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Archive for the ‘Strategy’ Category

Interested in Content Marketing? What’s Your Strategy?

Thursday, December 4th, 2014

Top executives at successful manufacturing companies will tell you that even if you have the world’s greatest product, your business will struggle if you don’t have a great distribution strategy. The same is true for online content. Often, content providers and marketers focus too much on the message and not enough on the delivery of the message. It’s like coming up with a great idea, but not sharing that idea with anyone.

Jayson DeMers discusses this common shortcoming in an article for Harvard Business Review called “Why No One’s Reading Your Marketing Content.” As DeMers says, “Having a smart distribution model is just as important as developing good content in the first place – it’s how you bring in more business.” (more…)

Tags: branded publications, content management, content marketing, Harvard Business Review, Strategy
Posted in Business Development, Content Marketing | No Comments »

5 Competitive Forces That Should Be Shaping Your Strategy

Thursday, October 9th, 2014

Every MBA student or undergraduate in an introductory business strategy course has encountered Porter’s Five Forces. The concept, outlined by Harvard economist and professor Michael E. Porter in 1979, has been a foundation of business strategy in both academia and the business world for decades.

Professor Porter revisited the topic in a recent article in Harvard Business Review, appropriately titled “The Five Competitive Forces that Shape Strategy.”

For those unfamiliar with the five forces, they are: (more…)

Tags: Alternative to SWOT, Michael Porter, Porter's 5 Forces, Strategic Planning, Strategy, SWOT analysis
Posted in Strategic Communications | No Comments »

Why Your Strategy May Not Be Working: It May Be Just a Plan

Thursday, July 24th, 2014

I’m a strong proponent of the value of strategic planning but I’m also glad to acknowledge that the vast majority of strategic plans rarely drive real action or measurable results. The reasons why are numerous, but a recent article I read in Harvard Business Review made a great point about strategy.

In The Big Lie of Strategic Planning, Roger L. Martin, makes the point that, inevitably, whenever the word “strategy” is used, it’s often in conjunction with the word “plan” — those two words then become, somehow, inevitably–and inaccurately–intertwined. (more…)

Tags: Complete Idiot's Guide to Strategic Planning, Strategic Planning, Strategy, why plans file
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Making Strategic Planning Work

Friday, April 4th, 2014

Why do strategic planning efforts so often fail? It’s a question I ponder a lot and one that I’m asked frequently by clients and business colleagues. I work with companies of all sizes and in a variety of industries on strategic planning efforts. Previously as a marketing manager/director of corporate communications in the education, energy and healthcare industries I was involved in a range of strategic planning activities from business planning to the development of marketing plans and project-specific plans.

Most of these plans are developed, reviewed, revised–and, sadly, forgotten. Here are some of the key factors that I believe contribute to the successful execution of a strategic plan — whether it’s a business plan, a marketing plan, or a project plan. The process is the same, and so are the potential pitfalls.

We recommend these best practice steps: (more…)

Tags: execution, marketing plan, marketing planning, strategic communications, strategic planing, Strategic Planning, Strategy
Posted in Business Development | No Comments »

Mission Statements: Who Needs Them?

Thursday, January 9th, 2014

I will admit, that in years past I was a mission statement basher. I considered mission statements to be exercises in futility and a waste of time. I’ve come to believe differently, with one big caveat: (more…)

Tags: mission statement, organizational mission, Strategic Planning, Strategy, vision
Posted in Business Development | No Comments »

Are You Engaged in Marketing Malpractice?

Tuesday, November 19th, 2013

I responded to a reporter’s query this week related to best (or I should say worst!) practices in marketing. His question was related to “marketing tactics that don’t work.” I had two initial thoughts about that query:

I definitely believe that many of the marketing tactics being deployed today are ineffective—not worth the time or money spent on them and not generating relevant results
The reason this is true, though, is not because of the tactic–but because of the strategy, or lack thereof (more…)

Tags: Advertising, Marketing, marketing strategy, Strategy
Posted in Marketing and Branding, Marketing Communication | No Comments »

That “Silly” SWOT and Why You Should Spend Time to Do it Right

Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013

I used to consider SWOT analyses to be “silly exercises,” but after using them on a number of occasions during strategic planning processes with clients and, after conducting research for my book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Strategic Planning, I’ve come to believe that (if done effectively) they can help drive better strategy development.

If done correctly, SWOT analyses should: (more…)

Tags: Strategic Planning, strategies, strategies and tactics, Strategy, strategy development, SWOT analysis
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The Thing About Strategy – Why You Will Never “Get It Right”

Wednesday, September 4th, 2013

Both the current situation in Syria and the start of my classes for this semester have me thinking about strategy. In fact, my pondering about the news reports I’ve been hearing regarding our strategy (or lack thereof) for addressing the situation in Syria helped me to frame what I believe are some important point for students in my PR Campaigns class, as well as for some clients I’m currently working with on strategic planning projects. (more…)

Tags: planning, strategic communications, Strategic Planning, Strategy, Syria
Posted in Strategic Communications | No Comments »

A Focus on Strategy–Hold the Tactics!

Thursday, May 9th, 2013

When interviewing candidates for mid- to senior-level marketing positions, I have a question that I like to ask which gives me a sense of how strategically the candidates might approach their jobs. It goes something like this:

“Suppose I’m one of your internal customers and I come to you and say ‘I need a brochure’ (or you could say ad, or web site, or email blast or any other form of communication). How do you respond to that request?”

Most people (yes, sadly, even for senior-level marketing positions) will begin to tell me the steps that they will take to create whatever communication tool I’ve asked them to create. So, for a brochure, they might say: “I’ll ask for information about the product/service they want to sell. I’ll want to know what size they want the brochure to be. I’ll ask if there is any specific information that they want to include in the brochure.”

In short, they focus on the WHATs.
What I’m looking for? A focus on the WHYs!

I don’t want marketing staff–especially senior level marketing staff–to focus on tactics. I want them to focus on strategy. What I hope to hear when I ask a question like this is: (more…)

Tags: Advertising, Marketing, Strategy
Posted in Marketing and Branding | No Comments »