Posts Tagged ‘Strategic Planning’

“Making the turkeys look forward to Christmas” is the key to marketing. But to do that requires an understanding of what “turkeys” want and how to position “Christmas” as cool – or “hot” as the case may be!


The Marketing Plan is the mirror on your business. It looks at all things good and all things bad. Having “bad” things is ok, and having good things is even gooderer because you know the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of your business.


Your minimum Marketing Plan should cover the Fa’toomsh 10 Points of Market Reason™:


1. The things you do and sell and how much of this was sold last year? Is this good or bad?


2. Why did point 1 happen?


3. Competitors – What do they do, prices, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats


4. Your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats


5. Business Goals – what does the business need to achieve, where is it going, aims, benchmarks etc


6. Critical Success Factors for achieving 5.


7. What does this (5&6) mean from a marketing stand point, what does marketing have to do to make this happen?


8. Strategies, Tactics and Budget to achieve 5, 6 and 7


9. Will the tactics and budgets in 8 actually meet/achieve the goals or benchmarks in 5, 6 and 7


10. Who is going to do this work, do they have the skills, time, budget and motivation? What needs to be done internally and what can be outsourced?


Marketing Plans should be taken seriously and are not designed to be a 3-page document. If you weighed up the revenue of your business over the next three years, you need to ask yourself “what time and money am I prepared to spend on this Marketing Plan in order to protect $X revenue”? A few moons ago I read a book on Marketing and marketing plans. The author said something like this…


“There are two types of marketing plans –


a) the quick and easy plan on Page 5


b) the normal plan on Page 8.”


When I turned to page 5 the book said, “seek a good insolvency accountant now!”

STRATEGIC PLANNING is fundamental to business success and that of the marketing function.

Without doubt this is the most under-utilised marketing function and undermines the credibility of marketing specialists who cannot do it well.

As a “Marketing House” we know that many companies do not always see the value of marketing – or even planning in some cases.

So to help out, here are some examples of the planning we do and some testimonials of those who have used them.

The outcomes are important, as in most instances they were “unexpected” in the clients’ mind – but as good marketers they were not a surprise to us.