It’s December. Marketing Plan season.
Companies everywhere, with all good intentions, invest energy and resources to create a master plan for marketing success in 2015. And yet, how often do these plans end up sitting on a shelf (real or digital) and ignored once they’re written?
Want to change that? Here are 8 AWESOME IDEAS to help you build a Marketing Plan your team will actually want to use in 2015. All year long!
1. Write it in plain English, not jargon from either marketers or your own industry quickspeak.
2. Explain the overall strategic initiatives AND list the specific steps (tactics) you’ll use to make it all happen. If you include only research, assessment, strategy, and projections, no one will read it after it’s been “accepted.” For good or ill, people get too wrapped up in their daily work. If the Plan doesn’t help them in their daily work, they’ll forget about it.
OPTION: If you want to wait till later in the year to create certain Tactical Plans because you do not yet have enough data or you need to see the results of other efforts first, that’s okay. Just detail how you’ll address this in the coming year. And keep to that commitment!
3. Establish short- and long-term milestones (or key performance indicators) to track throughout the year. Too many plans focus just on year-end goals. Keep your team accountable monthly and quarterly. And be specific in how you’ll measure success.
4. Make sure the “steps” in your plan include the point of view of your target audience and not solely what’s in your own head, or solely from your company’s “to do” list. Remember, it’s not what you want to say that counts. It’s what your audience needs to hear and understand about you that drives engagement. And the goal of a Marketing Plan is engagement (leading to sales!). Establishing this approach in your Plan helps you maintain it throughout the year. And nothing breeds adherence and acceptance of a Plan like success!
5. Assign responsibility. accountability, and a timeline. These specifics are not always included in a Marketing Plan. Remember the old saying — “What gets measured gets done.” Sayings become sayings for a reason!
6. Include a contingency plan for various key initiatives. A review of “What will we do if . . .” can help you navigate rough and unexpected seas. The classic Marketing Plan you learn in school doesn’t cover the unexpected, whether it be a change in global politics, a new regulation, a recall, or a failed marketing campaign. Having a plan on how to react if something doesn’t work takes some pressure off your team.
7. Review the Marketing Plan with your team quarterly. As a leader, it’s up to you to show how your Plan really does act as a road map throughout the year.
8. Don’t be afraid to revise your Marketing Plan if needed. It’s not a sacred scroll. If you learn something mid-year or experience a significant business change, adapt the plan.
If your Marketing Plan has information people can apply daily as part of their efforts to succeed, and you include clear and fair accountability, it’ll be used.
Have your own ideas about how to make Marketing Plans more useful? Share them below!