Achieving your marketing objectives hinges on having a solid strategy and a maintaining a consistent commitment to follow through with your strategy. That may sound fairly obvious.The problem that arises for many marketers, however, is that they tend to start the process backwards.
In other words, their tendency is to simply start with their proposed budget and use that to dictate what they can or can't do with marketing.
Not only is this short-sighted, but it limits what your marketing objectives could be.
Achieving Your Marketing Objectives: It Begins With Planning
A more strategic approach to is to start with your actual objectives. This is analogous to planning a journey. If you want to go from San Francisco to Boston you don't simply look at your bank account and say, "We'll go as far as this takes us." and realistically expect to get to Boston!
No, you would determine that Boston is indeed where you want to go, what it will take to best get there efficiently and cost-effectively, and then you would plan and create your budget to make it happen. If that means adjusting other aspects of your living expenses, then so be it.
But, without a clear objective, it would be a waste of resources and money to simply head off with no destination in mind. Yet this is what many marketers and business owners do when it comes to marketing strategy.
Your Marketing Objective Success is Built on Three Plans
The three key steps in achieving your marketing objectives:
Included in this action plan step should be a production calendar with periodic progress meetings and updates, etc. One approach that is often employed with this step is what is known as S.M.A.R.T. goals. The acronym originally stands for goals that are: Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, and Time-related.
Here is a classic approach for a content marketing strategy:
(Image courtesy of BrandFever)
Bringing it All Together as a Marketing Strategy
Ultimately, this can be seen as a 5-step strategy incorporating your three marketing plans. Regardless of what actual marketing tools or tactics you employ, it makes sense to start with clear objectives first. Having an budget plan in place for achieving these objectives is necessary in order to see your overall plan to completion. And, once these plans are established, you can create the action plan.
Achieving these objectives with your marketing strategy takes time. If you are engaged in content, or inbound, marketing it won't happen with a few blog posts or great ebook. People will need to consume your content for a while before they contact you. But without your content compelling them to contact you, your goals may never be met.
Content and inbound marketing work day in and day out. Once you post a blog article or upload a Slideshare piece, it is always there, working to educate and compel people to become leads. And when they do come to you, they are educated, informed, and much more likely to make the decision to buy.
Get your Free Complimentary Inbound Marketing Session to help you make an informed decision or call BroadVision Marketing at 707-799-1238.
Jaco Grobbelaar is the owner and CMO of BroadVision Marketing. BroadVision Marketing works with business owners to put in place inbound and outbound marketing strategies that consistently secure new clients. The BroadVision Marketing Training Center is located in Petaluma, CA and primarily serves companies in the San Francisco Bay area.
Jaco can be reached at jaco@broadvisionmarketing.com or 707.766.9778 or connect with Jaco on Facebook -www.facebook.com/broadvisionmarketing - and LinkedIn -www.linkedin.com/in/JacoGrobbelaar.