SPEED GUIDE to Creating an Annual Marketing Plan for Your Organization Photo by Jim Larrison, Creative Commons license Welcome to this seminar on how to create a annual marketing plan for your organization. This speed guide is designed to help you create a clear, simple plan that will help your organization use your marketing time and resources more strategically to help you achieve your organization’s mission and goals. This approach works best if you already have a strategic plan and have established your annual goals.

Agenda Why Create a Marketing Plan? Speed Marketing components Let’s Plan!

A Marketing Plan is a Road Map Why Create a Marketing Plan? A Marketing Plan is a Road Map Do you have a current marketing plan in place? An out-of-date plan? Why is a marketing plan helpful? If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you get there? A speed plan you created in 2 hours is better than no plan at all. You can’t create a great marketing plan if you don’t have a good strategic plan or organizational strategy in place. This approach works for an annual marketing plan, but it’s probably not sufficient for your organization’s overall marketing plan. This approach assumes that you talk and communicate with your clients and/or donors on a regular basis and that they understand who you are and what you do. You should already have talked with or surveyed them to make sure that you’re offering the products or services that your audience needs and/or wants. If you don’t have these things in place, you need a full marketing plan that includes these elements. Photo by Kitty Terwolbeck, Creative Commons license

Facebook is a Tactic, Not a Strategy MEASUREMENT CALENDAR MESSAGES STRATEGY / TACTICS AUDIENCE Create a strategy designed to achieve your goals first, then choose your tactics. Having a presence on Facebook, writing a press release, or holding an event are tactics that you can use to achieve your goals. On their own, they can be a waste of time and money. GOAL / OBJECTIVE TACTIC Strategic Approach Tactical Approach

Speed Marketing Components Goal Objective Audience Strategy Tactics Messages Calendar Measurement Your marketing plan should start and finish with your goal(s). You have limited time and resources. Everything you do should lead you towards achieving your goal(s). Don’t assume you know what your audience knows or wants – test or survey to find out. You need to have a way to measure something to see if it’s working. Sometimes it’s hard to isolate each element to see which one is working, but do your best. The ultimate test is whether you are achieving your goals. If it’s not working, try something else. Marketing is an iterative process. Be prepared to adapt your plan as circumstances change.

Goals vs. Objectives Objectives should be SMART pecific M easurable A ttainable R elevant Goals are visionary steps towards your mission. Objectives are specific, measureable, and time-sensitive. You may have some objectives, such as trying to change perceptions of your organization or increase its visibility, that are hard or impossible to measure with numbers. If you have the budget, conducting a survey before and after you start your plan is the best way to measure changes in perception or understanding. You can use qualitative methods, such as focus groups or interviews, to gather feedback to determine whether you’re meeting your objectives. While they may not be representative of everyone in your audience, you can usually get the input you need to assess if your efforts seem to be working. T ime-sensitive

Brainstorm Objectives GOAL 1. Provide more services for families with autistic children 2. Become more financially solvent 3. Attract a broader range of age groups OBJECTIVE Run support groups for 25 families Raise an additional $100,000 in donations Here are some sample goals and objectives. Don’t do it all yourself. You’ll be more likely to come up with achievable objectives if you get input from others. If possible, brainstorm with a group of staff or volunteers to come up with the objective(s) that seem most likely to help you achieve your goals. Recruit at least 100 new members under age 35

Choose Your Target Audience(s) Be as specific as possible in choosing your audiences You may need to target a different audience for each goal Who can help you achieve your goals? What does your goal mean to them? What are their beliefs, values, motivations, needs, concerns? What’s your relationship with the target group? Are they already supporters or do you want to attract new people? Once you’ve decided what type of people you need to attract, how will you find people who meet the criteria you’ve set for your target audience? Do they live in a certain zip code or neighborhood? Do their children attend the same school? Do they share the same job title? Do they shop at farmers markets?

Create Strategies/Tactics GOAL More Services for Autism Community Become more financially solvent Attract broader range of ages OBJECTIVE Support groups for 25 families Raise $100k more in donations Recruit 100+ members <35 STRATEGIES TACTICS Outreach to schools Online outreach Email teachers Google AdWords Sell 100 more tickets to fundraiser Recruit 100+ monthly donors Ticket sale incentives Expand eCommunity - Create awareness in target age group - Make it cool to volunteer - Guest blogging - Hold <35-only events These are the sample goals and objectives from the previous slides. What are the possible strategies and tactics you can choose to achieve your desired goals/objectives? Brainstorm possibilities and choose ones that are feasible, can be measured/tested, are compatible with other tactics, and that you think could succeed.

Craft Your Messages What do you want your target audience to think, feel or do? What’s the simplest and most compelling way to say it? What images best express your message? What’s the best way to reach them? Who’s the best messenger? When developing your strategies and tactics, keep your audience in mind. What do they already think about your organization or your issue? What can you say that has the best chance of attracting them to do what you’d like them to do? What is the simplest, clearest, most compelling way to express your message? What words and images can you use? What are the best ways to send your messages to your target audience? Are they on Facebook? Can you email them? Do you need to partner with another organization that they are part of? Are you the best person or organization to deliver the message? Is there someone else that they know and trust--like another parent, an expert, a peer, or a sports figure--who will be more persuasive? Photo by Greg Foster, Creative Commons License

Create Your Plan Calendar Budget Tasks If it’s not on your calendar, it won’t get done. Break your plan into specific tasks. What needs to be done daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually? Decide who will do what and when. Budget time, not just money. Photo by Studio Curve, Creative Commons License

Measurement Measure/Track Test Evaluate Create a tool (a notebook, a file, a spreadsheet, a chart on your wall) to record activities and results each week. Make sure everyone on your team understands what you’re measuring and why it matters. Try to test one element at a time so you can evaluate its impact. Analyze and evaluate at least monthly – are you on track? Photo by Barbara Krawcowicz, Creative Commons License

Let’s Plan! Goal Objective Audience Strategy Tactics Messages Calendar Measurement Use your worksheet to map out your Annual Marketing Plan.