Marketing plans: 10 TIPS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

Communication World, Oct-Nov, 2000 by Linda Pophal

Frequent communication along the way is very important, including many opportunities for employees to offer suggestions and input. But manage the expectations of all whose input you seek by making it clear that final decisions will be the responsibility of your marketing committee.

7 Expect, and be prepared, to respond to negative feedback.

You absolutely cannot please all of the people, all of the time -- and you shouldn't expect to. Marketing is a highly visible endeavor, and because it is so visible, you will receive feedback on your efforts -- both positive and negative -- from people throughout the organization.

Marketing and communication are very subjective -- opinions differ widely. Seek feedback, respond non-defensively, and make sure your committee is united in its support of the materials you produce -- and willing to admit when they've made a mistake or when something didn't work as well as expected.

8 Make it measurable -- and provide feedback (good and bad).

Your marketing plan should build in methods for measuring effectiveness in both qualitative and quantitative ways. This helps to support your position and to lend objectivity to a fairly subjective process. Targets may be built around sales goals, consumer awareness of key messages, market share, etc. Results can be based on before-and-after statistics or on awareness surveys. Although there are always other variables affecting the effectiveness of your marketing efforts (quality and availability of product, quality of customer service staff, efforts of sales staff, etc.), the more you can do to demonstrate the effect from your efforts, the more likely you will be to justify requests for additional efforts (and funding) in the future. Market research demonstrating consumer response to your marketing efforts also can help to alleviate internal criticism of your messages and advertising. It's customer opinion that really matters, not employee opinion.

9 Review and modify your plan regularly.

A marketing plan is a living document. In the rapidly changing environment within which we all operate, it is unrealistic to expect that your plan will remain unchanged and that strategies and tactics developed today will still be applicable several months -- or years -- from now.

10 Have fun with it!

Marketing is an exciting process and one that lends itself to creativity, enthusiasm and innovation. Don't hinder the creative energies of your marketing committee by developing a process that is too bureaucratic or formalized. Have fun with the process. Be willing to hear and consider ideas that may be outside the box, and take time to celebrate your successes.

Linda Pophal, ABC, is director of corporate communication, Luther Midelfort-Mayo Health System, Eau Claire, Wis.