The Key to Marketing is in the Process
In marketing, there's no particular plan or solution that works
across the board, but there is a process for creating a plan that
does. The themes of this process are informed decision-making and
highly adaptive execution, and the results are effective strategies
for marketing to all industries, no matter how challenging.
We have clients that use us as their marketing department, and
clients that just use us to augment their internal resources. But
no matter how big or small the job, our process is applied in some
form to ensure that everything we do positions our customers for
success.
Phase 1: Discovery & Planning
Some business owners think of marketing as a series of tactics,
investing in specific channels based on feedback and suggestions
from their peers and the media. But if you start at the execution
phase, how do you know that your investment will pay off? Does your
channel reach the right audience? Is your message compelling to
your audience? Do you know who your audience is in the first
place?
Building a marketing operation in this manner is like throwing
darts at a board while blindfolded. Many marketing channels are
great for reaching some audiences and useless for reaching others.
If you want to make the most out of your investment, you have to
start at the beginning by defining your goals and researching your
opportunity -- building the foundation -- and let the data drive
the investment decisions.
Phase 2: Infrastructure & Collateral
With a sound plan in place, the next step is preparation for
execution. There are two primary goals in this phase: (1) create
and update all necessary materials (sales collateral, website,
internal processes, etc.) to accommodate channel execution and
properly align with overall strategy, and (2) ensure that processes
are in place to collect and adequately analyze data regarding the
success of the initiatives in place. An essential part of
maximizing the effectiveness of a marketing investment is being
able to react to objective data in real time, either to modify or
cease initiatives that are not profitable or to augment initiatives
that are. That's what we mean when we talk about "agility," and we
take it very seriously.
Phase 3: Channel Execution
This is the part of the process where we flip the "switch" and
let the plan do its work. With all the careful preparation in the
first two phases, all of the focus during this phase is on
maintenance and the collection of data. The channels being utilized
all serve a purpose or take advantage of an opportunity identified
in previous analysis. What seems like the most stressful part of
the process becomes smooth sailing with the right foundation of
research and resources in place.
Phase 4: Results Analysis
The most oft-overlooked part of the process is just as crucial
to a successful marketing campaign as all the parts that precede
it. The results analysis phase begins shortly into channel
execution and overlaps ad infinitum. Focused analysis of data
produced during execution allows businesses to continually optimize
budgetary commitments, marginalize sunk costs in channels that
aren't working, and adapt quickly to changes in market conditions.
All of this leads to the one thing that truly matters - maximized
ROI. It's the only way to do it right.
To have a conversation about how the above process can help your
company's marketing operation run as lean as possible, contact us
at 773.796.7207 or via the form to the
right.
