by Steve Fodor
I was in a meeting with a client recently who said, “Marketing is like fishing. I’m going to keep throwing bait into the water until I find out what they’re biting on.”
Being a serious fly fisherman myself, I bit my tongue and replied, “Well, you shouldn’t be fishing. You should be catching.” What I was implying is that any serious fisherman devotes effort into understanding the environment they’re fishing in. What are the predominant food sources? Where is the structure that will harbor the biggest fish? What weather conditions may impact the mood of the fish?
In other words, successful fishermen do their homework so their time on the water is more productive. Yet, when it comes to planning marketing messages, so many organizations neglect their homework and, consequently, their marketing messages are far less effective. “Laundry lists” of tactics get generated before thinking about what the message should really be.
“Planning” is one of those words that we should embrace. Yet it often sends shivers up the spines of marketing executives as they envision three-day-long workshops, buzzword-spewing consultants and hefty price tags.
Planning for marketing communications -- meaning what should our message be and how can we most efficiently communicate with our audience -- really starts with answering a few simple questions:
· What do we want our audience to think, feel and do?
· Why doesn’t our audience currently think, feel or do what we desire?
· How does selecting a product offering in our category affect the lives of our audience?
· Why would they buy from us vs. someone else?
· What funds are available for communicating with our audience?
Oversimplified? Perhaps. But if you’re charged with creating and implementing the communications program for your company or organization, start with these questions. And don’t cheat yourself with simple answers. Think long and hard. Share these questions with your colleagues. After giving it some thought and some well-invested time, you’ll be thinking in terms of creating a powerful message based on emotional motivations rather than generating a “laundry list” of tactics.
In other words, successful fishermen do their homework so their time on the water is more productive. Yet, when it comes to planning marketing messages, so many organizations neglect their homework and, consequently, their marketing messages are far less effective. “Laundry lists” of tactics get generated before thinking about what the message should really be.
“Planning” is one of those words that we should embrace. Yet it often sends shivers up the spines of marketing executives as they envision three-day-long workshops, buzzword-spewing consultants and hefty price tags.
Planning for marketing communications -- meaning what should our message be and how can we most efficiently communicate with our audience -- really starts with answering a few simple questions:
· What do we want our audience to think, feel and do?
· Why doesn’t our audience currently think, feel or do what we desire?
· How does selecting a product offering in our category affect the lives of our audience?
· Why would they buy from us vs. someone else?
· What funds are available for communicating with our audience?
Oversimplified? Perhaps. But if you’re charged with creating and implementing the communications program for your company or organization, start with these questions. And don’t cheat yourself with simple answers. Think long and hard. Share these questions with your colleagues. After giving it some thought and some well-invested time, you’ll be thinking in terms of creating a powerful message based on emotional motivations rather than generating a “laundry list” of tactics.
Photo Credit: Trish Fodor
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