The Lost Marketers Map to a Great Marketing Plan

I didn’t really learn to read a map until I was 26.  In fact it was the first fight between my husband and I on one of our first dates.  He was shocked that I had gotten that far in life, traveled as much as I had and then actually been able to get myself home WITHOUT being able to read a map.

After we arrived at our location, I swallowed my pride and admitted that he was absolutely right and that I would work extra hard and actually learn to read and use a map.

And boy, was I ever glad I did, because a few months later, I moved to a new city.  I was on my way to the airport, running late and then BAM – traffic was at a standstill with construction.  After a few choice 4-letter words, I reached over, grabbed the map and noticed that if I took the next exit, I could parallel the highway and get to the airport on time.  It’s a good thing I listened and learned.

It wasn’t until that experience that I really appreciated the real function of a good marketing plan – and how similar it was to a map.

Here are some

1. It should fit on 1 page.  Could you just imagine going on a trip and having 200 pages of directions to follow and read through?!  Impossible.  A good marketing plan should be easy to read and follow and anyone should be able to read and follow it.
2. Anyone should be able to read it and get it.  A single map can be read and used by anyone as long as they know where they are and where they want to go.  Your marketing plan should be easily read and understood by all levels of the company, and especially the people that will be a part of inmplementing it.
3. There’s a starting point and a destination.  One thing that every map has where many marketing plans fall flat is a clear starting point and a destination.  If you’re clear on where you are and what you want the plan to do for you, every decision from that point on becomes easier and clearer as to the trade-offs and consequences.
4. Give yourself options in case things change.  Many marketing plans are so focused on the destination that they don’t consider what happens if the road you want to take is closed.  If you look at a map, you’ll see that if you know where you want to go, you can see that there is usually more than one way to get there.  Give yourself some alternative routes to get to your destination.
5. Keep it with you wherever you go.  One of the neat things about a map is that you carry it with you the entire time you’re on your journey.  You refer to it often, to read and check your chosen route.  Isn’t it funny that we don’t treat or marketing plans with the same respect, even though they are worth a small fortune.

  Your marketing plan is not just a map for your business, it’s a treasure map to your future.