Last summer I set myself a goal for this year. I decided that, having taken up running about 2½ years ago, this would be the year that I would run my first marathon. I created a training plan that started in September and took me to running ½ marathon distance (13 miles) by Christmas. Then I would take a break over the festive period before starting up again in January. The plan was to build up my stamina and distance from then until the beginning of May, when I would run my first full marathon, across Salisbury Plain.

It was all going to plan until early in January, when, just as I started training again, the charity I support, The Brooke Hospital for Animals, asked if I would like a place in the London Marathon! They don’t come along very often – unless you’re an elite runner or you spend years trying to get in on the public ballot – so I decided to take the place. Scared? Daunted? Yes to both, but because I’d already worked out a training plan to run a marathon in May, I was pretty sure I could do it. My programme shows me exactly how far I need to run, on which days, from now until 21 April 2013.

So why am I writing about this in a blog about marketing? Because I believe that there are a lot of similarities between marathons and marketing.

• How far can you run now? You need to know what the strengths are in your business – what products and services you have and the resources available to you, before you can more on.
• How far do you want to run? You need to set you business goals. How many new clients do you want? What turnover do you want to get your business too?
• How will you get there? Next you need to work out the best strategy to get you to your goals, based on the resources you have at your disposal.

Many people jump into trying out different marketing activities – spending money they might not even have – before doing any planning. If you don’t know where you are, where you want to go and how you’re going to get there, any money spent on marketing could go to waste. It would be a bit like turning up on the start line of a marathon not knowing how far you can actually run, not knowing how long a marathon is and then setting off in completely the wrong direction!

My marathon training plan is on the fridge in my kitchen. I can see how far I will be running on which days of the week. At the end is the goal towards which I’m running – the London Marathon.

Our Marketing Plan is on the wall of our office, so we can see exactly what marketing we need to each week. It shows us the goals we’re working towards each month, whether that’s a special promotion, a talk at a networking group or a workshop we’re running.

How does your Marketing Plan look? What are your goals for your business this year and what will you be doing to get there?