Comments on: How Complex Should a Marketing Plan Be?

By: Ty

Ty — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 05:02:09 +0000

I find it helpful to share the marketing calendar with my team in Google docs. That way everyone has access to it, and we can all review it simultaneously during meetings and chart our progress.

By: Susan

Susan — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:44:33 +0000

I think that too many people make a marketing plan and then hide it in their desk drawer. As an account manager for an agency, we’re often given only the bits and snippets that a client considers relevant to us, when in reality we can help them make their marketing plan work better when we have insight into their true goals and how they plan to accomplish it.

After you’ve put that much work into a document, share it with anyone and everyone who plays into your marketing process!

By: JP

JP — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:01:50 +0000

Marketing Integrity: You hit the nail on the head. An annual review of biz goals is perfect for keeping folks on track. If the plan maps to those goals, focus is easier to maintain and success is easier to achieve.
This was #1 in my recent list of 5 Guiding Principles for Marketers.

http://diablogue.wordpress.com/2008/06/20/5-guiding-principles-for-marketers/

John Jantsch: I like that you said: “Who makes an ideal customer for your business” rather than “Define your target audience(s).” Indeed, I see the “groundswell” as a major catalyst for big changes down the road in our lexicon of marketing.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:18:51 +0000

One of the hardest things I’ve found is writing for many people and accurately explaining things that are universally true to most industries. As far as how that is reflected in your article above, I believe by keeping things simple, you can answer those complex questions. Well done.

One thing I would add, is to keep in mind the user’s new media experience. Many times, small businesses can have a killer idea, and ways to promote it, but fall short on making adjustments when users change. Can the marketing plan still interact with consumers without getting in the way? Obviously, there aren’t all the answers out there, but just something to keep in mind as well.

By: Marketing Integrity

Marketing Integrity — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:57:09 +0000

Yes, creating and reviewing your organizational goals yearly is a brilliant planning and assessment process.

The challenge with marketing plans is that most businesses will in concept agree with the process, but they tend to be so excited and motivated in the beginning of a business or product launch that they always want to rush over this process and get in motion with more tangible things. If you can keep them focused on writing and sticking to a good strategic MAP (Marketing Action Plan) then the results generally play out much better.

By: John Jantsch

John Jantsch — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:25:45 +0000

@Keith – a list of annual goals would be also be a brilliant way to measure and keep the plan alive. You would need to update the goals each year and update the plan as well.

By: Keith Bossey

Keith Bossey — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 02:26:10 +0000

John, a wonderfully simple and effective post. I’d propose having an even simpler version of the plan for day to day reference. With less people to do the work these days, staffers are often self-managed. Having a cheat sheet to refer to, that spells out the overall goals for the year, makes it easy for everyone to stay on track. If it fits with the plan, do it. If not, ask.

By: The Small Business Social Network

The Small Business Social Network — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 22:38:38 +0000

The two biggest mistakes I see businesses make are not making a plan or not reviewing weekly metrics. Whether it is week 1 or week 104, you have to review your marketing expenditures and conversions.

Keith Brando
http://sta.rtup.biz
“The Facebook of Small Business”