How to Build a Marketing Plan That Saves You Time and Money

April 10, 2025

Start With Your Goals (Not Just Tactics)

     Too many businesses dive headfirst into content, ads, or social media without anchoring their efforts in clear, measurable goals. Before anything else, ask yourself:

     What are you trying to accomplish in the next 90 days?
     Is your goal to increase client bookings?
     Build your email list?
     Improve brand awareness?
     What is your revenue target?

     Once you set a clear SMART goal (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound), you can reverse engineer your entire strategy to meet that objective.
Pro Tip: Focus on revenue-driving actions. Vanity metrics (likes, followers) are nice—but revenue and retention pay the bills.

 

Know Exactly Who You’re Talking To


   If your message tries to reach everyone, it’ll resonate with no one. Take time to identify your ideal client persona. In the health and wellness space, your audience might include:

     Busy professionals looking for time-efficient fitness
     Moms seeking natural remedies or wellness products
     Millennials interested in sustainable self-care
     Active seniors focused on longevity and mobility

Build a profile around their:

     Pain points
     Aspirations
     Buying habits
     Daily routines
     Favorite platforms

     This saves you hours of wasted effort trying to be everywhere—and helps you focus your marketing only where your audience is paying attention.

Choose the Right Channels (and Ditch the Rest)

   Time-saving marketing means getting laser focused on the platforms that bring results—not every single one available. For most health, wellness, and lifestyle brands, the top-performing platforms include:

     Instagram & TikTok (for brand awareness, behind-the-scenes, reels, and transformation content)
     Email Marketing (to nurture warm leads, promote offers, and improve retention)
     Google Search / SEO (to show up when clients are actively searching for solutions)
     YouTube or Podcasts (for authority-building content if you have the bandwidth)

     Ask yourself: Where are my ideal clients spending their time? Cut the rest (yes, even if it feels trendy). Focused marketing means less overwhelm, more impact.

Create a Monthly Marketing Calendar
 
     Marketing plans fall apart when you don’t have a system. That’s where your monthly marketing calendar comes in.
Break down each month into:

    Promotional themes (e.g. “Spring Reset Cleanse” or “Summer Strength Series”)
    Weekly focus topics (content pillars like nutrition tips, client stories, mindset)
    Key conversion events (product launches, webinars, events, sales, free trials)

     Use a tool like Airtable, ClickUp, or Google Calendar to stay organized. Assign tasks to your team, VA, or yourself with clear due dates and campaign goals. This keeps your marketing aligned with your goals AND prevents that last-minute “what do I post today?” scramble.

Batch Content Creation
 
     Nothing drains your time like trying to write a post or shoot a reel every single day. Instead, block 1-2 days per month to batch your content:

     Film 6–10 Reels at once
     Write 4–6 email newsletters
     Schedule blog posts and social content
     Prepare captions and graphics in Canva

Batched content creation:

     Saves time
     Reduces mental fatigue
     Creates consistency across all platforms

     Pro Tip: Reuse and repurpose content across channels. One blog post can become 4 Reels, 3 emails, and 10 story slides.

Track What’s Working (And What’s Not)
   
     If you’re not tracking it—you’re guessing. Use simple tracking tools to monitor:

     Website traffic (Google Analytics)
     Email open/click rates
     Conversion rates on landing pages
     Ad performance (Meta Ads, Google Ads)
     Instagram insights or TikTok analytics

     Identify what’s driving leads, conversions, and traffic. Then double down on what’s working and cut the rest. Even a simple spreadsheet with weekly metrics can help you make smarter, faster decisions—and save your budget from wasted ad spend or effort.


Automate What You Can

     Marketing automation = time freedom. Some smart automation tools for wellness brands:

     Email Flows with platforms like Klaviyo or Mailchimp (welcome, nurture, abandoned cart)
     Booking Reminders via Acuity or Calendly
     Chatbots to answer FAQs and direct traffic
     Social scheduling tools like Later or Planoly
     CRM Tools like HubSpot or Salesforce to manage leads

     Spend less time chasing, following up, or manually responding—and more time closing sales or building client relationships.

Don’t Forget About Retention

    The easiest sale to make? The one from someone who already knows and trusts you. Yet most brands pour their entire budget into getting new leads—then forget to nurture existing clients.

A smart marketing plan includes:

     Client appreciation emails
     Member-only discounts or early access
     Birthday promos
     Feedback and review requests
     Loyalty programs

     Increasing retention by just 5% can boost profits by 25% or more. (Yes, really.)


Marketing That Works for You

Marketing in the health and wellness space shouldn’t feel like a full-time job. With the right strategy, systems, and tools, your plan can work smarter—not harder to help you grow. You don’t need to be everywhere. You don’t need to do everything. You just need a repeatable system that aligns with your goals, speaks to the right people, and helps them take the next step. Start small. Stay consistent. And remember: the best marketing plan is the one you’ll actually implement.

Ready to Grow Smarter?

If you're ready to stop spinning your wheels and start growing with clarity and confidence, let’s chat. At ISA, we help health, wellness, and lifestyle brands build scalable marketing strategies that convert.

 Schedule your free strategy call today or download our free Marketing Plan Template
to get started.