2015 marketing plan Tag

29 Dec

Posted at 07:57h in IMC by
Okay, in this task you PULL IT ALL TOGETHER! If you're like me, you probably have a bunch of Word docs scattered - or one that looks like a mess. Or you printed it out and it's covered in handwritten notes. Or maybe you're bloody perfect and it's all written out neatly already. If that is the case, the rest of us hate you and you're done for today. If not, it's time to get your document together. This might take you today and tomorrow, so don't sweat it. Tomorrow's task is REALLY easy. Here is the outline with the information you should have by now: 1. End Goal - This is the sentence where you write in quantifiable terms what you'll achieve in 2015. For most of you, this will be a sales figure. 2. Measurement - How will you measure this, and how often? Again, a sentence or two will suffice. 

26 Dec

Posted at 16:28h in IMC by
First of all, let me say that there are a bajillion pictures of mad scientists out there on the net. This one was my favorite by far. 2015 marketing plan   And why, do you ask, do I need a photo of a mad scientist in the 2015 Marketing Plan? Here is where we begin to think about how we'll test the efficacy of our marketing programs. For most entrepreneurs and small businesses - well, for most people really - we mainly just look at sales. Did we sell more or didn't we? If you wait that long until you review your results you could be dead in the water. Waiting until the end game means that you hold your breath, click your heels three times and hope your marketing works by looking at your numbers every three months or so. Yeah, that's pretty stupid...and why most people hate marketing. Instead you've got to test your results - and you have to test at the tactic level. And in order to do that, you have to decide if the tactic has contributed to the strategy. You've done enough work now to know that your strategies are pretty solid. So here is where you put the guarantee into your marketing plan. Take the 2014 tactics you want to keep - and you know they're good because a) they contribute to a chosen strategy and b) they were effective (3 or more). Add the new tactics you've chosen. And then write down how you'll know if they worked and when you'll check. Here are our tactic examples again, with the test criteria added. What you're really measuring here are the conversions that lead you to your best customer and ultimately to more sales -

18 Dec

Posted at 09:30h in IMC by

Today we think about our new strategies. You should have two new ones, and some good 'uns from last year you'll do again. Remember these are STRATEGIES not tactics. If you could give one of your strategies to a friend and they could go out...

17 Dec

Posted at 07:53h in IMC by

Think back to your best customer. Consider the strategies that appealed most to you. Where is the intersection between those appealing strategies and the ones you think will best reach your customer? That's where those two new strategies lie....

10 Dec

Posted at 08:46h in IMC, Integrated Marketing by
By now you should have a pretty good idea of the profile of your best customer, and your desired best customer.  If you're following along with this crash course you probably aren't the type of person who has a lot of time for market research or the budget to create a complex digital or traditional ad strategy. Don't worry.  There are only two things you need to know to create the strategies and tactics for your 2015 Marketing Plan (we start those next week, so relax). 1. Where do your customers get their information? 2. What kind of messages do they respond to? #2 is something that is an ongoing task for you and you'll be working on that throughout the year. Therefore, the last tidbit we need to gather is #1. All I want you to do right now is consider your 1) best and 2) desired best customer. If you can, try to numerically prioritize their information sources (in other words, do they use Facebook, Twitter, do they like to read print papers, etc.). If not, just put an X next to the three you think are their PRIMARY sources of information. To get a better handle on this, start with yourself and narrow it down to your top three. Then think of those two sets of customers (or one if you're already happy with your customer base) and do the same.