July 2, 2009

No Marketing and PR plan? Get one. ASAP.

Posted in marketing, PR tagged budget, business plan, buzz, economic recession, goals, laid off, market research, marketing, plan, PR, results, roadmap, situation analysis, strategy, SWOT Analysis, tactics, target audience at 6:32 pm by lcochran

Marketing and PR, two things that are definitely needed in any business plan. The problem is businesses see marketing and PR as revenue depleters instead of generators. A perfect example is marketing and PR people being laid off in times of economic recession, such as the one we are currently in (I have experience with being laid off). When you slash marketing and PR budgets, how are the consumers are going to know about your product, if you are still in business or where will the “buzz” come from? Plans and people are needed for implementation.

I was talking to a guy the other day about his marketing and PR plans. His basic response was, “I throw spaghetti on the wall to see what sticks”. So far, it’s working for him. But how much more effort is he really having to put into things when he and his staff are spread everywhere? This is where plans come into play.

The plan, whether for marketing or PR, doesn’t have to be iron clad. It should allow for some flexibility when unexpected opportunities crop up. It should serve as a roadmap for where your company wants to be and how it wants to be seen in a year, three years, five years. So, what are the important things you need in a marketing and PR plan?

The main components of the plans should include (feel free to add sub-chapters in each category):
– Situation analysis (internal and external factors)
– Target audience (markets, publications, etc)
– Goals
– SWOT Analysis (marketing only)
– Strategies & Tactics
– Budget
– Measured results

As stated earlier, the benefit of these plans are they serve as a roadmap for company direction. Another benefit is your marketing and PR people really understand the company and products offered when they dive in and write the plans. The plans bring order to chaos.

You may be a start-up or established business and do not see marketing or PR plans as important as getting products sold. But if you do all the market research on your competition and set sales goals, why not take another few days on creating marketing and PR plans? It will make all the difference in ensuring there are synergies between the three.

And if you don’t have the time or resources to devote to a full-time marketing or PR associate, consider outsourcing. I’m available!

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