Archive for Marketing Plan Pro
Lean Marketing House – Foundation
Posted by: | CommentsThe foundation of the Lean Marketing House is where the work is done. The stronger the foundation the larger or more pillars it can support. It is these actions that most people really believe makes up the marketing process. Events, Ads and Brochures make up these actions and what I call, executable or check-off type events that can be completed. How we use these items in the marketing funnel is equally, if not more important than the actual task. 
This approach is different than most companies employ. Most companies are sold the "bill of goods" in this area and purchase products such as web development, and advertising without knowing the structure it must support.
The floor can built with minimum support but it is something that is walked on every day, so that your organization is touching and using these components every day, This way your marketing becomes part of the culture of the company.
Information is practically becoming free. Few subjects cannot be found at a relative low cost on the web. The real power is in the implementation of this information in a productive and cost-effective manner. For an example, when you look at the lean foundation, you will see much of this that can be easily duplicated for individual marketing channels but also in different parts of the process. Where in one channel it may be used during the know and like stages, in another channel it may be used in the repeat or referred stages. It is important to recognize where and how it is being used so that it is not duplicated to the customer in the same manner. You may even use the foundation blocks so that they feed on each other. E-books can be built from articles which can be built from blog post, etc.
Many organizations focus on these foundation blocks as the core of their marketing process. The focus of Lean Marketing House is on building the foundation to support the structure above. This will cause you to focus on using the tools, foundation blocks, provided with the understanding that the results will drive some customer reaction to move to the next step in the pillar. It is important to be aligned with the pillars to carry out your marketing plan, insuring the mission and visions of the organization are met.
Your Marketing Vision
Posted by: | CommentsMany believe that the vision should have a grand scale, be meaningful and be measurable. 
Your vision should represent the broadest perspective but I encourage you to be specific with the message.
What are you building? – The One Page Business Plan ® uses this simple question to define your vision. I have yet to see a more effective question to get you started. They go on and ask you to describe what your product/services will look like in 1, 3 or 5 years. When I add the terminology of Marketing Plan Pro and Duct Tape Marketing you include target market and the ideal client description into the mix. If you you can simply feel in these blanks taken from The One PAge Business Plan, I think you can go a long way in describing your vision:
Within the next ___years grow (company name) ___________ into a $ ______(est. annual sales)
(local, regional, int’l)______________ ( type of company) ________________________
providing (describe products/services)_____________________________________
to (describe target customer and ideal client)_________________________ with annual sales of $_______.
I would encourage you to start building your marketing plan with this statement in mind and come back to it often. Add, but do not subtract from it till you have a complete marketing plan intact. Since this is the roof of the Lean Marketing House it will provide the perspective that all other material will be based on. As you add your ideal clients and target markets, you may segment part of this message but for now you must have an overall theme tying your entire vision together.
This will be a great way for you to stay on course during the process.
Hiring a consultant, can I see your marketing plan?
Posted by: | CommentsIf you are thinking about hiring a marketing consultant or a coach, it is very easy to qualify them, ask them, “Can I see your marketing plan?” That will send some shimmers through them.
I’m dead serious about this requirement, it is really not an option. If you read any of the material most marketing coaches or consultants publish it will talk about the strategies that you need, target marketing and ideal client. But are they really just talking the talk, or are they walking the walk?
Take a look at what message are they sending. Are they practicing the same things, that they are telling you to do? Case in point, I am amazed at how many web developers that are out in the marketplace with poor websites. What I typically do is use HubSpot Grader as a guideline even as I’m talking to them on the phone. It is pretty common to see grades of less than 20. I know that HubSpot Grader is not a perfect tool to judge a website, but when the developer is missing keywords, meta tags and other obvious things that should have been incorporated, well just say, I find it quite useful for discussion purposes.
A lot of people will tell you that you need to blog. But are they doing it? Are they posting 3 to 4 times a week to make their blog effective? Ask them what keywords they would like to be found by? Are they being found? What about the subjects they are writing about, are they the subjects that interest you?
That was kind of off track for a moment, but my point of view, those things are just obvious qualifiers. But I am dead serious, ask them to look at their plan or at least a section that describes their ideal client and target market. Can they produce one? If they are not willing to update their own persona and plan…they are not serious enough about making all of the changes and investment required to move a customer up the ladder. So what do you think? Can you shake them up a little bit?
P.S. I have a special going on Marketing Plans this week, take a look!
Marketing Plan Pro, Lean Principles Applied
Posted by: | CommentsI enjoy using off the shelf standard products, they usually work. and adapt them to my use. Saves a lot of customization cost and the upgrades are cheap. I created this 18 page e-book to let you review my thoughts on using Lean Six Sigma principles and applying them through the Marketing Plan Pro software.
