Email contact strategy
Audit social media
Social media strategy
Improve enewsletters
Each panel on the RACE Growth System grid links to Smart Insights’ best practice library for this area.
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STEP 1. OPPORTUNITY: RACE ACTIVITIES - Example
RACE Stage
Your marketing Opportunities and SMART objectives
Plan
“We need an annual plan to review each quarter, to help identify what to prioritize.”
SMART objective:
“Introduce annual and 90-day planning at start of next financial year.”
Reach
“Competitors are much better at local SEO, so we’re over reliant on Google Ads.”
SMART Objective:
“Increase organic unique visitors by 25% in 6 months.”
Act
“Competitors are much better at local SEO, so we’re over reliant on Google Ads.”
SMART objective:
“Increase leads through website by 10% in 3 months.”
Convert
“Improve digital support of sales process.”
SMART objective:
“Automate a follow-up email sequence to all leads with content asset within 10 minutes
of sign up within 6 months.”
Engage
“Don’t do any form of email engagement with current customers.”
SMART objective:
“Send a monthly newsletter to all current clients within 6 months.”
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STEP 1. OPPORTUNITY: RACE ACTIVITIES – Blank
RACE Stage
Your marketing Opportunities and SMART objectives
Plan
SMART objective:
Reach
SMART objective:
Act
SMART objective:
Convert
SMART objective:
Engage
SMART objective:
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STEP 2. STRATEGY: RACE ACTIVITIES – Example
RACE Stage
Your Strategy
Plan
“Implement annual and 90-day planning”
Reach
“Improve Google My Business and create local blog content”
Act
“Create landing page and local content asset focused on capturing more leads”
Convert
“Define and automate a 3-email nurture sequence to leads with content assets
to help improve conversion”
Engage
“Define a way to publish and automate a monthly newsletter to existing clients,
which links to blog”
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STEP 2. STRATEGY: RACE ACTIVITIES – Blank
RACE Stage
Plan
Reach
Act
Convert
Engage
Your Strategy
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STEP 3. ACTION - Example
Focus
Action
Reach
90-day ‘can do’ actions
“Increase reviews and product content on Google My Business. Create an editorial calendar, research keywords and write one blog
each week focusing on these (linked to from newsletter). Share to LinkedIn and Facebook.”
Longer term ‘learning’ actions
“Learn more about in-depth SEO by taking the SEO Learning Path and Content Marketing Learning Path with my Smart Insights
membership”
Act
90-day ‘can do’ actions
“Research, wireframe a landing page, create content, design, build and launch it. Target my ads at it.”
Longer term ‘learning’ actions
“Learn more about optimizing my website with the Digital Experience Learning Path and start to research email nurture sequences
for next 90 days cycle by looking at the Email Marketing and Automation Learning Path.”
Convert
90-day ‘can do’ actions
“Create, design and produce a content asset including case study. Research and purchase platform for automated email.”
Longer term ‘learning’ actions
“Research more about best practices for nurture emails using the Campaign Planning Learning Path.”
Engage
90-day ‘can do’ actions
“Build a customer email list from our data. Research and purchase platform for automated email.”
Longer term ‘learning’ actions
“Research more about best practices for effective enewsletters in Email Marketing and Automation Learning Path.”
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STEP 3. ACTION - Blank
Focus
Action
Reach
90-day ‘can do’ actions
Longer term ‘learning’ actions
Act
90-day ‘can do’ actions
Longer term ‘learning’ actions
Convert
90-day ‘can do’ actions
Longer term ‘learning’ actions
Engage
90-day ‘can do’ actions
Longer term ‘learning’ actions
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RACE Growth System Implementation Options
●
●
Starter
Professional
Implement the RACE Growth
System yourself
Implement the RACE Growth System with a
Customer Success Manager and regular 90-day
reviews
RACE Growth System (1 person)
● Improve your personal skills
Essential best-practice processes
● A do-it-yourself approach
Learn more
•
RACE Growth System (team access)
• A highly skilled team
• Advanced best-practice processes
• A guided and supported approach
• Faster implementation and results
• Quicker ROI
Book a consultation