For the last several weeks, we have been deconstructing the vital elements of your 2019 marketing plan. To recap, we’ve covered:
– Defining success/big-picture vision.
– Creating personas to understand your target audiences better.
– Differentiating your business, products and services.
– Building a message hierarchy.
– Designing a media/channel mix that makes sense.
– Paying special attention to your current customers.

Our last step: putting it all together in a plan that you can actually execute. There are some common mistakes that you’ll want to avoid as you move from wrapping up the planning stage to the execution phase.

Not writing it down: It seems elementary, but I’ve seen many organizations invest time and energy in exploring all of the variables that would make up a killer marketing plan, but it gets lost in the day to day because they didn’t commit it to paper.

A good marketing plan is part narrative (audience, points of differentiation, messaging, etc.) and part calendar (channels/media, schedule of activity, who is responsible for doing what). Your goal should be that someone who is not familiar with your organization could pick up the plan and make it happen.

For most B2B organizations, a quarterly calendar is probably sufficient. Odds are you won’t pivot more often than that. If you’re a B2C business, especially retail, you will definitely need to break it down into monthly calendars. Your messaging, specials and activities will demand more changes on a regular basis.

Cut it in half: This is probably the most expensive mistake that nearly every organization makes. You try to do too much. That results in monthly newsletters going out three times a year or social media channels gathering dust. I cannot say this loudly enough: Consistency far outweighs quantity when it comes to marketing.

Whether it is the number of channels, the variety of messages, or the total tactics per persona — cut it in half. You do not need to be everywhere, every day. Rather than publishing a 200-word blog every day, a detailed, 600-word blog every week probably is more valuable to your audience.

Rather than running 10-second spots on seven TV channels a couple of times a week, running a 30-second spot that drives home your point of difference on three channels on a more consistent basis will help your audience connect to your message.

Start the year doing less. If you have time, resources and budget to add more later in the year, you can always do that. But I’m betting you find that even half keeps you hopping.

Not being accountable: Marketing tactics rarely feel as urgent as customer demands or other tasks you have on your plate, which is why it’s all too easy to put them on the back burner. One of the mistakes made by many marketers is that they don’t build some accountability into their plan. Whether it’s your team, your boss or your board, let them be part of your solution. Make sure they understand your plan and when each tactic is scheduled to happen.

Ask them to hold you accountable for delivering quality tactics on time and on budget. If you’re really smart, you’ll build in some form of reporting, so they’ll know what is being accomplished. This isn’t about asking to be micromanaged. It’s about building in urgency and level of importance that your marketing deserves.

If you’ve been following along with this series, you have all the essentials for an effective marketing plan. Now you just need to assign resources (people, money, responsibility) to your plan and get out there.

There are customers out there looking for you. Be easy to find, be easy to understand, and be clear about how you can serve them best.