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Developing a marketing plan isn’t rocket science.  But here are some important points to keep in mind.

A good Marketing Plan should…have its foundation in a solid Strategic Plan that was professionally facilitated with key shareholders including all board members. It should NOT be written by an outside consultant, because the board and committee members will not have ownership of the plan. Without ownership by these stakeholders, the plan is unlikely to be executed.

A good Marketing Plan should… be championed by 1-2 individuals, with tasks assigned to all members of a committee.  It should NOT be drafted from scratch by a full committee (which takes a lifetime; instead, brainstorm together, draft alone, review together).  It is also not the full responsibility of the Executive Director.

A good Marketing Plan should… be written, proactive and comprehensive, covering all touchpoints with the public.  It should NOT be spontaneous, reactive or limited to just a newsletter print schedule.

A good Marketing Plan should… be a “living, breathing” document that drives actions and decisions; and it should be reported on at every board meeting. It should NOT be printed once and never updated… or worse yet, relegated to the “circular file.”

A good Marketing Plans should… be measurable and specific (in tasks, champions and due dates), NOT ambiguous, subjective or lacking accountability.

A good Marketing Plan should… span 24 months, NOT just a season… or 5 years (because who are we kidding?).

A good Marketing Plan should… include post-mortem reviews of events and other initiatives.  It should NOT assume that initiatives will be repeated “because we’ve always done that,” or that next year the committee will remember what there were not enough forks at the annual dinner this year.

Carol Reeve
marketing strategist

I recently counseled a client through a difficult human resources issue. Like most human issues, it was not cut and dry.  I spent weeks evaluating, assessing and analyzing expectations, responsibilities, processes and performances. What I discovered is that while there were very clear issues, the exact cause of them was unclear. Hearts were in the right place, but there was still an insurmountable disconnect.

To help me get to the root of the issue – to uncover the exact point of disconnect – I tried to break  down the process of constructive criticism reception and resolution. Here’s what I came up with.

Resolution Process

1. Sincere listening and open-minded reception of concerns.
2. Sincere desire to understand expectations related to those areas (e.g. “What do I need to do differently?”) and resolve any disagreement or ambiguity.
3. Initiative to seek tools and counsel that help equip the individual for making changes related to areas of concern.
4. Raised consciousness and heightened sensitivities when operating in areas of concern.
5. Humility and ownership of mis-steps along the way (e.g. sincere apologies, “I’m working on this and appreciate your help and patience”).
6. Solicitation of and gratitude for counsel and feedback throughout the process.
7. Although resolution of the concern areas may never become second-nature to the individual, he or she demonstrates an awareness of blind spots and a reflexive adjustment that helps compensate in a healthy and positive way.

After outlining this process, I was able to pinpoint exactly where the breakdown was occurring. The employee in question was receiving the constructive criticism positively; that was not disputed.  But the train derailed quickly after that.  The employee showed little to no initiative in seeking tools or counsel to help equip her to make the changes expected and required for her to be successful.  Her colleagues expected her to operate in the territory of Steps 4 and 5, but she never progressed past Step 2 in the above process. The result was a tense and emotionally-charged workplace.

Takeaway:

• Sometimes in order to identify the cause of a problem, we must first put the problem in the greater context of a process. Pinpointing exactly where the breakdown is occurring in that process allows for a surgical solution.  Surgical solutions are more efficient and effective (and tend to result in less pain and bloodshed).
• I have long said that Initiative is not something you can teach another person.  People either have initiative, or they don’t. Those who demonstrate initiative typically make exemplary employees; those who don’t tend to be a drain on an organization. Discerning initiative should be a top priority when interviewing prospective job candidates.

Carol Reeve, strategist
Girl on the Roof

It’s been a long time since I made my last blog post, which was allegedly the first in a series. Some of you have asked for the rest of the info. My apologies. I maintain another blog for a client, and that one has taken priority (the old plumber’s pipes, I guess).  I am serving on a panel tomorrow and will be discussing this topic, so I have outlined the basic points for the SCRAPE approach to long-term success. Below are the basics.  If you have any questions on any of these topics, please let me know and I will be happy to elaborate more.

Strategic Planning

• Open discussion of who your organization is (and isn’t), who you serve (and who you don’t) and what services you provide (and those you don’t).
• SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats).
• Mission (why you exist), Vision (what success looks like), Core Values.
• Identify what is required for your organization to be successful. Categorize into Critical Success Factors.
• Strategic Planning should involve your entire board as well as other representative shareholders when possible (a lead volunteer, maybe an individual who has graduated from your program). Ideally a professional facilitator should lead the discussion so everyone can participate equally (you can’t facilitate and participate at the same time).

Critical Success Factors

• Four to five areas you must NAIL in order to successfully accomplish your mission.
• CSFs typically include finances, programming, communications and one or two others (partnerships, board development, expansion…).
• Each CSF needs a non-staff champion (e.g., board member) and committee members to assist with plan development and execution.
• A detailed Action Plan should be developed for each Critical Success Factor, spanning at least 18 months. Include post-mortem reviews to determine what worked and what didn’t (e.g. after a fundraising event) and what improvements could be made the next time.
• Updates on these Action Plans form, in part, the agenda for board meetings. This ensures they remain living, breathing documents.

Research

• First step in any Critical Success Factor and subsequent Action Plan.
• Investigate Best Practices. Who else does what you do (or similar), and where are they successful (and where are they not)?
• How can you work together with other organizations to avoid reinventing the wheel?
• What is the general awareness and perception of your organization and what you do?
• What causes do your prospective donors currently support and why?

Audience

• Identify your primary (e.g. who you serve), secondary (e.g. donors) and possibly tertiary (e.g. volunteers and/or other nonprofit organizations) audiences.
• Identify what your audience’s biggest challenges are. How can you help them with solutions (not add to their problems)?
• Identify what motivates each audience.
• Identify where and how these audiences get their information (don’t make assumptions). A new story may not reach the audience you are seeking.
• Identify how each audience makes decisions (what criteria do they weigh, how much time to they take, what do they value most?).
• Identify the target audience for each initiative (events, press releases, newsletters…). Don’t try to reach all audiences with the same initiative. Prioritize and customize for the most impact.

Positioning

• Write a positioning statement that captures the essence and personality of your organization. Are you formal, casual, serious or grace-filled? Your positioning statement should say what you do, who you serve and what makes you unique. It should motivate your target.
• Stick to your messaging. Every initiative you develop should be viewed through the lens of your positioning statement. Is this consistent with who you are and what you’re about? If not, reconsider.
• Keep the same visual identity across all of your initiatives (web, newsletter, direct mail, brochures…). Same colors, same logo, same messaging. You may get tired of it, but step back and consider how many messages you are bombarded with every day. Keep at it, or you will never cut through the clutter.

Execution

• Be purposeful and deliberate. Develop a plan and stick with the plan. You can modify the plan if you need to and have good reason to, but it needs to be a strategic decision not just a convenient one.
• A strong web site is a high priority; it is the first place people go to learn more about you. Keep it current (a home page promoting an event that took place three months ago reflects poorly on everyone associated with your organization). List specific needs on your home page (a desk, a laptop, $500 to repair a vehicle…).
• Consider the bang for the buck. Don’t waste your resources on initiatives that don’t reach your target audience. Just because you are presented with an opportunity to promote your organization doesn’t mean you should take it. Consider the amount of time (yours, staff, volunteer, board) and money required to do it and weigh whether or not you will be seen by who you are targeting in a way that matters to them.
• Do it with excellence or don’t do it.
• Again, be consistent with your messaging and identity so you can increase the effectiveness of each initiative ­– past, present and future.

When I facilitate a planning or positioning session, I clearly communicate the objective of the session, in writing, in advance. I state a clear agenda. I document on flip charts every thought and idea that is expressed. I later record all of those thoughts into an electronic document that I circulate to all who attended the meeting. Why? Because people pay me for results, and I am committed to providing them.

Unlike many facilitators whose solitary role is facilitation (and then they pass the baton and step aside politely), I hold tightly to the baton and keep running. It’s my job to distill what I learned in that session into something that benefits the bottom line of an organization.
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A good facilitator can get to the heart of a matter – or the core of a business – simply by asking the right questions. Of course, asking the right questions requires that you’ve done some research on the organization and their competition in advance.  But again, don’t go in with assumptions; that research should only serve to lead you to the right questions (the answers should come from the group, not from you).

I have a series of questions that I tailor to clients.  Some aren’t appropriate for certain organizations, and sometimes there are obvious questions that need to be asked that are outside of the norm.  A planning session for me almost always includes a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis as well as discussions about services offerings and target audience (who are they, what are they looking for, what motivates them, how they make decisions).   There should also be a discussion about the competition (not just immediate competitors; think about other sources and solutions to the problems of the audience). Why should someone choose your solution over the competition?  This is a critical question to ask but can often be the most difficult to answer, so save it for the right time. (Don’t lead with a question that challenging.)
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A critical element to a productive session is the agenda. It shouldn’t be overly detailed, and it needs to be objective. Don’t skew the agenda based on your opinion of where the discussion will go, because you don’t know exactly where it may lead (and won’t you look foolish if you were wrong). A good agenda is topical without leading; it drives the meeting while maintaining some flexibility should the unexpected arise. A good facilitator will know when and how to seize an opportunity that was not on the agenda.
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Whether you are facilitating a strategic planning session, a non-profit board retreat, or a staff brainstorming meeting, having the right people in the room is critical.  Rather than getting the download from just one person, a session with multiple great brains means you will get broader views of the organization.

If it’s an established organization, identifying who should be in the room is fairly simple.  Board members, executives, department heads… this will be your core group.  But it’s important to consider if there are some other people who may add value to the discussion – or at least part of the discussion. Maybe a lower person on the totem pole can add some insight.  Maybe a valued customer can contribute to part of the discussion. Consider the objectives of each session before nailing down the invitation list. If you stick to your agenda (more on this in a later posting), you will be able to invite these guests for just segments of the conversation where they can offer the most insight . In any case, your core group should be present for the entire session.
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My husband, who many claim is the funniest man they know, has long had the mantra “Repetition is the Key to Humor.” David Letterman can take a simple word like Spatula – a word he didn’t even intend to say – and make it the funniest part of the show simply by repeating it randomly in awkward moments later on. It’s genius! Naturally, it works particularly well when people are tired and subsequently oxygen deprived, because they are more prone to laugh. (That’s why late-night TV is less funny during the day.)  I digress…

If Repetition is the Key to Humor, perhaps Facilitation is the Key to Positioning.  It is through facilitation that you uncover the true identity of an organization, what it has to offer and how it is unique. Facilitation is a skill and an art. I am the fortunate beneficiary of professional facilitation training from the University of Cincinnati, thanks to an early boss who said it would be good experience.

Facilitation is a core service at Girl on the Roof, because it serves as the starting point for any initiative or project.  So I have decided to post a series of blog postings on the topic.  Stay tuned…