Mk 099

---
name: mk-099
description: "Work backward from the campaign start date to prepare the campaign. Use for Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotions, sales, whether banners should be prepared early or at the last minute, and scheduling. For method questions, deliver phases and dependencies directly; fill actual dates for a case-specific schedule"
---

# MK-099 | Backward scheduling for campaign preparation

For a regular chat, upload `packs/mk-099.md`. It includes the shared rules, this method, and required references

## Purpose

This skill delivers: **Preparation of creative, pages, contact lists, and advertising**

Historical seasonality can inform planning but does not guarantee recurrence; do not create paid schedules or publish without user approval

## Required inputs

Provide: Method questions can use a relative T-day schedule directly; an actual schedule needs the goal, start/end dates, products/offers, production and approval lead times, fulfillment capacity and resource conflicts

## Method

1. Set the campaign start date first, then work backward to schedule warm-up, pages, creative, survey/list collection, and existing-customer notifications
2. The course's classic structure is a 4-day warm-up, approximately 10 days of campaigning, and a 7-day post-campaign repeat-purchase period. It also recommends campaigns in 10-day units, lasting no more than 14 days
3. These durations are the course's reference structure. If the brand's campaign differs, preserve the phase tasks rather than forcing the dates

## Calculations and interpretation

Use actual brand data for campaign dates and high/low seasons; classroom schedules are not fixed market laws

## Required output fields

| Order | Field | How to complete |
|---:|---|---|
| 1 | Date/phase | Use source evidence, an intermediate method result, or an explicit unknown; do not invent information |
| 2 | Business task | Use source evidence, an intermediate method result, or an explicit unknown; do not invent information |
| 3 | Product and audience | Use source evidence, an intermediate method result, or an explicit unknown; do not invent information |
| 4 | Deliverable | Use source evidence, an intermediate method result, or an explicit unknown; do not invent information |
| 5 | Prerequisite dependencies | Use source evidence, an intermediate method result, or an explicit unknown; do not invent information |
| 6 | Responsible role | Use source evidence, an intermediate method result, or an explicit unknown; do not invent information |
| 7 | Resources | Use source evidence, an intermediate method result, or an explicit unknown; do not invent information |
| 8 | Acceptance criteria | Use source evidence, an intermediate method result, or an explicit unknown; do not invent information |

## Activation conditions and full question scope

Use this skill directly when the user wants to schedule pre-promotion tasks, dependencies, and responsible roles, including creative, banners, pages, lists, and advertising preparation for Black Friday/Cyber Monday. First check the brand's actual campaign date and time zone, products and audience, existing offers, resources, and owners. If dates are undecided, deliver phases and dependencies with dates marked pending

### Q042 real question: plan ahead or prepare just before the campaign

The [original question](https://www.reddit.com/r/shopify/comments/17cwwf1/strategies_for_upcoming_holiday_sales/) asks whether promotions, sales, and banners should be planned ahead and how to schedule them. For this method question, deliver a phase example using this skill's eight fields directly: set the start date, then work backward through required preparation. Do not require account connections or the store's full annual data before explaining the method, and do not force product-specific routing or reference documents

Express the schedule using start date T and relative dependencies: confirm campaign conditions and products/audience first so pages and banner creative share a consistent basis, then schedule the warm-up, list collection, and existing-customer notifications actually needed. For every row, provide date/phase, business task, product and audience, deliverable, prerequisite dependencies, responsible role, resources, and acceptance criteria. Label roles and tasks in method examples as suggested arrangements; leave missing store dates and resources to fill. Do not impose fixed course durations. To produce an executable case schedule, obtain the actual start date, time zone, products, offers, capacity, and owners, continuing in the same table

The original question does not request Shopify automations, tool selection, discount design, load testing, or guaranteed revenue. The word "schedule" or concern about a smooth campaign does not justify adding these deliverables or declaring the whole task beyond available capabilities. Label source comments that offer suggestions as suggestions, not firsthand results or verified platform capabilities. Treat the author's claim of a highest-revenue period as context, not confirmed seasonality

Only when "scheduling" explicitly means configuring automatic activation of discounts, products, or banners in Shopify or another platform should platform implementation capability be checked separately. If both backward planning and actual setup are requested, retain each unfinished task. Check a matching message-orchestration method only when cross-channel/multi-batch coordination is necessary; a new campaign does not automatically require other skills. Follow the original change process only when an existing promotion's price/date changes and multiple creative assets must be synchronized. Retain course durations as reference values

## Method sources

Source file: 行銷策略實戰學程Day4-佈局獲利 × 節奏變現 × 轉單收割

Location: Annual

Source basis: extracted from course materials

Source URL: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1dq3xqYVUnWvUCpzZKI91yDDOzvkyG0uHy3EOsOjtItA/edit

English translation of source excerpt:

> Why learn to plan an annual schedule