Stage 1:
ENVISION
You've
got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might
not get there. ~Yogi Berra
It all begins with a plan. You need to construct a basic map to get yourself from where you are now, to where you'd like end up at the conclusion of your marketing campaign.
My process is to begin by asking questions:
"What are the biggest challenges facing our business right now"
"Where are the biggest opportunities to grow our business in specific areas?"
"What does our ideal customer look like?" (Who LOVES us?)
"What do we do better than anybody else?"
The trick to answering these questions effectively is to go beyond your first answer. What I mean by that is, if you're a car dealer you might think your biggest challenge is "not enough people are buying cars right now." While that answer is technically "correct" it doesn't go deep enough to really help you solve an underlying issue. Get specific. Not enough people are buying NEW cars? Not enough people are buying models that we have in abundance? Not enough people are taking advantage of new car incentives?
A great way to get right to the heart of what sort of results you want is to take a page from Stephen Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" and begin with the end in mind. Cast your mind forward in time to the end of this campaign and imagine it to have been an incredible success. Now quickly ask yourself -- "What would need to happen at the conclusion of the campaign in order for me to have considered it a success?"
Envision Sidebar
Here are some great resources to assist you in your efforts to envision a successful marketing campaign...
