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Dragon Missions and Marketing Plans
Over recent months I have had the opportunity to review a series of marketing plans. In many cases, plans fell into one of two categories. One of the groups involved short papers that contain lists of selection of tactics for the coming year with a budget and calendar. The second group consisted of an extensive set of PowerPoint presentations filled roads of graphs and tables on market statistics and work plans products, etc.
In the first group, while the tactics were well defined, which are not anchored to any strategy or targets. Someone reading first plan would have trouble understanding why the organization is embarking on these efforts and the results are intended. The second group contains an enormous amount of market information, business, customers, competitors and a set of strategies and tactics. However, in this group, it is difficult to connect all the dots between the information the plan and results. While it may seem that the two categories have little in common, the common bond is their inability to tell their story of the business. A good marketing plan is in essence the "Cliff Notes" version of the history of the company explaining the current situation how it got there, and which in any case must be addressed and if so, by whom, how, what and when. A good marketing plan has all the elements a story well told.
A good story captures our attention, captures our imagination takes us to the characters – both heroes and villains – and the situation in question. A marketing plan should do likewise. While a marketing plan need not be a novel, it is necessary to provide a context, describe the situation, clarify the objectives and measures of success, and establishing strategies and tactics for achieving results. A marketing plan should provide an environment and context, as a story has, like "Once upon time in the distant land Travinikar mountain, one of the six realms, the realm of the once prosperous Jedel, was almost in ruins and its great castle, Orona, was under attack. "From this sentence we have context.
Once we have established the framework, we can offer rapidly information about successes and challenges the organization, its market position, competition and customer information. Use of our history and an example Jedel we learn that the kingdom once the most prosperous and powerful in all of Travinikar, was the only manufacturer of Premion used in metal fabrication precious. Premion, most pure, dragon fire calls and in case of extreme shortage. Two rival kingdoms, and Puratonic STÖBER with your Specpure Corbin, are rapidly Jedel forward position as the best provider of high-purity substance. The situation is fast deployment.
We do not know why Jedel sets in near ruin or why the castle is under siege. And the story follows the basic details provided. For example, in this case, we find that Jedel and Orona were besieged by the Imperial Dragon Oriental, Yanagi, and his clan of dragons. Learn more about the dragon clan and its members, Burga, Dildy, Geydos, Kashdan and Vega, who was angry at people for stealing a bottle Jedel sacred fire dragon in order to make more Premion. We now understand a key challenge, obstacle must overcome. The challenges your company faces needs to be equally clear in its plan.
Opportunities also need to be presented. For example, in our history, Jedel to regain its glory will take more than simply defeat the dragons, Jedel required to ensure the Philosopher's Stone, which is hidden in the bush Horeb in the land of Hormuz. The situation is clear and so are the objectives: defeat the dragons and secure the hidden stone. It seems rather that the stories contain at least one and sometimes two elements – something that must be overcome and / or something that must be acquired – the elusive quest and killing the dragon. A well-crafted marketing plan lays the same information if there are dragons to defeat or missions to complete.
Once you understand the main plot, a marketing plan, explains what the organization conduct, including strategies, tactics and resources needed to achieve the objectives. The rest of the story addresses how save Jedel corner. For example, their strategy will ask the five most powerful magicians of the kingdom, Aguais, Malkemus, Huricks, Steverding and Toupal, to help defeat the dragons. The story is provided some details about the magi, his skills and flaws, and outline the tactics used to defeat the dragons. The story is explained if the magi's attempt task alone through the creation of a special potion, negotiate with dragons, form a strategic alliance, or seek help from somewhere else or a combination of all these strategies will be released. And while this part of the story unfolds, we discover that corner every house calls also noble Jedel to send their best knights to seek and secure the stone before the gentlemen of the other realms do. Let's read in advance how the Knights of Jedel – Lacour, Gordon, Sandars, Wroe and Eason – established to ensure the stone before the rival kingdoms of Stober, Corbin and the other two kingdoms, and devwear Malave, is safe. The story provides insight into the strengths and weaknesses of each kingdom, and the strategies that the knights of Rincon will use to reach the stone before the rivals. We know that time is running out for Jedel and Orona. We feel a sense of urgency.
Your marketing plan must do the same: to present the challenges and the search, define what is needed for successful and win, identify which competitors to overcome and to be dragons dead, and identify the strategies and tactics to deploy by whom, when and what cost. Keep tables and charts of the market, together with the customer and competitive information, as are the illustrations for your story. Just understand that no are the story.
Your challenge is to examine how well your marketing plan tells the story of his kingdom and the castle, the challenges and opportunities facing strategies and tactics needed to succeed. Will the Wizards beat the dragons or burned the castle to the earth? "The Knights secure the stone in time or not find another kingdom in the first place? Do magicians and knights are successful or are victims experienced in battle? It is once again Jedel most prosperous kingdom the whole earth? Well, that's a story for another time.
About the Author
Laura Patterson is the author of ‘Measure What Matters’: Reconnecting Marketing to Business Goals, ‘Gone Fishin’: A Guide to Finding, Keeping, and Growing Profitable Customers, and numerous articles on marketing subjects. She is president and co-founder of VisionEdge Marketing, Inc, a leading metrics-based strategic and product marketing firm located in Austin, Texas. The company specializes in consulting and learning services associated with measuring marketing performance, customer acquisition and retention initiatives, market, customer and competitive intelligence, market and product validation, market and customer segmentation, positioning, pricing, and channel strategies. For more information, go to www.visionedgemarketing.com.
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