Successful companies plan. This is the time of year when many companies refresh their business plans, marketing plans, sales plans, financial budgets and cash flow plans. By the time March or April arrives, these plans may be gathering dust, with other priorities competing for time. Soon after, the focus on marketing falls and so does the activity and results.
“Getting reliable results requires more than a great marketing plan. Companies that achieve the best results from marketing have robust marketing systems to drive their marketing plans forward and maintain the momentum.”
What is it?
A marketing management system includes a simple process and templates to help you manage your marketing. A basic marketing system includes:
- Marketing plan
- Marketing management meetings
- Marketing calendar
- Formal agenda for the meeting
- Marketing budget
- Metrics to measure marketing
Why use a marketing management system?
A good marketing management system will:
- Focus marketing resources on the right activities that support your business goals
- Ensure regular activities are conducted to help attract ongoing lead and sales
- Increases collaboration, marketing ideas, and shared knowledge within team
- Enable continuous improvements that progressively improve performance
- Achieve more reliable results and uses resources more efficiently.
Where do I start?
So before 2014 takes off at a gallop and dust gathers on your marketing plan consider implementing the following simple “Marketing Management System”:
- Schedule monthly ‘marketing management’ meetings and prepare an agenda
- Create a marketing calendar and update it monthly
- Create a marketing ‘work in progress’ document
- Create a marketing budget and update it monthly
- Agree metrics and measure each month.
Sustainable Marketing Services have released an affordable and easy-to-use DIY “Marketing Management System” Tool Kit available for purchase on their website.