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Along with pumpkins and early thoughts of turkeys and treats, it’s time to think about 2010 planning. Too often, strategic planning is pushed off –becoming a rush job at the end of the year when budgets are due. The result is lackluster first quarter sales and another year off to a slow start.

Planning takes time – time to evaluate what went right and wrong during the year, time to conduct customer or prospect research, and time to develop the strategies that will make a difference in the coming year.

A good marketing plan takes into account business goals, the environment, budget and resources. Our plans follow a tried-and-true outline:

• Objectives
• SWOT
• Audience
• Positioning and messaging
• Strategy
• Tactics
• Timeline
• Budget

With all of the options for communicating, plans also need to be built holistically with awareness, lead generation, customer engagement and brand impact all considered through a single lens.

There’s a saying in marketing: nothing is worse than a bad plan well executed!! Take the time you need. Click through our Planning Kick Start presentation (below) and take advantage of our Kick Start session.