Taking on the âBattleâ of Strategic Marketing: 6 Steps to developing a Strategic Marketing Plan that works!
Marla Cooper is a Senior Associate and Strategic Marketing professional at Bloom Consulting, Inc., specialists in nonprofit fundraising, strategic planning, marketing and leadership development.
Why is it that Iâm often met with those glazed stares when Iâm brought in as a Strategic Marketing Consultant and I ask to see an organizationâs âCommunications Planâ. This should be as basic to any organization as an Operating Budget and yet it seldom exists as a comprehensive, integrated and well thought out document. Why is this so often neglected by organizations when it is clearly so key to success in todayâs competitive and dynamic marketplace? Possibly because there are many misconceptions about what a Strategic Marketing Plan is and what is should do.
Before exploring the steps to developing a Strategic Marketing Plan, letâs first determine exactly what it means. The term âstrategyâ is rooted in military tradition. According to Websterâs Dictionary, a âstrategyâ is defined as âthe science and art of military command exercised to meet the enemy in combat under advantageous conditionsâ. The Random House Dictionary of the English Language defines the same term as âthe science or art of combining and employing the means of war in planning and directing large military movements and operations.â âMarketingâ is then defined by Websterâs as âthe act of selling or purchasing in a marketâ, while Random House explains marketing as âthe act of buying or selling in a market.â
Therefore, if you combine both of these terms to explain âStrategic Marketingâ you arrive at âwaging war to sell in the marketâ. Itâs no wonder we have come to describe our marketing activities as âCampaignsâ and engage in âGuerilla Marketingâ!
I like to take a more peaceful approach to Strategic Marketing which can be viewed more as the art of influencing people. In the world of Non-Profit Organizations, this âinfluenceâ takes the form of convincing potential donors and members to identify with your organization enough and align themselves with your mission to the extent that they will âbuy inâ by giving money and/or paying for membership. If you are thinking, âwe have a marketing program that does thisâ, I would encourage you to ask these questions:
1. Is your organization currently raising the funds it needs?
2. If no, are those you solicit capable to providing these funds?
3. If yes, why isnât your organization reaching its goals?
The answers to these questions can be twofold. If your organization is aware of what potential donors and/or members want but youâre not able to currently offer it, your organization must enhance your offerings to address this need.
If your organization isnât quite sure what potential donors and/or members want, or youâre just not sure why your message isnât compelling enough to get results, the solution is to know your audience better.
To both of these points, a Strategic Marketing Study and Plan is the way to address the situation. It may seem ominous if youâre not a Marketing Professional, but by following a series of disciplined of steps, your organization can develop a Strategic Marketing Road Map that can get you where you need to go.
Step #1: Form a Marketing Committee
Your organization most likely has some type of marketing or communications committee. Keep this committee small since the work and direction generated by this group needs to be clear, concise and on target. Marketing by consensus, while necessary at times, can provide for weak and confusing messages in your advertising and marketing activities that speak to internal perceptions instead of real needs in the marketplace.
Step #2: Set the Goals of your Committee
Keep this to a short list with a timeline to expand your goals based on how the marketing is going. Taking on too much at once can derail the entire process. A singular focus and mission to start with can give your committee cohesiveness and some early successes that will provide the momentum to go forward.
Step #3: Do your research
The committee may think they know what current and potential donors and/or members feel about your organization and what motivates them. However, organization boards and leadership can become very insular without even realizing it. It is of the utmost importance to stay current and aware of what those less involved and connected to your organization perceive about your organization and what they value about their mission. The only true way to know this is to ask. This doesnât need to be a long and involved or expensive process. It can be as simple as 5 committee members contacting 5 to 10 individuals each and asking a series of well thought out questions. It is important that those interviewed represent a cross section of all those that will be targeted by any marketing efforts. This step is very important since all that follows will be based on what is learned during this process. Take it seriously.
In addition, with the internet we have access to an abundance of good information and research done by others. Committee members need to take on the responsibility of researching information and data available regarding your competitors, your market, your industry, your target audience and current trends. Much can be learned from simply borrowing from others who have often spent a great deal of time and money to learn just want you want to know. Become adept at on-line research and youâll be surprised at whatâs out there if you just look!
Step #4: Establish your Mission and Vision
If your organization has a Mission and Vision Statement it needs to be carefully reevaluated based on your learning from the research. If your organization does not currently have an approved Mission or Vision Statement go no further until this step is completed. Everything that your organization does or is should be reflected in these statements. It should guide every activity and every communication and be used in evaluating both professional staff and volunteers be they board members or not.
A Vision Statement inspires by articulating the future of an organization. A Mission Statement controls and clarifies what an organization does right now. Itâs important that neither of these be an “Alphabet Soup” of all the elements that all the key players think are important for an organization to be. It needs to be practical and reflect reality. Clear and concise Mission and Vision Statements should contain at most 3 to 5 elements that live within the organization and be the standard by which all initiatives and standards are evaluated. If it is too broad it will be meaningless and if it is too narrow it will not inspire.
Step #5: Develop your Strategic Marketing Plan
Based on the above steps, your committee should now have a clear understanding and direction and can develop a Strategic Marketing Plan that details the following:
à Who is your target audience: what population or individuals provide the best chance for your organization to reach its goals?
à What is your message: based on your Mission/Vision statement what do you want to communicate the target audience? What is it about you that is unique and compelling and allows you to deliver on your mission?
à How to communicate your message: based on your target audience what is the best way to reach them?
Step #6: Execute your Strategic Marketing Plan
Here are some helpful hints that will enhance your Marketing Plan and ensure it has the best chance of succeeding.
à Give specific responsibilities to committee members, staff and volunteers for specific elements of the Plan. Create ownership of the Plan among individuals so itâs not the âCommitteeâs Planâ but individuals have a stake in it as well.
à Track your results. Every marketing or programming initiative or effort undertaken as a result of this plan should be tracked to know what is working and what is not.
à Make sure your organization can deliver on your message. If you are highlighting new programs or features of your organization in your marketing, be absolutely certain all aspects are ready and available before going with the communications. Remember, you never get a second chance to make a first impression! If someone is attracted to your organization because of something they saw or read and come to find out itâs not as they thought, youâve lost a donor or member and will have an exceedingly difficult time getting them to reconsider.
à Build on your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. Make sure all marketing activities highlight what your organization does best and excels at.
Be bold and provide leadership. In almost all cases, some form of marketing is better than none. Get your organization out there and make sure it has the exposure it needs. In closing, Iâll pay homage to the military origins of my profession as a Strategic Marketing Professional by urging you to âGet out there and market them before they market you!â
Contact Marla Cooper, Bloom Consulting, Inc. (610) 348-4035 or marlacooper@bloomconsultinginc.com
Having risen through the ranks in the for-profit, corporate world for nearly 20 years, Marla has honed her skills as a marketing professional in a competitive, dynamic and demanding environment. While working at top advertising agencies early in her career, she learned to use communications to sell ideas, services and products of all kinds. With a mid-career move to the “client side,” Marla developed an expertise in conducting and interpreting market research and trends to build awareness, impact perceptions and create demand. At Bloom Consulting, she puts her experience to work for nonprofit clients, developing marketing and communications strategies that produce immediate and quantifiable results.
