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Last week we discussed the benefits of having marketing systems; you can access the post here.
As you set up your marketing system, it does not take a genius to work out that there will be multiple moving parts, often delivered by several team members.
The tasks aren’t hard, though; they do need to be carried out in a certain order to deliver the result you want in the way you want by literally anyone in your company.
Enter a standard operating procedure or SOP.
Originally developed in the manufacturing sector as a way to ensure everything happened in the right way, they soon became adopted by many industries as a way to leverage both time and process.
Let’s look at some of the upsides of an SOP and several marketing SOPs you can add to your business.
Ensures Consistency
Many recruitment business owners want a marketing system that provides clarity and direction. In other words, specifically, what do I need to do and when.
Let’s be frank; I’m a marketer, and Marketing is my big passion. I love marketing. However, I know other people can get confused because of the many moving parts.
The upside of an SOP is that everything happens consistently how you want it to.
For instance, this podcast production is driven by an SOP; it’s the reason it happens so regularly every month.
The topics are mapped out ahead of time and then the week before the podcast goes live. I record three different parts.
Part two is sent off to be transcribed and then goes through a basic edit. The other audio files are then sent to Andy, our podcast guy who creates the podcast with an SOP I created.
The podcast and transcription are added to our blog, which automates distribution across various podcast channels.
An image is created, and I also send a social post by email.
….. and it happens consistently because I follow the right procedure.
The great thing about an SOP is anyone can use them to deliver a task, which brings me to training.
Easy to Train People and Inputs Don’t Get Missed
Fact: it’s easy to train people when you have an SOP.
In today’s digital landscape, you can use multiple training options, including flow diagrams, word documents, and screen capture videos you could make on loom.
We use Monday.Com for managing our work, and here we can add an SOP with links to a video to watch; so straightforward.
What can often happen, as I mentioned earlier, is that things do get missed. Things will get missed if you don’t have a list to follow.
Marketing done well has many moving parts.
- Did you add the image to the blog?
- What about the SEO target keyword
- Did you use internal links to other parts of the website?
- What about your call to action?
SOPs Focus on The Details That Deliver
A detailed SOP stands a better chance of delivering your desired results.
Because if you have an SOP list written out and there are only 4 or 5 things on it, the chances are it’s probably not going to be as successful as you want.
Let’s say you’re creating and adding your social media to different channels, or you’re making a sales funnel, and, you know, certain elements have been missed.
Well, it’s a great reminder that your SOP needs a level of detail; if you want something to happen consistently, you might need to add more steps or check your SOP and say, “Did we put that in?
And you might find, as often people do, that some steps in the process were missed because the SOP hadn’t been put together with a level of detail.
Who Creates The SOP?
Unless you are in a programme like Superfast Circle, where we provide training and SOP templates, it starts with you.
Which is a good thing.
You drive the business and decide what you want to happen and how. I suspect you have created other systems in your business around sales and resourcing, which is the same for marketing.
You can always work with a marketer to help flesh out the detail.
Want a particular font or colour, put it in the SOP.
Want varied social media going out three times a day, put it in the SOP.
So what SOPs are good to use in marketing? Let me share the ones we have.
What SOPs Should We Have?
If you create your content and social media or use Canva as a design tool, you might want to include some of the following steps.
Follow the content plan and write and edit the blog ahead of time. Add relevant keywords subheadings and source copy approved images. Add a call to action and internal links.
Add SEO to the blog page and check everything is formatted correctly using the correct font and size.
Then schedule the post to go out at the same time every week.
Creating a step-by-step SOP and recording a video of the process means anyone on the team could do this.
Here is a list of SOPs to create that will make your life easier.
- Blog creation and upload.
- Social media creation, times, and upload
- How to write a report and create in Canva
- Set up an email campaign for candidates and clients.
- How to write a job description including questions to ask
- How to write a job advert
- How to create and post a podcast
- How to run a webinar
- How to develop and deliver a reach-out campaign on LinkedIn
S.O.P.s have been a God send to our business and will be for yours.
Thanks,
Denise
How We Can Help You
In our Superfast Circle training platform, we have specific training on SOP creation, and we have templates to get you started. If you want to find out more, book a quick demonstration here.
