With 2010 knocking on your door it'll be here before you know it. Hope you are all well into your planning, but in case you're not, couple things to think about.
- What worked in 2009? What didn't? Why?
- How does your brand stand? Do your brand assets clearly identify with who you are and where you're going?
- What does your strategy look like? Have you outlined your markets, target audiences, operating plan, market trends and communications strategy/tactics?
- How does that strategy tie into your sales strategy? Are you helping sales accomplish their goals by your marketing programs? Are you communicating through the entire sales cycle your brand and clear messaging, along with the customer buying patterns considered?
All of these things are critical for a successful marketing communications plan and should not be taken lightly. If you've started planning or are nearly complete, excellent. If not, you're a bit behind on things so it's time to get going.
So if you already haven't started, you may want to start your 2010 marketing planning. Reflect on your efforts in 2009. What worked? What didn't? Why? How did you use your CRM system effectively? Was it an integrated approach? Did it support and strenthen your brand? Are there any co-marketing activities that you should take advantage of? What about your clients? Have you developed each relationship as far as you should have? All good questions to reflect upon but also take into account for next year. And the final question.... was it fun?
Take time to truly think about these questions and formulate your strategy, the new year is going to come up faster than you think and in these tough times, getting off to a great start right after the holidays could differentiate you from your competitors.
Enjoy! I'm off planning for 2010.
Some operating plan-type things to keep in mind when working on your '09 plans. This will help with the overall effectiveness of your marketing programs:
- Top 3 or 4 priorities for the upcoming year
- What are the current challenges the business is facing
- What do you see being the growth opportunities?
- What will you do differently to enhance your customer experience?
- Are there any cost synergies that you can take advantage of?
These are just a couple thoughts that should be part of your strategy. Once these are outlined, the trick is to figure out how to achieve these items through an integrated marketing program that is build on brand and a clear strategy.
And just in case I'm getting ahead of myself. The strategy plans that I use include:
- Summary
- Industry Markets
- Target Audiences
- Operating Plan (the stuff above)
- Recap of your 2008 plan
- Market Trends and Regional Considerations
- Communications Strategies Overview (overview of tactics being used, not the details)
Then, you can start filling out your marketing calendar with the details and budget numbers. If anyone out there needs a template for the calendar just shoot me an email at john@babacita.com and state in the subject "gotta get me some calendar template" or something like that. I'll shoot it out to you. In exchange, just buy me a beer next time I see you and we'll call it good. And if you're not from West Michigan, good thing for you cause I like BIG beers.
Happy marketing!!
Here's an excellent article that presents five questions that marketers should ask themselves while planning an type of campaign.
Cutting Through the Marketing Clutter
Lots of thoughts running through my head about what marketing is. What % is art, and what % science? Regardless, 100% is to sell more stuff.
It involves planning and strategy, then a creative delivery and message - all that supports and strengthens your brand. Then put into your plan and executed. It's a convergence of the customer needs/wants/desires and your product or service. BUT, influenced by brand and brand preferences, and product features/benefits.
The art? It's the creativity of the message, design and delivery. The science? Who is your audience, what are their hot buttons and how can you help them solve challenges. Then to come full circle, how are you measuring your performance and what tweeks need to be made along the way?
Are you simply peddling a product or actually making an impact in someone's life? That's where the messaging comes in.
It's not a simple task if it's done right. And that's the key - DONE RIGHT. So many out there simply bang out an ad, brochure or TV spot. What's the higher purpose of any of those items? Are they messaged correctly according to your strategy and brand. Hell, do you even have a strategy? Get one if you don't. It gives you the opportunity to get your thoughts down on paper and provides you a guide for moving your marketing forward.
So I guess what I'm really trying to say is that marketing is complicated stuff. But with a solid plan that's developed and a coordinated and thought out execution, it doesn't have to be complicated. There needs to be a reason for everything you do and support it with your core brand assets that are the foundation for everything you do.
Now's the time where you really need to start thinking about '09. What worked in 2008 and what didn't? Where do you want to go? Is it more about awareness, education or lead generation? What tactics to use? What industry associations and alliances do you wish to create or strengthen? Lot's of questions as you develop these plans. And it's easy to be overwhelmed thinking about all these things. But take things a bit at a time. Here's an outline that I typically use that may help with your planning.
- Overall communications strategy
- Brand review
- Review of '08
- Tactics strategy (advertising, direct response, promotions, product launches, public relations, telesales, trade shows)
- Metrics
- Communications calendar (what, when and budget)
If you're on the client side of things, then comes the fun part - battling for bucks. Good luck!
If you're on the agency side, why not start the planning process for your clients? Give them a rundown of what you do know about their communications, at least what you've done for them and the budgets that they've spent with you. Can you also provide them metrics? Information like this is invaluable to the client side of things. Now's the time to do anything you can proactively, on your dime. It's an investment in the client and the future. It will not be forgotten.
Anyway, just a couple thoughts to get you going. Happy planning!!