When you think of marketing, what comes to mind?
Mad men? Power lunches? Meetings with creative geniuses bouncing balls on the wall as they toss our taglines and headlines?
Marketing isn’t just strategy and brainstorming. To be effective, it needs to get results. Which means it requires action.
This seems like a no-brainer to me, but you’d be surprised at how few people understand it.
I hear people talk about their goals all the time—but they seem to resist any activity that might help them reach those goals.
I’ve even seen this tendency in the corporate environment. In one of the marketing departments where I once worked, my boss laughed at me when I pushed to meet a deadline. “No one meets deadlines,” she scoffed. I was dumbfounded.
To my mind, Peter Drucker had it right: “Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.”
Today, let’s look at how you can ensure your plans aren’t just good intentions. Let’s review a simple process that tells you what actions need to take place, and when.
Focus on outcomes
Plans are great. But if you don’t put tasks into place, you’re wasting your time. The secret is to focus on your outcomes.
Some call them SMART plans. But essentially, they’re the results you’re shooting for. And because they’re concrete and task-oriented, they’re more likely to get done.
So, for instance, you shouldn’t say: I want to start a freelance business. “Freelance business” is too broad. What does it mean? How will you achieve it?
You should say: I want to get three projects a month that are worth $1000 or more. “Three projects a month” is tangible. You can make a task list to help you get there.
Reverse engineer your success
Start with your outcome.
What specifically do you want to achieve?
Let’s say you need to create a new website. What are the outcomes you need for this project to be a success?
- How many pages?
- Will it include a blog?
- What action do you want people to take when they visit?
- How will you drive traffic or generate leads?
Nail down all the details that go into the project.
Itemize the tasks that will make it happen
List all the tasks that go into your project. Be specific.
For instance, let’s say you need a website that drives sales for your new software. Your list might look like this:
- Home page sales page, describing the product and overcoming objections.
- About Us page, sharing the background of the product and your company.
- Features page, explaining exactly what the product does.
- Pricing page, giving the details of different purchase options.
- Contact Us page (easy: just set it up).
- Research shopping carts and decide on one.
- Purchase page and follow-up communications.
- Special report to drive opt-in.
- Email integration.
- Blog with one new post per week.
- Set up email alerts for your blog.
- Get social media going.
Make the list as detailed as necessary and include every task needed to get the project done.
Plan your attack
Now it’s time to prioritize your task list.
Which tasks are the minimum required to make your project viable? In other words, if you had to go live in a week, what tasks from the list above must happen?
Think of these tasks as Phase 1. They are your highest priority. Get them done first and, if necessary, you could go live with the website while you finish the rest of your task list.
For instance, Phase 1 might include your Home, Pricing and Contact pages and your purchase page. Plan to write effective sales copy, but don’t stress over making it perfect—plan to improve your copy after Phase 2 and 3 are complete.
Phase 2 might be to add the rest of your Web pages, set up the opt-in, and begin promoting your website.
And Phase 3 might include blogging and social media, as well as strengthening your website copy.
NOTE: When developing your plan, you may be tempted to copy another brand’s techniques. Use their methods as a guide, sure, but understand that your own business is unique. Follow the trends and your own instincts, not another company’s plan.
Start checking off your tasks
This is where the rubber meets the road. No matter how strategic your planning, if you don’t take action, you won’t see your final outcome.
Set deadlines for each task and get to work. It’s as simple as that.
Because you’ve already make a task list, your only real challenge is to stay motivated.
Use this process for any goal
It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to achieve—a career change, something on your bucket list, or a major marketing project—you can easily follow this same process to make it happen.
Make a plan. Itemize your list. But don’t forget to take action. That’s where the magic happens.
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