You know the drill. You sit down with the best of intentions, armed with a colour-coded calendar and a list of “shoulds”: weekly social posts, monthly newsletters, quarterly campaigns. Fast forward three weeks, and your last Facebook post is from the Easter raffle and that shiny strategy? Gathering digital dust.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

As someone who works with small-town businesses every day, I can tell you this: a good marketing plan doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact, the best ones are often the simplest. They fit around your schedule, play to your strengths, and most importantly, actually get used.

Why most marketing plans don’t work

Marketing plans often fail because they aim too high, too fast. They’re built for what you wish you had time for, not what you actually do. And when reality hits (stock delays, staff sick, the EFTPOS terminal goes offline again), those grand plans go out the window.

We’re here to help change that.

At Clermont Digital, we believe your marketing should work for you. Not the other way around.

What a realistic marketing plan looks like

Let’s break it down:

• Seasonal planning over rigid calendars: Instead of planning content week-by-week, think in seasons. What happens in your business in summer, winter, EOFY, Christmas, and local Show week? Plan around the rhythms you already know.
• Pick 1–3 channels and do them well: You don’t need to be everywhere. If your people are on Facebook and you’re comfortable using it, lean in. Don’t stress about TikTok or Threads unless they make sense for your audience.
• Make content work harder: One blog post can be four social posts. A good customer review can be turned into a graphic, a testimonial, and a website highlight. Repurposing isn’t cheating—it’s smart.
• Low-effort, high-impact wins: Update your Google Business profile. Pin your best Facebook post. Add your opening hours to your Instagram bio. These take five minutes and pay off big.
• Templates and tools: Having a set of ready-to-go Canva (or InDesign) templates or a shared spreadsheet with post ideas can save hours of faffing. We help clients build custom systems that feel like a cheat sheet, not a chore.

The Clermont factor

Here’s the thing about rural business: it’s not 9 to 5, and it’s never “set and forget.” One week, you’re restocking shelves; the next, you’re working from a phone hotspot because the internet has dropped out again.

That’s why our marketing plans come with a healthy dose of flexibility. We leave room for the unexpected. We account for school holidays, wet season, and that one customer who always shows up right on closing time.

What you actually need

So, what should be in a local-friendly marketing plan?

• A clear idea of your top 1–3 audiences (hint: they’re usually your regulars, referrals, and someone’s mum)
• A handful of core key messages you repeat often (consistency = trust)
• A plan for each season with at least one key action (e.g., Christmas: run a gift bundle promo, update shop hours online)
• A “spare parts” box of ideas to pull out when things go quiet (FAQs, customer stories, behind-the-scenes)
• And a realistic cadence you can stick to (weekly is great, monthly is fine, consistency is key)
• Easy-to-use social media scheduling software. Quite often native scheduling is adequate and free. For example, Meta Business Suite for Meta (aka Facebook) and Instagram scheduling.

It doesn’t need to cost the earth

Some of our favourite marketing moves cost almost nothing:

• A handwritten thank-you note in a delivery box
• A social post about your first customer of the day
• A staff photo with a funny caption
• Asking happy customers to leave a Google review

And if you want to invest a little more, we can help with website updates, branding tweaks, email automation and more—all built to work with your business, not against it.

Free, cheap & easy publicity

• Connect with local Meta (Facebook) groups, such as Clermont Post and Clermont Community Group, to post updates.
  • Tip: Be sure to read the group rules before posting.
• List services and events on community noticeboards, council pages, and the Clermont Telegraph.
• Send out updates via MailerLite or Mailchimp for low-cost email marketing.
• Take advantage of a free Google Business Profile to maintain strong local visibility.

Let’s build something that works

Marketing shouldn’t feel like another thing on your to-do list that never gets done. It should feel like a natural extension of how you already show up in your business—season by season, customer by customer, moment by moment.

You don’t need a complicated strategy or a content calendar that rivals a newsroom. You need a simple, flexible plan that’s grounded in what actually happens in your world… your best marketing moment might be a spontaneous photo with a loyal customer.

At Clermont Digital, we build marketing plans that are easy to follow, realistic to maintain, and designed for our local rhythm. Because the best kind of plan? It’s the one you actually use.

Let’s build a strategy that fits your schedule and your audience.
👉 Talk to us about getting a hand to create a marketing plan that makes sense