Create an annual marketing plan. We find that the practices that excel in referral marketing typically have an excellent annual plan. One of the core tenets of referral marketing that we teach is to always build your annual plan so that there is less chance of falling off due to distractions and loss of motivation. Your annual plan should combine large, medium, and small strategies and include deadlines to be completed and implemented. This helps the Professional Relations Coordinator (often a part-time position) to be able to anticipate exactly what needs to be done to make sure the strategy is properly carried out.