How to Conduct a Digital Marketing Strategy Session
In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
Over the years we have worked with companies of all shapes and sizes all with vastly different marketing budgets. One thing seems to remain fairly constant among them all, a lack of planning time! A while back I read 7 Habits for Highly Effective People and one of the big takeaways was yearly goal setting. This exercise allows you to focus and head in a particular direction, although it doesn’t mean you must always achieve the goal. That’s why I felt the Eisenhower quote was so appropriate here, as we all need to take the time to do the planning, but the plan may go out the window quick.
Questions to Ask About Your Digital Strategy
First, start by identifying your business goals. Who are you, what do you believe in, and what would you like to offer you customers? Second, define your audience. Although some might argue this should be step 1, we’ll assume you’re already in business to fill a need of some kind. Never the less, ask yourself why your customers are in need of your services. What are their pain points and how can you alleviate them? Third, where are these customers and how do they like to be messaged? Fourth, what message delivery vehicles make the most sense in order to effectively target this audience? Fifth, does your website convey the pain point solutions and is it free of road blocks for your audience to achieve their ultimate goal? And finally, how will you plan to track success? Are you collecting the right data points and have a means to distribute them?
How to Conduct a Digital Marketing Strategy Session
So now that you have all the questions, you’ll need to answer them. This is where many companies fall flat. We recommend carving out a full week to delve into all of this as a collaborative team. A week of lost productivity is worth 10-times that in marketing effectiveness. Reserve a room with comfy chairs, stock it full of coffee and snacks, and make sure lunch is on order. Your team should be laser focused on answering the questions above and coming out with a cohesive plan of action.
Still sound like a lot? That’s ok, because it is a lot. This is why many companies don’t take the time to conduct these sessions. However the ones that do will be far more successful and while the plans may get thrown out, the planning will have been indispensable!
Want some help conducting your own digital strategy planning session? Contact us and then make sure the snacks are ordered!!
