In this article
Key takeaways
- Ninety days is long enough to see real results and short enough to stay focused.
- Each month has one job: steady, grow, expand.
- Pick two or three numbers per month, such as leads, cost per lead and customers.
- A one-hour weekly review keeps the plan alive.
Why 90 days?
Marketing plans for a whole year are hard to follow for a small business, and weekly plans are too short to see what works. Ninety days gives ad platforms time to learn, gives content time to build momentum, and still lets you change direction quickly.
The plan below is a template used in the final session of the LSM programme. Adapt the details to your business, budget and season, for example if Ramadan or the summer slowdown falls in your 90 days.
Before you start: goal, numbers and budget
Write one main goal for the 90 days, such as '60 booked consultations' or 'AED 90,000 of online sales'. Then work backwards to the numbers you need: how many leads, at what cost, and how many become customers.
Set your monthly ad budget in AED, add 5% VAT on ad spend, and decide how many hours a week you can give. Be realistic: consistency beats intensity.
| Step | Example |
|---|---|
| Goal | 60 new customers in 90 days |
| Close rate | 1 in 4 leads becomes a customer |
| Leads needed | 240 leads (about 80 a month) |
| Target cost per lead | AED 40 |
| Monthly ad budget | 80 × AED 40 = AED 3,200, plus 5% VAT |
Month 1: get steady
The first month is about foundations and one channel working reliably. Check that tracking works (Pixel, GA4, WhatsApp clicks and a lead sheet), sharpen your offer, and launch or fix your main channel, for example Meta lead ads or Google Search.
Do not add channels yet. Your job is to get a steady flow of leads you can measure.
- Tracking tested end to end, lead sheet updated daily.
- One offer, one main campaign, three to four creatives.
- Google Business Profile complete, review requests in place.
- Numbers to hit: steady weekly leads, cost per lead within target.
Month 2: grow
With a steady base, improve and add. Turn off what does not work, give more budget to what does, and refresh creative before it gets tired. Add a second channel that supports the first: for example, Google Search if you started with Meta, or organic Instagram content if you started with Google.
Look at lead quality as well as volume. Improve forms, qualifying questions and your WhatsApp reply script.
- Weekly: pause weak ads, launch one or two new creatives.
- Add a second channel with a small test budget.
- Numbers to hit: more customers at the same or lower cost per customer.
Month 3: expand
Now scale the winners carefully, increasing budgets gradually on campaigns that are profitable. Test one new thing: a new audience, a new offer, a new location or a seasonal campaign. Start building repeat business with past customers through WhatsApp or email, with their consent.
At the end of month 3, review the whole 90 days and write the next plan. What worked, what did not, and what will you do differently?
- Scale budgets on winners in steps, not jumps.
- Test one new audience or offer.
- Launch a repeat-customer message or offer.
- Numbers to hit: the 90-day goal, and a clear plan for the next 90.
The weekly one-hour review
A plan only works if you look at it. Once a week, spend an hour on the same routine: export results, compare with targets, decide on changes and update your log. An AI assistant can do the first summary for you if you paste in your numbers.
Example prompt: 'Here are this week's results from Meta, Google and my lead sheet. Compare them with last week and with my targets. List the three most important changes to make next week and explain why.'
LSM tip: Keep a simple decision log: date, what you changed, why, and what happened. It turns guesswork into learning.