We consider what should be part of an implementation plan to ensure you deliver on your marketing strategy.
Behind every meticulously crafted marketing strategy there should be a carefully considered implementation plan to ensure the strategy, delivers results as expected, but this isn’t always the case.
In this week’s blog, we outline 4 tips that will help to ensure your exciting plans become reality. So first off:
Getting your house in order.
Being organised is key to ensuring things run smoothly, so it’s important to consider things like budget, manpower, and timescales early on.
Defining your budget is hugely important to ensure plans are realistic and achievable. This is one of the first questions to consider as it dictates the time and resources you should be giving towards the project.
You’ll likely need input from various teams, so it’s important to make sure everyone is clear and happy with their responsibilities and can deliver on them.
Timings can often go awry if not carefully planned and agreed early on, this can have a damaging effect on momentum, accountability, and results. To combat this, create a timing plan that considers who is responsible for what and include a buffer at the end of key stages for things like amends, sign-off, holidays, and changes to scope.
Setting the standards and measuring success.
Setting expectations for what you would like to see come off the back of your project/campaign ensures you are clear on what success looks like. Without clear direction, it can be difficult to gauge effectiveness and without that, you can’t keep improving! Creating objectives that are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound ensures you know when you’re heading in the right direction.
It’s also important to set KPIs (key performance indicators) that align with your SMART objectives to ensure success is measured effectively. KPIs can also be a great way to motivate the team and steer decisions that are difficult to navigate by removing subjectivity.
Feedback.
Always be open to suggestions, criticism, and feedback from key stakeholders whether that’s people within the business or your customers. Understanding and responding to your customer’s needs and preferences is crucial for the success of any marketing campaign.
You might even want to use surveys, social media listening tools, and customer interviews to gather insights and adjust your strategies and tactics accordingly.
Revise, refine, repeat!
At the end of your campaign analyse, refine, and go again! Change is inherent to marketing so it’s important not to get too comfortable. Be sure to take your learnings, analyse the data collected through KPIs and feedback from stakeholders, and don’t be afraid to pivot strategies or tactics that are not delivering as expected. This might involve reallocating resources, changing campaign messages, or exploring new marketing channels.
If you’d like support with your marketing implementation, get in touch by email hello@chalkward.com or call 01392 666291, we’ll be more than happy to help!
