Well, it is, but not that kind. So why does everyone groan when I ask them about their plan? Are we all too busy to deal with a plan? Are we adverse to the idea of putting a plan in writing? Or are we just unable to plan? I think the answer is a little bit of all the above.
To emphasize my insatiable need for planning, let’s discuss what happens when you don’t plan. If you don’t plan to get an oil change for your car, it fails to run. If you don’t plan to order the materials you need to build your product, you fail to fulfill orders. If you don’t plan your day, you fail to get things done.
So why is it, when we don’t plan for marketing our business, we still think it will get done? Now I’m not saying it won’t happen, but will our efforts be effective? All aspects of marketing need a plan…
- Website – what to you want from your site? – create a plan that will help you accomplish this.
- Trade Shows – who do you want to speak with? – create a plan to make sure you see them.
- Social Media – what do you want to say and to whom? – create a calendar to make sure you meet this requirement.
Without a plan, we tend to do what’s commonly referred to as “shot gun” marketing. Try this once, and that once, and something else once, and nothing ends up working. A plan is a means to focus on specific campaigns from start to finish. It will enable you to measure your marketing efforts to discover what works best.
