A 90-day launch marketing plan, with the arithmetic shown

Start with the arithmetic, not the channels

Every launch plan should begin with three numbers:

1. What a first customer is worth. The value of the first job or sale. If customers usually come back, also estimate what they're worth over a year.
2. Your close rate. Of the people who enquire, how many will buy? If you've never sold before, guess conservatively and update it after the first ten enquiries.
3. Your acceptable marketing cost per customer. How much of that first sale you're willing to spend to win it.

From those, you get the number that matters most: what you can afford to pay for one enquiry.

A worked example

Imagine a new mobile pet-grooming company in Oakville.

• A first visit is worth about $120. A typical customer books about six visits a year, so a year is worth about $720.
• About 1 in 3 people who enquire will book.
• The founder is willing to spend up to $90 to win a customer, recovering it over the first few visits.

So the affordable cost per enquiry is $90 ÷ 3 = $30.

Now test a channel against that. If a search ad costs $2.50 per click and 1 in 10 visitors gets in touch, each enquiry costs $25. That's under $30, so the channel is worth testing. If clicks cost $5, each enquiry costs $50, and the channel only works if you improve the website's contact rate or narrow the targeting.

Do this before you open any ad account. It turns every later decision into a comparison rather than a feeling.

Month 1: be findable and ask your network

The first month costs little money and a lot of effort. It's about making sure anyone who hears your name can find you, and telling the people who already trust you.

Week 1–2: findable.

• A search for your exact company name shows your website.
• If you're eligible, your Google Business Profile is verified, with accurate categories, hours and service area.
• Your phone number, text number and email are consistent everywhere.

Our first-website guide covers these steps in detail.

Week 2–4: your network.

• Write a short, personal message to people who know you: former colleagues, clients from a previous job, neighbours, friends. Say what you've started, who it's for and what you're asking (a first booking, an introduction, or a share).
• Send it individually or to people who've agreed to hear from you. Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation generally requires consent for commercial electronic messages, identification of the sender and a working unsubscribe mechanism; the CRTC's CASL FAQ and ISED's page on getting consent explain the details.
• Visit your local Small Business Enterprise Centre, which offers free guidance and can be a source of local connections.

Checkpoint at week 4: how many enquiries came from your network, and how many became customers? That's your first real close rate.

Month 2: one paid test, tightly limited

Pick the one channel most likely to reach your customer:

• Search ads if people already search for what you sell ("dog groomer Oakville").
• One social platform if you're introducing something people don't yet search for, or if your product is very visual.
• A local partnership if a related business already serves your customers, such as a vet clinic for the groomer, or a realtor for a moving company.

Set three limits before you start:

Run it for at least four weeks unless the stop rule triggers. Track every enquiry: where it came from, whether it booked, and what it was worth.

Checkpoint at week 8: compare the channel's cost per enquiry and cost per customer with your affordable numbers.

Month 3: double down or switch

Now decide, using the numbers rather than your mood:

• If the channel beat your affordable cost per enquiry, raise the cap gradually, by perhaps a quarter at a time, and watch whether the cost holds.
• If it was close, improve the weakest link first. Often that's the landing page or the speed of your reply, not the ad.
• If it clearly missed, stop it and test the next channel on your list for the remaining weeks.

Keep your network activity going throughout. Ask every new customer for a review and for the name of one person who might need you.

Checkpoint at week 12: you should now know your real close rate, your cost per enquiry for at least one channel and which customer type responds best. That's the foundation for the next quarter.

Rules that apply to launch promotions in Canada

Launch offers are useful, but keep them honest:

• Show the full price. The Competition Bureau warns against drip pricing, which means advertising a price and adding mandatory fees later. If there's a travel fee or a booking fee, include it in the advertised price.
• Don't invent urgency or reviews. Fake countdowns, made-up review counts and "as seen on" claims damage trust and can create legal risk.
• Respect consent. Don't buy contact lists, and don't add people to marketing messages because they once texted you about something else.

These are general pointers, not legal advice. If a promotion is unusual or large, check it with a lawyer.

Mistakes that waste a launch budget

• Choosing channels before doing the arithmetic. Without an affordable cost per enquiry, every result looks either brilliant or terrible.
• Testing five things at once. You won't know what worked.
• Advertising to all of Ontario. A new company in Barrie doesn't need clicks from Windsor.
• Ignoring reply speed. An enquiry answered the next day is worth less than one answered within the hour.
• Stopping network outreach once ads start. Personal introductions often remain the cheapest source of customers for months.

If you'd like this plan written for your business, our launch marketing service does exactly that, and the naming guide covers the stage before. Costs for planning and weekly support are on the pricing page.