While goals indicate what you want to achieve; a strategy is the plan to meet those goals.
This is where we map out several integral elements in one, concise document to act as a checks and balances against your communications activities. Reviewing your activities against this document will quickly identify if you are on strategy with your mix and tactics.
Keep conscious when you’re creating this
What will stand you apart from competitors?
What will capture attention?
What will cut through the market “noise?”
Here are five distinct marketing strategies you can use to achieve your marketing goals
Awareness marketing
I want people to know who I am and what I do
In order to be noticed, this marketing strategy must be loud and clear
The marketing message is simple and straightforward
Large companies use this marketing strategy because it gets a lot of attention very quickly
Legitimacy marketing
This marketing strategy is about building a reputation. Its marketing message is about the value you add to people’s lives
This strategy usually involves many marketing tactics over a long period of time
Small businesses use this marketing strategy because it takes much longer for it to pay off, but when it does, your success will be felt throughout the market segment
Affinity marketing
I want people to see me as part of a community, to become part of a bigger whole
The marketing message is about being a member of the club
No one company owns it. Several companies may use this marketing strategy at any given time depending on how they approach their marketing activities
Relationship marketing
I want to build a strong relationship with my customers, offering them the best of me and my business
The marketing message is that we fit with each other
This marketing strategy is about deepening communications over time through multiple marketing activities and approaches
Target marketing
I want to focus on a specific market segment, a specific target audience
The marketing message is about having the same needs, wants and desires
This marketing strategy usually involves marketing tactics created for this purpose only
It can be very effective when you have a smaller marketing budget which would allow you to focus on a small number of marketing activities instead of trying to cover a lot of marketing ground
Depending on your marketing goals and budget, all the above strategies can be used at the same time. Your strategy should also be aligned to support your brand and what you want to achieve through marketing activities.
This past week has been a whirlwind of work and life. Just some highlights
2022 Marketing strategy final reviews
2022 Marketing programs – begin outlining activities to support the strategy
Reviewing marketing automation and nurturing tools
New work projects started, and a few wrapped up
I received a notice that there’s a drug surge in the town where my two kids are
The usual fire training – new EMR protocols and review/prep on forcible entry (love that stuff!)
My mother had a routine surgery – all good, but still added stress on my dad and sisters, and on me while being not near them
Smoke alarm went off at 4:30 am Wednesday morning. It was a malfunctioning smoke detector but only determined after checking things out (including the attic), borrowing the TIC (thermal imaging camera) and doing a full sweep just to make sure. Have you checked and changed your smoke detector batteries lately? Do it this weekend – don’t wait.
Sounds like a lot, yes? But you know something? It was a great week! I was focused and in the creative flow. Speaking of Flow, a moment of silence for Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the author of Flow passed away this week. If you don’t know about it, check it out, it’s a monumental and foundational read.
I’m sure you’ve been there before. You’re in the zone (or flow), your creative juices are flowing and then suddenly, it’s like someone pulled the plug on your laptop. Then you’re scrambling to find inspiration or idea that will get you going again. What if I told you that there was a way to stay focused and work more efficiently? This post is about how to do just that. This works for me, but the key is finding what works best for YOU!
Have you ever been rolling along to have life through you a huge number of curveballs all at once? How do you keep focused and stay in the creative flow while dealing with those curveballs?
I know I’ve been there plenty of times. It can be very hard to focus on your work when you have a million things going on at once. You might feel as if all your ideas are disappearing and it’s time to start from scratch again. In those moments, take a deep breath and focus on what is important for now, and focus on that.
Everyone has a different way of creating. For example, some people focus better with music playing in the background while others prefer quiet surroundings. Some focus best early in the morning while others focus best late at night. You need to find out what works for you.
I like the analogy of creativity as a muscle you need to work out or it won’t work at all. To find focus, find something that helps get your creative juices flowing again and keep going. Don’t sit there and assume nothing is working because chances are if you just give it time, focus will find you.
Here are some tips that focus my focus:
Write it down – If something is on your mind, write it down. It doesn’t have to be in a journal or even an idea for a blog post. For me I use OneNote so I can access my notes anytime from anywhere. This way if I feel stuck, I can open my notes and focus on one thing that keeps me focused.
Keep your workspace clean – Being organized is important. When you take time to clean up your work area, focus will automatically come. Cleaning helps me focus because it makes everything more simple and therefore easier to focus on whatever it is that needs focus.
Find focus – Sometimes it’s hard to focus on what you need focus on instead of worrying about all the things you must do. To find focus, make a list of everything you need to do and then focus on one thing at a time. You can even prioritize your task list depending on their importance.
Diversify your focus – While it’s good to focus on one thing at a time, sometimes focusing on too many things at once can zap focus. So, focus on one thing for an hour or two and then focus on another task. Or focus on your work for a while and then take a break with some fun activities.
Take your focus outdoors – Sometimes focusing indoors can be challenging. I focus better when I get some fresh air and focus outdoors. Going for a walk or taking a break outside helps me focus because it’s like getting away from everything and allowing myself to focus without distraction.
Stay hydrated – Getting plenty of water while working will help focus. Sometimes I focus better when I’ve got a full glass of water because it can be easy to get dehydrated when you focus for long periods at a time without drinking anything.
Reward focus – Rewarding yourself is very important in motivating focus. You want to focus on your work so you can have some fun, right? It’s good to focus on work but it’s even better if you let yourself have some fun or enjoy life while focusing.
Take a break – Find focus, but also remember to take time for yourself so you can relax and focus on having fun. Life is all about balance and finding focus should help us all become more productive, not less. A focus break can be just what you need to get back on track and focus more efficiently.
Try out different focus methods until you find what works best for you. It might take some time but with practice, focus will come naturally when it’s time to focus.
To summarize, here are some keys to not losing it when life comes at you
Be and stay organized
Prioritize
Time management
Self-imposed target dates
Real deadlines
Time for YOU – For me it’s spending enough quiet time to stay organized, playing the guitar and cooking
Most people find it difficult to stay focused and motivated. It’s so easy for your creative, “in the zone” state of mind to slip away from you when you’re working on a long deadline or project that requires a lot of focus. The good news is there are ways to keep yourself in this productive mindset longer! The above tips work well for me – maybe they’ll help you too?
What strategies do YOU use to stay more focused at work? Leave a comment below with your best practices!
I’ve been working in marketing for a while now. I’m going to talk about not launching a product before it’s ready.
This is something that happens all the time but as marketers we need to make sure that our products are up to par before releasing them into the world. If not, there could be some serious consequences like wasting valuable resources or worse yet getting bad feedback from customers who can’t use your product because it’s not working properly.
You’re going to like this story.
I was about 3 weeks into a new job at a new company. This company produced, among other things, roll-out trash cans. You know, the one’s that you may have or see at the end of neighborhood driveways on trash day.
Anyway, my first big assignment had been to launch a bear-proof container. This was a big problem in the Rocky’s, Pacific Northwest, Canada…. During the night the bears would come out and stroll through the neighborhoods sampling from the buffet of containers at the end of everyone’s driveway, then after their fill… back into the woods and mountains they went. Morning comes and as people are taking out their dogs, going to work or school…. The street… trashed. Literally.
So, there was a need for something to keep the bears from making messes and probably saving them from some serious digestive issues.
Anyway, the engineering group had the can done and ready to go. I was going to do a product sheet, news release, photography, etc… As I started writing I asked if they got any third-party verification that the thing works. “Ohhh nooo… we don’t need that,” the senior engineering lead told me. “It works. No worries there.”
I replied, “Ok…. well… do you have a can I can take as I want to make sure. I’ll need it for some photography anyway. I’ll bring it right back when I’m done. That good?” After that quick conversation I was out the door rolling a 96-gallon roll-out bear resistant trash can.
I got to my office and went to the phone to get the number for our local zoo. They have bears. Just wondering if I can borrow one.
I got in touch with their communications director who I told my predicament and wondered if one of their bears could play with the container while I documented. After laughing together and her saying this request was a first, she proceeded to talk with the zookeepers and got back with me with an excited “yes!”
Later that week I was set to show up at the zoo at 7 in the morning before it was open. The communications director met me with the head zookeeper and bear people. There were a couple.
As we marched through the zoo towards the bear exhibit, the trash container being wheeled behind me… other zoo employees seemed to just appear. I was the pied piper leading the group. I had learned that word of this “testing” had gotten around, and everyone wanted to watch.
Ok. We got to the bear area and needed to remove the 2 wheels and axel as the zookeeper didn’t want to take the chance of anything injuring the bear. The bear, by the way was a 780 lb brown bear named, I think, Stella.
We opened the lid and the bear team dropped in oranges, some sort of food that looked like giant sized dog chow. They also poured in honey and peanut butter in addition to slathering it on the inside of the lid and can.
I secured the lid then off it went into the exhibit. Stella was still in her “den” locked away safely. After the can was placed and the zookeeper safely out of harm’s way, they opened her door for access to the exhibit.
Here comes Stella.
She seemed to wallow out of her door and see this strange looking thing in the middle of her area. Her nose was also sniffing away, and she immediately knew food was close.
She comes up to the can. While walking around it she’s sniffing and licking a bit around the lid. She paws playfully at the top and lid area and knocks it on its side. She then proceeds to jump her front legs up on the side of this thing and start jumping to buckle the poor polyethylene container. Me and the group of about 30 people burst out laughing. It’s buckling as she’s about collapsing the can. She then starts chewing at the lid and top (the can’s still on its side). A few more forceful clawing motions at the same area and then with one quick motion of a paw, the lid flew about 30’ across the exhibit where Stella then proceeded to enjoy her winnings.
Now mind you…. this all took less than 30 seconds from her door opening to the lid sailing like a frisbee.
Playing with Stella the bear was definitely a marketing first for me. After about another 30-45 minutes and she had gotten all the food she wanted she satisfyingly wallowed back into her “den” and the zookeeper closed her in. They then gathered up the can, lid and various shards of plastic and brought it out to me. Another zoo person came up with a hose to hose the can down and I just stopped him in time. Nope. I wanted the can in all its bear fur and slobber glory to bring back to the engineering team. The scratches, bite marks and all the removed parts and pieces were tossed inside and away I went.
I pulled up to the engineering building and dragged this thing right to the senior engineer leads office. I told him I had a bear play with it and to let me know when it’s ready for market.
Fast-forward about 4-5 months… our bear-resistant trash container was ready. It had been redesigned and verified by a third-party company in Colorado. The launch then went onto a be a success. All thanks to a marketer who asked questions and challenged things. And also, a big thank you to Stella and the local zoo.
Now that your product is ready to go… is production up and running? What’s the lead time if a customer were to order one today? These are all important questions that you need to ask as you methodically plan your launch communications.
I’ve seen it time and time again… product launch planned and executed flawlessly. Only one problem. Product production isn’t quite ready. Prototype issues. Supplier issues. Production issues. I’m sure you’ve all been there which immediately throws us into damage control mode as we’ve just announced it to the world after teasing it for a month or so.
In a dream world wouldn’t be nice to not get thrown into that panic of an organization shooting itself in the foot and then you having to deal with the consequences from the market and customers.
I know this seems like a no-brainer but with leadership pushing to get things out and hoping to impact sales this quarter, so many marketers give in to that pressure. I also know that some marketers don’t even have a choice – it’s dictated of when to launch.
Regardless… speak up. Say “no.” And like I mentioned, you may not have a choice, but it is your choice and responsibility as a marketer to voice your thoughts and opinion and to give reasons why something may or may not be the best.
Things happen on the product side that are beyond your control, but you can control your realm of marketing communications. Have all the sales tools written and designed. Have translations and localized versions complete. You’re probably going to be waiting on photography but have everything to go so you can just drop the photos in.
Another key aspect of a product launches is training. Are your sales and distribution teams trained? Have you provided them with a ‘launch kit’ containing all the necessary sales tools, presentations, and photography? What about an email signature? Supply that and give them all the other tools necessary so they can run with it.
Timing is an issue… ideally, you’ll want to get the sales tools, marketing campaigns, website, and anything else you need done prior to training your team. After training, inform them of the launch schedule. You could launch a week or 2 after sales is trained – but that’s also dependent upon your industry and the complexity of the product. Time it appropriately.
Also, as a side note… do you need to get instruments to key customers for testing and testimonials or case studies? What about assembling a key target account list by region for your sales and distribution teams during their training?
These are all things to consider. In addition to the sales tools and internal planning my launch, at a minimum, consist of a:
News release
Advertising – both electronic and print – whatever’s appropriate for your audience
Direct marketing
An email campaign with 3-5 touches
A print campaign if it’s right for your industry
Customer webinars scheduled
Social media campaigns
Application or demonstration video if appropriate
Website – all the information there? SEO complete?
White paper or technical article on the product
This is just a quick summary… you know what your industry needs and responds to.
But coming back to the main topic… make sure you’re ready to sell your product before you launch. It’ll eliminate headaches for you and frustration for your customer – especially if they find out the lead time is 32 weeks.
Doing things the right way and timing things appropriately will give your efforts their greatest chance of success.
It’s time for 2022 marketing planning! If you haven’t already started thinking about it, it’s time to get going.
Here’s how I go about it:
First look at your 2021 plan – is there anything that wasn’t addressed, and you can get into this year still?
Summary – where have you been and where are you going?
Goals – what are they? Things like “increase lead generation by 16%, improve lead-sale conversion by 4%, increase new contacts in the CRM system by 12%. Stuff like that but make sure they’re all measurable.
Opportunities – what are your opportunities? Check out your SWOT analysis and update that if it’s been a while. Also tie these to marketing activities
Key activities – high-level efforts like “mine for case study opportunities, work closer with Latin American partners to help boost their sales, focus on better lead qualification”
Now it’s time to gather input from other stakeholders and key leaders.
Set meetings with each of your business category leaders. What’s their focus for the coming year? Where do they need marketing assistance?
Meet with each territory team. Same questions – what’s their focus and where do they need marketing efforts for the coming year.
From there polish your document and send to the team for their review, input, edits. One you have this final and approved it’s everyone’s strategy, not just marketing’s. You’re strengthening your team with this level of transparency and identifying your 2022 focus.
From here it’s on you to map out the program and activity plan. Build a schedule for the year with as much information as you can. Dates, locations, cost estimates, etc.
This is a guide and a direction forward. Dates change, activities get added…. This is normal for marketing as you know. Keep ahead of the game in your planning and keep pushing forward. You’ll see the wins on several levels that’ll ultimately move the organization forward.
