Marketing Roadmap
Focus on your destination and create a plan to get there.
Most of us are familiar with the terms sales plan, business plan, or marketing plan. Too often, however, we associate these ‘plans’ with multi-page documents which take weeks or months to create and more often than not, end up in a pile of papers on your desk.
We create plans which are very different. Our goal is to develop a set of tactics, based upon sound strategy, with defined resources of money and time - in a format you will use, refine and reuse as you reach and set new goals: a Marketing Roadmap.
Marketing Roadmaps are working documents, created to help you measure your progress, reach your goals, and set your sights on new destinations.
Marketing Roadmaps combine the insights from our process of Discovery , Branding and SMART goal setting to establish a baseline, producing a strategic plan with corresponding budgets, tactics and timelines. Experience shows that effective, results-driven marketing roadmaps, covering a period of 90 days, allows for the most productive use of time, energy and resources.
Differing greatly from a ‘stale’ plan you hide on your desk, Marketing Roadmaps allow you to:
- Increase active team participation and flexibility with 30-60-90 day regimens
- Increase accountability through the use of SMART goals and data
- Measure, learn, refine, and improve your effectiveness and progress
Depending upon your identified needs and SMART goals, you may have more than one roadmap - yet all roadmaps lead to the same destination - growth.
Creating and implementing effective Marketing Roadmaps generally include:
Know that People Buy from People
It's important to invest in understanding who your prospects and customers are and what their motivations are for purchasing (or not purchasing) your solution. Don't guess, ask questions and gather insight into what really matters.
RELEVANT OUTCOMES include Buyer Personas and Customer Journey Maps.
It’s Not the What, but the Why
Create your WHY story to break through the clutter and truly resonate with your customer - so they purchase what you sell. People don't care as much about what you do, but how what you offer can help them.
Your brand’s why, however, must be connected to your customer’s why: Your brand’s why should define why you do what you do and how it connects to the things your customers care about.
You’ve Got to Be in the Right Place
In other words, “fish where the fish are…” and make sure you truly understand where your best prospects and customers are, in these three ‘dimensions’:
- Geographically: to ensure you're able to deliver your products and services without logistical problems
- Channels: whether you service customers directly, through dealers or a combination, unique messaging and needs apply to each audience
- Platforms: online, social media, trade shows, industry publications... define where your clients and prospects are searching for information and solutions to their challenges
Do Nothing Random
Create SMART goals for all of your marketing efforts, which include detailed budgets and timelines, to ensure every marketing action is deliberate, measurable and results-driven.
Always be Working Toward Growth, Vision and Focus
Adopt a growth mind-set by creating 1, 3- and 5-year goals, which provide focus as we review and adjust the marketing regimen every 90 days.
Know that What's Measured Improves
Once your goals and focus are defined, we can understand which tactics and metrics make the most sense. Working in 90-day intervals gives us the ability to learn and pivot if things are off track, or add extra emphasis on initiatives that are exceeding your goals.