Technology Marketing by Tatum MarketingJust another WordPress weblog

At the beginning of a new year – be it calendar or fiscal – it’s traditional (often even required) to plan out the next year with all the lofty goals and tactics to be deployed to meet those goals.

It’s January. Do you have a plan? Do you really need one?

I understand that planning is necessary for budget allocation purposes. And, it’s a fantastic method for setting measurable goals and holding someone accountable for meeting those goals. If everyone did this, I’d be a big fan of the system.

But it’s my observation that far more often than not, this annual planning session itself presents a big obstacle to getting anything done. The current system works only under two conditions: 1) when you have a well-staffed internal marketing department with people who know what they’re doing or 2) you pay to have someone outside the company develop the plan for you and then you’re really dedicated to execution.

In most small and even mid-sized companies the reality is that this planning never gets done and I think that’s because it’s just too much – too much time, too much expertise required, too much distraction from activities that directly increase revenue.

It’s also been my experience that on the occasions that a marketing plan actually does get done, it rarely gets followed. So what was the point?

I’m not even sure that an annual marketing plan is a good idea – unless you realize that it must be dynamic. If you’d created an annual plan at the beginning of 2008 and executed it to the letter – without adjusting for economic changes – you’d probably be in big trouble now.

But this article is not for those who are successful at marketing planning. This article is for company leaders who haven’t gotten around to creating a marketing plan – or who have created one that sits on a shelf.

Is the lack of a marketing plan keeping you from moving forward with your marketing? Then stop worrying about the plan and try this:

Figure out the single most important thing you need to accomplish with your marketing in 2009. It shouldn’t be too hard to do that. Most business owners tell me they want more leads. In this current economy, it may be that you really need to cut costs (without lowering marketing effectiveness, of course).

Focus single-mindedly on this objective and you’ll protect yourself from being distracted by marketing programs and tactics that you think you should be using. (For example, social media is very hot right now, but its ability to quickly drive leads for business-to-business firms is still in doubt).

If you really feel the need to create a plan, check out Guy Kawasaki’s matrix for what he calls the world’s shortest marketing plan.

Otherwise, just ask yourself these questions:

• What do you need to accomplish most?
• How are you going to do it?
• Who is going to be in charge?
• How much will are you willing or able to invest in the program?
• When do you want it launched?
• How will you evaluate its success?

If you don’t have all the answers yourself, that’s good. You’ll be forced to seek expert help whether from the inside (internal staff) or the outside (outsourcing). Involving the experts is not a bad thing.

Technorati Tags: marketing plan, outsourcing, strategy, getting marketing done