.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 12px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} tr.d0 td { background-color: #ccccff; color: black; }
See if you recognize yourself in this description. You (or your department or your boss) have a million different marketing ideas. A radio spot here. A press release there. A special discount here. Sponsoring a community event there. A direct-mail campaign here. You leap from one idea to the next, dabbling in all of them, when you find the time.

And yet, even though each of them is a good idea, you don’t seem to get a consistent or acceptable return on your investment. Why isn’t it working?

It doesn’t work because none of them are sustained efforts. It’s the shotgun approach to marketing – just keep shooting, and sooner or later you’ll hit something. The problem is, even if you are lucky enough to hit something, you only hit it once or twice, because then you’re already on to the next idea.

Marketing tactics require a blend of frequency and precision to work.

This is where a written marketing plan comes into play. It’s no different than taking a road trip. You know where you are today. You know where you want to go. To get there, you need a map – a written plan.

Otherwise, it is just too easy to get distracted and the next thing you know, you’re pulling off to see the World’s Biggest Yarn Ball. Sure, it sounds good at the time, but does it help you get to your final destination?

Identify the marketing tactics that will work consistently. Decide how many of them you can do consistently and well, based on the resources you have. Then concentrate on doing them. Don’t let yourself get distracted.

It’s a detour you don’t have time to take.

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2007 Drew McLellan