The MarCom Diet

 

Another new year is approaching, and it’s time to get your marketing communications and planning in shape. In the spirit of new year’s traditions, we’re following the lead of the best diet tips: no fads and no fake fixes; just sensible advice for lasting results.

Be choosy.

With marketing budgets gradually coming back, you may have a backlog of marketing and communications ideas and tactics that you just can’t wait to implement. But are your eyes bigger than your stomach? Be realistic about what you can take on and follow through to completion with the highest level of excellence. Do what you can dowell.

In an ideal world with unlimited resources, you can do it all. We don’t live there. Better to be selective about what marketing projects you can feasibly manage and track with the time, staff and money you have. 

Everything in moderation.

We all know there are a lot of bad ideas out there. But often it’s the good ideas that can really trip us up. They’re just so darned tempting!

Maybe you see a video by a competitor (or worse, a company with a completely different business model/ customer/industry) or someone forwards you an email about the latest, greatest marketing trend, and you think, “This is such a great idea! WE SHOULD DO THIS!”

Sometimes you should, sometimes you shouldn’t. Sometimes you literally can’t (see above). The point is, don’t fall into the trend trap. Just because the “gurus” are saying this specific tactic is all the rage, that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing for your organization.

On the other hand, maybe it is. But the companies that are seeing success with these ideas are the ones that have put strong execution, commitment and context behind them. A great idea on its own isn’t enough.

Be active.

There’s only so much inward-looking work you can do and be effective. You have to get out with your customers to understand where their pain is and how you can address their problems before you can position yourself as the solution. From customer surveys and market research to events and good old-fashioned phone calls, there are plenty of opportunities to get active with your customers. 

Your sales force is also a great source to turn to, not just for customer insights but for inspiration on how you can improve marketing positioning, reach and effectiveness. Don’t expect the sales team to know what marketing communications tools or tactics will be effective—that’s Marketing’s job. So instead of asking, “What do you need?” ask, “What are your biggest challenges?”

Write it down.

To avoid some of the decision-making issues outlined above, some people will simply avoid making any decisions at all. They’ll say, “We can’t decide about that opportunity until we have a plan” and put it off – and often miss the opportunity entirely.

Don’t get me wrong: You do need a plan. Your confidence in being able to say “no” as well as “yes”—to marketing projects, events, lead generation tactics, content development, advertising, PR strategies, delivery channels, social media and on and on—it all depends on a plan.

But whining about it or continuing to put it off won’t make it happen. It’s like paying the minimum balance on your credit card; you’re just accumulating debt on top of debt. The longer you put off the work of your marketing strategic planning, the harder it will be to climb out.

Where to start? Remember that marketing goals have to work in conjunction with overall business goals. Don’t sit in a room by yourself thinking up your grand plans. Bring the right people into the process upfront, not after the fact.

Be focused, be committed, and most of all, be flexible. Don’t let one unanticipated event derail your MarCom Diet completely! Uncertainty is a fact of life in today’s business world, so build that into your planning.

What are your contingencies? If you decide you do want to take more on, careful planning allows you to work out the resource puzzle in advance, before you’re in the thick of a project without the support structure you need to make it successful.

Things will change, and you will have to adapt. But if you have a good structure in place, chances are you won’t have to start over completely from scratch.