AMiable Solution #202: Vision

Have you ever put down a book because reading it became unbearable?  You just couldn’t put yourself through the agony of the page anymore?

Sometimes you can chalk it up to bad writing.  But sometimes, the fault lies with the plot: the essence of the book.  The driving force of the story.  Maybe it wanders.  Maybe it doesn’t make sense.  Maybe events that happen early in the book don’t line up with events that happen later.  You distrust the story and the storyteller.

If you don’t have a solid annual marketing plan to guide you, your customers may feel the same way.  If your marketing wanders, never surprises them (in a good way, of course), fails to support your mission or their needs, or leaves your customers confused or unhappy, then they’re not going to stick around long enough to see the end.

To keep your market engaged and intrigued, your annual marketing plan, like a good book plot, should include four important elements:

• ·        Specific activities you plan to undertake to move your audience forward.  You want to create promotions and incentives that draw your members and customers deeper into your story and theirs.
• ·        The right audience.  Every marketing activity, like every book, will appeal to a particular audience.  Make sure you know exactly who each activity is targeted to.
• ·        A way to measure success.  For an author, success is measured in book sales and publicity.  For marketers, success comes with inquiries, subscriptions, renewals, memberships, donations, and purchases.
• ·        Engaging characters.  Identify who on your team is responsible for each activity.  Like the characters in a story, every member of your marketing team plays a role in developing your relationship with your market.  Make sure each person understands what he/she contributes to your tale.

Every marketer wants their department to emerge as heroes.  Carefully planning your marketing endeavors--and sticking with them--will help make that happen.