How to Write a Marketing Plan: A Guide for Creative Pros
A marketing plan, much like a marriage, is a commitment to show up. It is a written agreement to take certain actions every day to keep your business healthy and growing. So, why then, is it so difficult to know how to write a marketing plan?
You’ve Googled “how to write a marketing plan” and found the same generic advice: SWOT analyses, competitive research, problem-solving frameworks. But if you’re a creative professional, none of it feels right—because your work isn’t about fixing problems, it’s about creating meaning.
That’s the trap: most traditional marketing advice was built for businesses that lead with pain points and chase scale at any cost. But for creatives, artists, culture keepers, and experience-makers, the work is more personal—and the growth more nuanced. You’re not just selling a product. You’re sharing a story, offering an experience, or inviting someone into your worldview.
That means your marketing plan has to reflect that. It has to honor your voice, your values, and the relationships that fuel your business. It should be a living tool that helps you clarify your vision, build trust with your audience, and create consistent visibility—without burning out or selling out.
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TLDR: Why Traditional Marketing Plan Advice Doesn’t Work for Creative Pros
Most traditional marketing plan advice doesn’t work for creative pros because that advice focuses on problem-solving rather than meaning-making.
Marketing with Purpose offers a different perspective – a flexible framework built on four pillars: Clarity (define what you do), Trust (build credibility), Awareness (show up consistently), and Systems (automate what works).
Ready to Take Action?
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Marketing for Creative Industries and Cultural Tourism
If you work in the creative industries, you don’t solve pain points. Which means your marketing plan must take a different tactic. Because what you’re offering isn’t just a solution. Instead, you’re providing meaning. Belonging. Story. Purpose. This is a feeling your audience can’t quite put their finger on, but they know they want more of. And trying to force that into a formula that starts with “what problem do you solve?”—well, it just doesn’t work.
I’ve worked with hundreds of creative and culture-driven professionals—from heritage hoteliers and tribal tourism offices to artists, consultants, and experience-makers—and the question is rarely, “What’s broken?” It’s “How do I connect with my audience?” It’s “How do I grow what’s working, without losing what makes it uniquely mine?”
For example, when the Yurok Tribe introduced their Redwood Canoe tours, the first-ever canoe rides held i carved out of endangered (and fallen) Redwood Trees, they ran the risk of being considered, “Just another Native American tribe with a canoe offering.” Not negative, but also not especially unique.
But explaining to visitors how these sacred canoes were likened to a human spirit, complete with hearts, lungs, and kidneys, and by telling the stories of the makers behind the canoes, made the message uniquely theirs.
Solved a problem? Absolutely not. Marketing with purpose? Definitely.
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What is Marketing?
Traditional marketing advice focuses on tactics and channels and optimizations. For creative professionals, it’s really about building relationships and sharing your story authentically—over and over again.
The magic does not happen in one perfect post or in a viral moment, but rather it happens in the consistent showing up. It’s about finding the people who resonate with your work and staying connected with them through the inevitable ups and downs of growing a creative business.
Had the Yurok Tribe not consistently shared their message, including with media outlets, and followed up, theirs would be just another hidden cultural tourism story.
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Marketing with Purpose
Marketing with Purpose is a framework I developed to replace the cookie-cutter marketing plan advice so many mainstream websites are sharing.
Instead of focusing on fixing problems, Marketing With Purpose helps cultural tourism and creative pros build on their strengths and get the word out in a way that aligns with their creative and cultural values.
It understands that marketing isn’t one size fits all.
It works because it’s flexible—but focused. And it starts with four core areas: Clarity, Trust, Awareness, and Systems.
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Step 1: Clarity – Define What You Do
It is critical to define what you do. Because here’s the truth: If people don’t understand what you do, they won’t buy from you.
In other cases, if you don’t define what you do, people will try to define you through their own lens. Which means they’ll often get it wrong. Or steal your work and claim it as your own.
Defining your work is the basis of marketing but it is also a form of copyright protection.
Start with Your Business DNA
This means creating a full, written definition of what you do, what you sell, your pricing, and which customers are most likely to buy from you.
These are your non-negotiable details about how you show up and serve. I call it Business DNA because it’s not something you shift around to make your messaging stronger—it’s the embedded core part of your business. It’s how people recognize you even before they’ve met you.
Craft Your Magic Message Using the Three E’s Framework
Your Magic Message is the message about what makes you uniquely you. It is messaging that connects. This could be your artist statement, your elevator pitch, or your About Statement. But, in short, it is the message that make up the essence of your brand.
Too many creative pros skip this step, but doing so means you rely on others to define your work on your behalf. And like a bad game of telephone, letting others define you is never a good idea. If you do nothing else, make sure you have a strong About Statement that you use liberally and freely – everywhere.
Bonus: SEO crawlers love About pages. If you don’t have one already, set one up today.
The Three E’s Framework
I like to start building a magic message using the Three E’s Framework: Emotion, Experience, and Education.
Emotion: As I already mentioned, people work with people they know, like, and trust. Liking and trusting are byproducts of emotion. What is it about you that people love or can’t stop raving about?
Experience: Someone could rave ALL the time about pickleball, and we get it—you LOVE pickleball. But if you don’t define WHAT pickleball is, your clients are still going to have a hard time understanding what you’re selling. Don’t make them go searching for, “What is Pickleball.” Once they’ve moved on from your message, you’ll have a hard time recapturing their attention.
Education: Humans are creatures of growth. The world is ever changing and so is our response to the world. We spend our lives learning and adapting. We want transformation. So if you can define yourself not only in terms of what people will feel and do, but how they will change because of your work, you’ve hit the trifecta of the brand statement.
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Step 2: Trust – They’re Not Just Buying What You Do—They’re Buying Into You
The foundation of relationship building is trust. This can be built through testimonials and case studies, but it can also be built through showing up.
The Role of Status in Building Trust
Sometimes status replaces trust. Status can be an important driver of business. If you see someone speaking at a conference or winning an award, they become more valuable because of their status.
That’s also why so many people say, “I worked with Oprah.” Or why so many people are flocking to Thailand after White Lotus, or why people light up when someone mentions a high-profile client. It’s a signal. It’s shorthand for: this is safe, this is desirable, this is legit.
Building Trust Through Action
Actively collect and display testimonials, reviews, and accolades. You wouldn’t go to a restaurant that only got three stars on Yelp, would you? People measure your work by the same yardstick.
Seek awards, speaking engagements, or other third-party endorsements to leverage your status and your trust. When organizations give you their thumbs up, that is worth even more than reviews from anonymous people.
Post your Magic Message everywhere: Post on all social media platforms even if you don’t plan to use those platforms. Post it on your chamber of commerce profile. Post it on your alumni association listing. The goal is consistent messaging across every touchpoint.
Start email marketing. Email marketing, believe it or not, builds trust faster than most marketing channels. Because it’s permission-based. It’s intimate. It’s a direct line.
If someone joins your newsletter, that’s a trust moment—and it’s a massive opportunity to reinforce who you are and what you stand for.
Test This: Google Yourself
Run a Google search on “About [Your Business]” or “About [Your Name].” If the AI snippet and each of the meta descriptions that appear tell different stories about what you do, you’ve limited your ability to earn trust. No one will know which is the “real” you.
Go back to the companies and the websites that are wrong (where you can) and ask them to update your profile, so you have a consistent message across all platforms.
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Step 3: Awareness – You Don’t Need to Be Everywhere, But You Do Need to be Somewhere
Too many creative businesses just get started and “hope for the best.” But hoping for virality and awareness is not a marketing strategy.
There are three main ways to grow awareness:
Outbound Messaging
You go directly to the customer. You make the first move. This can be “warm” outreach, contacting people you know; or it can be “cold” outreach, contacting strangers.
Like contacting a tour operator you met at a tradeshow (warm) or a gallery owner you’ve read about in a magazine (cold) about hosting a show. Outbound messaging usually involves direct emails, DMs, speaking, pitching, and media relations.
Inbound Messaging
You create so much value via your content (written, podcasts, and video), that people come to you.
Many small businesses like to start here, because it feels less scary to have people come to you, rather than pitch them (and face rejection) directly.
But it can take a while for inbound messaging to get noticed, so don’t use this channel exclusively. Inbound marketing can include blogs, YouTube, Pinterest, SEO.
Borrowed Audiences
This hybrid of inbound and outbound marketing involves partnering with people or platforms who already have the audience you want. Think: writing articles for major publications, being featured in someone’s newsletter, or attending co-hosted events.
Borrowing audiences is a golden moment in marketing, but it also requires that you build up some status or trust before owners of those audiences are ready or willing to work with you. Remember, they’ve spent time building their audience carefully, they won’t just feature anyone—they want to offer value.
The Key to Awareness Success
The magic isn’t in choosing the “best” method—it’s choosing one or two methods, and committing to showing up regularly. And sticking with it.
Awareness is about consistency, not constant reinvention. The moment your audience starts to recognize who you are, and what you do, they are far more likely to trust you with their time—and their money.
Test This: Awareness Hour
Add one hour to your calendar every weekday for the next two weeks. Commit to it. Spend 20 minutes working on an outbound social media or email marketing message, 20 minutes emailing strangers, and 20 minutes reaching out to partners who might be interested in working with you or sharing your message.
Note: Awareness Hour is not “Research” Hour. Do your research another time, and be ready to ONLY reach out during awareness hour. Set a target: ten outreaches in one hour.
Once you get in the habit, keep up the good work.
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Step 4: Systems – Build Systems, Then Let Them Work For You
Systems is a scary word. As creative pros, you don’t want to become a marketing machine. You want your work to feel personal, meaningful, human.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t build systems. In fact, the right systems create space for you to focus more on your creativity.
Focus on the Right Metrics
So many creative pros get caught up in tracking the wrong metrics.
Really, the only one that matters is sales. How much did you sell?
All other metrics, like followers, subscribers, likes and clicks are a benchmark. But if you can email ten gallery owners or five tour operators and secure one piece of business, you have validated the important metric.
What the other metrics do is help you validate if you are using the right message. To the right people. On the right platform. At the right time.
Email Marketing (Again)
Not to put too fine a point on it, but email marketing wins again here. It’s lets you track what’s working. It can grow as your business grows. And it lets you build direct relationships without having to fight an algorithm for attention.
Automate What You Can
Once you find what works? Automate what you can. You don’t have to automate everything, but automate what you can to protect your time and peace of mind.
You don’t need to have an intern input business cards manually. Scheduling, follow-ups. Send nice-to-meet-you emails. Automation isn’t impersonal—it’s thoughtful. It helps you build continuity and relationships without burnout.
Test This: Set up an Auto-responder for New Email Subscribers
Most email platforms (like Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or even free ones like Mailerlite) have a simple “welcome email” feature. You write one email that automatically sends when someone joins your list.
It could be as simple as: “Thanks for joining! Here’s a little more about my work [link to your best piece/project]. I’ll be in touch soon with more stories from behind the scenes. Want to connect, email me at: myemail@mywebsite.com
That’s it. You set it up once, and every new subscriber gets a personal welcome without you having to remember to greet them or manually send anything.
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Customers Want to Know
FAQ: How Can I Create Marketing that Aligns with My Purpose?
A: Start by centering the people behind your brand—your team, your community, your culture bearers. Define your Business DNA and craft messaging that reflects your AND their values. Then build a plan rooted in trust, consistency, and connection. The goal isn’t just to highlight “culture,” it is to highlight the people preserving, sharing, and showcasing the culture.
A: Highlight the unique stories and cultural meaning behind your experiences. Go beyond features—connect emotionally by sharing origin stories, traditions, and values that resonate deeply with your audience.
A: Track sales or direct leads first. Then monitor supporting metrics like engagement or email open rates to fine-tune messaging. Don’t chase numbers—use data to stay aligned with your actual goal-revenue.
A: Start with testimonials, clear messaging, and consistency. Speak on panels, guest in newsletters, and show up regularly in your community or online. Even one strong endorsement can elevate how others perceive your work.
A: Yes—when done with care. Automate welcome emails, follow-ups, or calendar bookings to save time. Use your real voice in those automations so they still sound like you. Think of automation as continuity, not coldness.
A: Start with outbound (direct contact), layer in inbound (blogs, social, YouTube), and pursue borrowed audiences (collabs, guest features). You don’t need to do it all—just commit to doing a few things well and regularly.
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Quick Wins
Your Marketing Plan Checklist
Ready to put Marketing with Purpose into action? Use this checklist to build your marketing plan step by step:
✅ Clarity: Define What You Do
Write your Business DNA (what you do, what you sell, pricing, ideal customers)
Create your Magic Message using the Three E’s Framework (Emotion, Experience, Education)
Draft a strong About Statement you can use everywhere
Test your messaging with 3-5 people to ensure it’s clear
✅ Trust: Build Your Credibility
Collect, organize, and display existing testimonials and reviews
Create a system for requesting testimonials from new clients
Identify 3 awards, speaking opportunities, or third-party endorsements to pursue
Run a Google Search (and ask AI), About <My Business> or <My Name>; fix what’s not accurate
Set up email marketing (choose a platform and create your first welcome sequence)
Display social proof prominently on your website and marketing materials
✅ Awareness: Show Up Consistently
Choose 1-2 awareness methods (outbound, inbound, or borrowed audiences).
Create a content calendar for consistent showing up
Identify 10 warm contacts for outreach OR plan your first piece of valuable content
Research 3 potential collaboration partners or publications for borrowed audience opportunities
Commit to your chosen method. Create an Awareness Hour and schedule in your calendar every day for at least 90 days
✅ Systems: Automate What Works
Set up tracking for the one metric that matters most: sales
Create templates for common emails (follow-ups, introductions, thank you’s)
Set up a basic thank you for subscribing automation for for your email newsletter
Review and optimize your systems at least quarterly (preferably monthly)
Document your processes so you can repeat what works
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The Bottom Line: How to Write a Marketing Plan that Works for You
Forget cookie-cutter templates. If you’re a creative or mission-driven professional, your marketing plan should be a clear, consistent roadmap that reflects your values—not just a checklist of tactics. Start with Clarity, build Trust, show up with Awareness, and use Systems to scale what works—all while keeping true to what makes your business uniquely yours.
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