Market Planning: One Bite at a Time
Posted by Website Director on Oct. 13, 2022 / Blog / Subscribe 0
Planning doesn’t have to be overwhelming … approach it like eating a meal – one bite at a time. In today’s ever-changing environment, the one constant is that we are being asked to do more with less. This creates opportunities for us to think creatively about how to accomplish the tasks that support our department’s, and more importantly, our company’s, strategic goals and objectives. The driving factor behind planning is to align your marketing efforts for success.
Remember that you begin a meal with an appetizer and not dessert. Use that same approach with your marketing plan. Take a step back and perform a marketing audit – not a typical audit of collateral, swag, etc., but an audit of your department’s functionality and how that compares to your responsibilities.
Many of us are working on our business and strategic plans now, so I will walk you through a recent audit I completed. While this information is not comprehensive, you will get a flavor for what your audit can look like.
- Identify the tasks you are responsible for – both what you are currently doing and what items you need to be doing
- Determine if they are needs or wants, and distinguish if they are currently being done or if they need to start being done
- Evaluate if you have enough resources to take these on or if you need to outsource them
- Prioritize timing – you can take a phased approach and evaluate when it is strategic and feasible to introduce tasks
“Outsource” doesn’t need to be a bad word. This is another opportunity for us to get creative. Depending on how your company operates, truly outsourcing to a consultant may not be a viable option. However, what about outsourcing to another department? Think about the young professionals who have recently joined your firm. Do any of them have hobbies – for instance photography or graphic design? This is a great way to get them involved by leveraging something they enjoy doing. It’s also a great way to teach them about all of the ways marketing impacts the overall business.
Once you have your list, start outlining your plan. One thing to remember is to look at how each individual task fits into the overall picture and determine where certain activities overlap.
Let’s think about project descriptions. At face value, you may automatically associate project descriptions solely with proposals. While they are used in proposals, you can also use project descriptions in a variety of other ways: project sheets/case studies, resumes, website, social media, award submissions, etc. In my case, I outsourced my project descriptions to a consultant, and I used these overlaps to my advantage. I selected the top 20 project descriptions. I had her write a full project description, as well as shorter resume and website versions. This way, everything was consistent and complemented each other. I thought this through and had her do all of this at the same time, increasing efficiency and my return on investment.
Creating a plan allows you to work smarter, not harder. You will be able to accomplish more and increase your efficacy. You will also increase your value to your firm and demonstrate leadership. More importantly, you will be able to transform your business through marketing leadership.
About Cricket Robertson, FSMPS, CPSM
Cricket Robertson, FSMPS, CPSM is a senior marketing strategist at Gannett Fleming supporting GeoDecisions. She has more than 25 years of experience and has worked in all three A, E, and C sectors. She has also served in a variety of SMPS roles at local, regional, and national levels.
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