HOW TO WRITE A KILLER MARKETING PLAN – the hard parts uncovered

This article was originally published in Spice Magazine, Issue 76, Feb 2017, p. 11

Google will provide millions of articles telling you that in order to have a killer marketing plan, you need SMART goals, great key messages, and a timeline you can stick to. There are templates galore with directions on what to put into which box. These are great, and immensely useful, however, after working with over 400 companies, I can say, it is not a poorly constructed SWOT or having too many goals that will make a marketing plan fail. The key to writing a marketing plan that really works, lies in how the plan is brought together, the evidence from which decisions are made, why decisions are made and most importantly, linking it to the overall business goals.

From my experience, here are the top five things that will make your marketing plans work:

The will of the people (who matter)

Businesses go through cycles, and when you’re creating a new marketing strategy you need the will of the business to support the work including overall agreement from the leaders that this is an important element of the business’ success. A successful marketing plan needs to be designed to realise the business goals, so unless the business thinks, marketing will help us achieve our goals, it just won’t stick. I often ask, ‘why do you want to do this now?’, ‘will we be presenting back to the Board?’ and ‘what will happen if we don’t do one?’.

Bring research to the table

Everyone has an opinion about what needs to be done; sometimes it is based on their last conversation, their children’s social media usage and the preferences of one customer – ‘he doesn’t like blue’. Consensus is vital. Without it, you won’t get anything off the ground. The best way to reach consensus is to conduct research with staff, clients, and stakeholders via a third party. A cleverly written survey and professionally executed interview will bring to the table real insights that will make the difference. It also separates the anecdotes and squeaky wheels from the real issues.

Wipe the (emotional) slate clean

Emotion is a very powerful elephant in the room. Frustration, disappointments, misunderstandings and opinions about colleague’s capabilities railroad a marketing plan quicker than anything else. The hardest part is that emotions aren’t often discussed openly and can appear as other things (can’t get budget, can’t get people’s involvement etc). However, without wiping the slate clean, the same hurdles (and mistakes) can and will occur. This is where the leader needs to call the issues out and then get an experienced facilitator to draw out these emotions in a constructive manner, and get everyone on side.

Take the day off being the boss

This brings me to facilitation. It is almost impossible to facilitate your own marketing strategic planning session effectively. No matter your role in the company it is very difficult to carry out the role of facilitator and player at the same time. An external person brings impartiality, and can allow for the hard conversations to occur without the baggage of the past – especially those around brand and positioning (and emotion) which are the hardest ones to have. Leaders love it when I step in and take the reins in a planning meeting; it means they get to listen, engage and be part of the team.

The plan of attack

Of course the plan! This is where you can use your SMART goals and timelines. A good plan is interesting, referred to regularly and most importantly measured. If you aren’t measuring your progress you aren’t going anywhere! Giving senior leaders a one page synopsis is a good idea – it means you all remain on the same page and committed to the path ahead. It is vital to review the plan with the original stakeholders every three months – anything more you lose momentum, anything less and you haven’t got much to report on.

Zadro lead strategic marketing and communications planning sessions and campaigns. Find out more at www.zadroagency.com.au