On further investigation, and years of being marketing specialists, we can say the success of many campaigns is often decided from the very beginning and the attention to details in planning. 

As the proverb so rightly says, “a failure to plan is a plan to fail”.

We so often see marketing disrupted by short-sighted emotional swings that could have so easily been avoided by a commitment to the planning process and a determination to play the long game to get results. 

To get you started on the road to success, here are some elements that are essential to effective planning.

 

1 Set a goal.

How do you expect to achieve something if you don’t know exactly what it is you want to achieve?

Effective goal setting can make or break your campaign, as it’s the foundation that everything is built on. If the goals haven’t been properly attended to, the whole thing can topple down around you.

Everyone should be involved in the goal setting process - this will ensure cohesion across your business.  

The Kingdom is an Adelaide advertising agency. We have a dedicated team of advertising experts that work hand in hand with our Grow Sales Fast™ Business System to get business professionals invested in planning.

 

2 Make the goals financial.

To get results, it’s in your best interests to put your goals into financial terms.

You will need to get buy-in from upper management, and this proves to be a tricky thing to do at times. They need to understand the point of what you are doing and support you in it.

 

3 Take it seriously.

Marketing is a very complicated degree qualified profession, affected heavily by fast changing technology. We see so many businesses waste money thinking they are saving money by doing the marketing themselves. It's a super complicated area. 

In the same way that you wouldn't do your own accounting, operate on yourself, or represent yourself in a complex law case, great advertising and marketing needs expert advice.

Lots of people don't want to pay for help, but we want to help you so we offer free seminars to get you on the right track. 

 

4 Establish what success looks like to you.

The face of success will look different to each business, and to each person inside that business. To some, success will be in the form of facts and

figures, whereas to others it will be in non-tangible forms - like brand likeability. It's important you define where you are going so you know what it looks like when you get there, or if you don't. 

 

5 Determine how much you wish to invest in the plan.

After you establish what success looks like to you, you will be able to effectively determine how much you wish to invest. A plan can’t move forward without capital, so it is vital to get this sorted out as soon as possible. Work out the risk reward, and analyse opportunity, cost and invest.

Marketing is not an expense, it is an investment in the future growth of your business. 

 

6 Set the timelines (starting with the ultimate goal).

Timelines help you to get some perspective and direction in your plan. Putting actual timeframes on your goals give you things to work towards, and split up the big plan into little individual ones - making the whole thing a lot easier to handle mentally.

 

7 Work back from your goal and determine the milestones.

Establishing milestones for your goals keeps your eye on the prize. Without them, it is easy to lose track and deviate from your path. That being said, a good plan is dynamic, changing and evolving with new information and market situations - so don’t keep the plan too rigid.

Need help setting your goals and milestones? Contact our Adelaide advertising experts at The Kingdom, and we’ll help you through the process to ensure maximum effectiveness.

 

8 Determine the method of measurement.

Measurement is a fundamental part to your plan and is a process that can’t be avoided. As a team, you must decide on what you will measure and how; this can be difficult, as there is a lot to keep track of - but it is impossible to measure every single thing and still be economical.  

 

9 Write your plan.

Having a physical, written plan keeps everyone on track. It also reminds everyone about various points and features that may otherwise be forgotten about. It will take a decent amount of time to fully write up, but it will help ensure that you get your return on investment.

Use technology to give you an advantage.

Marketing automation software can do amazing things. Lead nurturing, social media, blogging, inbound content creation, SEO, Google Adwords Management,  Facebook pages for business, HubSpot™, Mail Chimp, WordPress, Twitter, the list goes on and on. As digital marketing specialists, we can do amazing things with the software tools of the modern cloud-based era. 

 

10 Play the long game.

Marketing miracles don’t happen overnight...without massive budgets. Playing the long game can be frustrating when you just want to sell units and get profits, but it will be well worth the wait. Playing the long game builds the trust with your consumers, so when it is time to put the product in front of them, they will be more likely to buy it.

 

11 Get expert advice.

It's a very complicated fast moving game you’re playing, and that can get overwhelming at times. Asking for help when needed is not a sign of weakness - it is a strength, and it may just save your business a whole lot of strife.

Planning is a crucial element to any campaign. Doing it right takes a lot of time and commitment, but it ensures that you reach your goals - setting you up with a legacy that allows your business to grow further than you ever dreamed of.