Your marke*ng strategy Plug and play !
Hind Fadel -‐ 2013
Step Zero: know who you are and what you are doing
Your vision It is a one-‐sentence statement describing the clear and inspira*onal long-‐term desired change resul*ng from your work.
Your mission It describes your main direc*ons of ac*on. What to do to execute your vision ? It is used to guide your decisions about your priori*es and projects.
Your values They express the opera*ng principles that guide your conduct as well as your rela*onship with external and internal par*es.
Step One: run a smart SWOT analysis
Your strengths What are your organiza*on/company’s strengths ?
Your weaknesses What are your organiza*on/company’s weaknesses ?
External opportuni*es What are the market/environment opportuni*es that may take place ?
External threats What are the market/environment threats that may impact your business ?
Step Two: set your strategic direc;ons
Your strategic direc*ons What will you do to overcome your weaknesses ? What should you avoid ? What will you do to promote your strengths ? How will you leverage them ? What will you do to take full advantage of the possible market / environment opportuni*es ? What will you do overcome / minimize impact of threats coming from the market / environment ?
Step Three: state your Unique Selling Proposi;on (USP)
Your promise What is the need you are answering ? What is the behavior you are promo*ng ?and why ? Your direct and indirect compe*tors List them, know them : their strengths and weaknesses, their products, their target markets, their market share if any, ... Why customers would come to YOU ? Here is your USP !
Step Four : take the ;me to write your marke;ng plan
Your target market(s) Who are the beneficiaries of your project ? And people who influence them ? Who are the primary/secondary/ter*ary target markets ? Your product(s) and their marke*ng mix List what you will be offering. Check the marke*ng mix approach in the toolkit sec*on. Your brand plaXorm Keep it simple. Check the branding good prac*ces in the toolkit sec*on. Your Key Performance Indicators What are your objec*ves ? How will you be measuring your performance vs. your set of objec*ves ? List your KPIs. They should be measurable and related to your objec*ves.
Step Five : $ your strategy
Assessment of needed resources to execute your plan Think about money, but also skills that you need to have in your team. Review your strategy un*l you achieve a sound rela*on between your strategy and your financial capabili*es.
The toolkit
The marke;ng mix 1/2 The Product 1. What is the product you are offering ? This could be a service or a good. 2. Who are the beneficiaries ? What are the benefits ? 3. What are the specifica*ons of your product ? The Price 1. How is it charged ? You may have a unique flat price or a progressive/regressive/ discounted pricing policy. 2. What are the payment terms and procedures ? The Place 1. Where is your product made available ? 2. How can beneficiaries acquire/ benefit from the product ? The Partnerships 1. Who are involved in the provision of the product ? 2. What are the mutual commitments ? The Post-‐sale 1. Is there any customer support service ? 2. Is there any follow-‐up to be done with beneficiaries ?
The marke;ng mix 2/2 The Promo*on 1. How communica*on will support your strategic objec*ves ? 2. What are your communica*on objec*ves ? 3. Does your communica*on need to create awareness ? Promote a new behavior ? Sustain an established behavior ? En*ce to buy/enroll ? 4. What are the key messages that you need to communicate ? 5. What is your communica*on plan ? Plan your ac*vi*es using integrated marke*ng, i.e. think mul*ple channels* to achieve your goal. 6. Link your ac*vi*es to your objec*ves. 7. Assess the needed resources. Reiterate the exercise if resources don’t match your capabili*es. 8. Set the communica*on performance measurement. * Examples of communica*on channels : • • • • • •
Tradi*onal channels : Above The Line (TV, newspaper, radio, billboards…) and Below The Line (brochures, posters, roll-‐ups …) Online channels : website, social media, online adver*sing, blogs … Public rela*ons : media, lobbying, face to face mee*ngs, events, conferences … Direct marke*ng : emails, mails, phone calls, SMS … Ambient : roadshows, situa*onal communica*ons … You can also create innova*ve channels if it serves your objec*ves !
When crea;ng a brand, make sure to … 1/2 Focus on a single brand Focus your branding energy and resources on building up a single brand – the name of the company – and do not try to create separate brands for the company and for each of its products. Catch the URL As you’re considering alterna*ve names, make sure you can own the URL (domain name). So as you are brainstorming names, check to see if the URL is available. Generally the shorter the URL the beler. Keep it simple Ideally, the name should be short and memorable. Make the name easy to spell and easy to pronounce. Choose one: descrip;ve, evoca;ve, or whimsical Next, you have a fundamental choice with three basic paths. The first path is to select a name that’s descrip*ve of what you do. The second path is to choose a name that says nothing about what you do, but is evoca*ve (such as Oracle or Apple). The third path is to select a memorable, unique nonsense word (such as Hulu or Zynga). You will need more resources ($) to establish a name that doesn’t describe what you do.
When crea;ng a brand, make sure to … 2/2
Avoid branding by commiQee or focus group It’s good to be inclusive and seek opinions and ideas. But don’t make compromises. You will end up with a brand that is bland, uninspired. Apply your brand consistently Consistency of usage and applica*on of the brand is paramount. Your company should have a consistent look-‐and-‐feel and consistent language and s*ck to them. Protect your brand Trademark the company name, logo, and tagline. In your communica*on, make sure to display clear copyright no*ces.
Good luck !
Hind Fadel hind@hindfadel.com