connecting
Let’s face it, it takes time to create a strategic public relations and marketing plan, let alone implement one. With today’s hectic pace of business and pressure to increase revenues, some companies are taking a reactive, short-sighted approach to marketing.
Have you ever seen the warning signs of “ad hoc” marketing in your workplace?
The symptoms of ad hoc marketing may include:
- distributing a news release that receives no pick-up because there’s no news value;
- starting a company (insert your social media platform of choice here) blog, Facebook or Twitter page that goes stale within months because no one has the time to maintain it;
- the sales team is convinced the marketing department harbours aliens;
- no one can tell you if the last campaign delivered an acceptable return on investment, or;
- you get that sinking feeling: “Oops, we probably should have thought this one through.”
Planning is a process
Strategic planning takes time, insight and fortitude. At Advantis, we typically start with the end in mind. We challenge clients to put a stake in the ground and establish measurable objectives. If you want to grow, how are you going measure your growth? Is its dollars, number of new customers, number of units sold, converting on your website, or something else? Are you going to grow by increasing the number of customers or digging deeper into existing customers? Is it by launching new products or entering new markets? Will you drive revenue by improving your communications in some way or by cutting costs?
Defining success
So how do you measure ‘success’? The key is to build a plan that has clear objectives based on business objectives. “SMART” is a good acronym to use (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound). Once you have SMART objectives, you need relevant strategies and a detailed roadmap of tactics with the proper rationale and timelines that satisfy these objectives.
To avoid the ad hoc marketing syndrome, consider the following questions when your organization embarks on a new marketing campaign:
- Have we considered all our stakeholders and what they need to properly support the implementation of the plan?
- What are some roadblocks that might derail our campaign and how can we make these work for us instead of against us?
- Do we have the time and skill set in-house to develop and execute the plan?
- Do we understand how our target audience prefers to consume messages or interact with our brand?
- Are we happy with the results we’ve gotten in the past or is a new approach warranted?
- What are the best platforms or vehicles for distributing our message for this situation?
Even if you’re in a rush, please resist ‘ad-hoc’ marketing tactics and take the time to think strategically about your goals and objectives. Marketing efforts founded on insight and a deep understanding of what motivates buyers will save you time in the long run by allowing you to achieve your business goals sooner. And since they’ll be measurable, you’ll be able to prove it. 😉