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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 Tem
plate PDF download
and
further guidance on the Smart Insi
ghts website
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STEP 1. OPPORTUNITY: CUSTOMERS -

Customer analysis
Example Detailed example

Who are they? Local small business owners, company size 10-250 employees.

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?
Need accounting services. Considering both virtual services like
clever accounts and physical services like ours.
Local business news/forums and real-world meet ups, LinkedIn
and Facebook.
Educational blogs, and buyer’s guides to different types of
accountancy service, offers and assistance.
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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 -

Competitor analysis
Example
Example competitor
Who are they? Direct competitor: ABC accountants (Regional-only competitor)

How would you rate them in 7

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?
They have a better local search engine ranking, plan social media
campaigns effectively and use sophisticated website content to explain
what they offer.
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 -

Competitor analysis
Example
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 Opportunity Strategy Action
Digital health check Segment and Target Customize Google Analytics
Plan Market audit Brand value proposition Create digital dashboard
Define the strategy
Set objectives 90-day planning Select MarTech

Media review Prioritize media Campaign planning

Reach Forecast ROI Search marketing Campaign ‘big idea’
Grow your audience
Search gap analysis Influencer marketing Improve blogging

Customer journey audit Define personas Improve website

Act Audit content Content strategy Content ideation
Prompt interaction
Profile audience Editorial calendar Grow email list

Email nurture Conversion optimization Improve home page

Convert Ad retargeting Multichannel selling Improve landing pages
Achieve sales
Website opportunities Lead scoring and grading Online copywriting

Audit customer experience Customer growth Social media trends

Engage Audit email marketing Customer success Email contact strategy
Encourage retention
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 –

RACE Stage
Blank
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 –

RACE Stage
Blank
Your Strategy

Plan

Reach

Act

Convert

Engage
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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

RACE Growth System Implementation Options
Starter
Implement the RACE Growth
System yourself
● RACE Growth System (1 person)
● Improve your personal skills
● Essential best-practice processes
● A do-it-yourself approach
Learn more
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Professional
Implement the RACE Growth System with a
Customer Success Manager and regular 90-day
reviews
• 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