Post on 19-Oct-2014
description
Name of Organization,Product, Program or Service that You Will Market
Time Period of Plan(usually one year)
I saw a question on sharing a marketing plan.
I’ve been asked this a lot (and created quite a
few) over the years for a lot of successful
products, programs, and organizations. I thought
I’d share how I’ve always done it and give you
both the framework and some pointers on how to
do the same for whatever you’re trying to market.
In the interest of time, I’ve shared my own plan.
However, I’ve used the same framework/method
for associations, technology companies, an
individual product, an individual program, and
even to market an individual person. The
framework stays the same—just change the
specifics based on what it is that you are trying
to market.
The one piece that I didn’t cover was on pricing,
which—I think—is a whole slideset unto itself.
Good luck!
Market Opportunity
What is the size of the market opportunity:
-in terms of revenue amount
-in terms of unmet needs
-in terms of # people/buyers/donors/members/attendees
Are there geographic boundaries? Time zone considerations?
Are there seasonal effects (periods of time during a calendar year when people do/don’t
buy or engage?)
Who are the competitors? How much of the market is available to win?
First: Take the time to
really outline/define and
refine the market
opportunity. Get clear—
and get everyone else
clear—on where you will
be successful and where
you won’t. You are
looking for least risk for
biggest return situation
Market Opportunities bySegment & Vertical
Segment 1: e.g.
Corporations
Segment 2: e.g.
Non-Profit
Segment 3: e.g.
Government
Vertical 1: e.g. Health X X X
Vertical 2: e.g.
Education
X X X
Vertical 3 X
Vertical 4 X
Vertical 5 X X X
Vertical 6 X X X
Vertical 7 X X
Next: Slice up
your market so
that you can
easily identify
where you fit.
Identify sub-
verticals, if
needed
Messaging of Your Program/Product/Service
1. etouches is an innovative brand of SaaS-based event software
2. etouches is the first event software built by event planners instead of technologists
3. etouches has been global in software functionality and support since the inception of
the company: in software and service support
4. Designed to scale and to handle complexity
5. Designed to work the way that meeting planners think and plan events
Write down the sentence(s)
that describe your value
proposition and unique
identifiers to the marketplace.
For example, mine are:
etouches Product Line
1. Establish etouches as an innovative brand of SaaS-based event software
2. Develop and tell a compelling and differentiated story for etouches: # modules,
specificity of the modules
3. Establish consistent communication channels with target audiences through direct
and indirect marketing and PR (including social media)
4. Cultivate relationships with potential reseller partners
5. Develop an education-based thought leadership program
6. Grow the customer base from X to Y organizations within the vertical
Next Step: Clearly
outline the actions you
need to take for your
product, program or
service. Here’s mine:
Brand Elements & RationaleElements Rationale
• Touch
• Pink for energy, innovation and
warmth
• Love and comfort
• Delightful and light-hearted
• Utilitarian: benefits the entire
organization
• To date, target audience has been
terrorized and abused by
technology options
• Available software is outdated and
geared towards transactions, not
end user experience
• Competitor tech companies focus
on feature/function, technobabble
and integration
•Solve the organization’s pain of
ensuring a wonderful event
experience from start to finish
through superior service-inspired
products
Next: I like to write down the brand elements that will
be included in my GTM plan and why I’m
highlighting some (and perhaps not others).
Providing written rationale allows you to identify
some of the psychological elements are critical to
your GTM and will drive your campaigns. Without
this, you often get marketing “fluff” campaigns that
are not tied to any identifiable pain/want and are,
therefore, not compelling
Key Differentiators
Corporate Product
-event management origin -highly flexible to allow for infinite
configuration to meet specific needs
of event marketers
-global -truly multi-tenant, SaaS-delivery
-400 customers with a 90% renewal
rate
-localization and globalization
-exceptional service -integrated apps allow you to keep
flow-through of people and budgeting
for cross-planning and reporting. You
can clone for next year!
-investor-backed firm -24 languages/multi-currency
Next: Take the time to
write down how your
program/product/service
is TRULY different.
The only thing that
counts is what stands out
and is worthy of a
conversation.
Don’t spend time on that
which is standard,
expected or a commodity
Pain Points Solved by etouches• Events represent the majority (typically over 75%) of an association’s revenue
for the year and is the #1 way to recognize donors (npo)
•Event experience begins with registration/purchasing
•Organizations have had, to date, little control and
outdated tools for creating an enjoyable interactive experience for users
•Organizations typically brace for event registration season to prepare for
inbound calls for help with login, registration issues, etc
•Organizations have had to let their brand suffer for the sake of technology: the
transaction, not the person, has always been the priority
•Events are understaffed and produced through a multitude of tools by staff that
are not trained, supported nor have advanced technical skillsets
Next: Write down what your
product/program/service SOLVES.
Don’t start writing benefits before
taking this step!!! Tie benefits to
pain points that you eliminate.
Keys to Success for Association/Nonprofit
1. Price
2. Transparency
3. Multi-use across departments
4. eHome to replace current websites or team sites
5. Ready and Available Now
6. Big Brand For-Profit Organizations Rely on etouches
7. Relationship-Based Business
8. Global: multi-currency, multilingual
9. Component Events: can be used for chapters, committees, sections, etc
Identify what your keys to success
will be in a given market
GTM Marketing Mix
1. Public Networks: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
2. Email marketing
3. Direct mail
4. Speaking Engagements
5. Webinars
6. Small hosted events (lunch-n-learns, cocktail hours, breakfasts)
7. Tradeshows
8. Banner ads
9. Content: Articles, White Papers, Surveys
Identify which mix of
marketing
communications
means/channels that you
will use to create demand
Marketing Activity Calendar
Next: Finally, start to map out your
various, specific activities you’ve
identified in your GTM demand creation
mix into the calendar year.
Use a Marketing Calendar like that
provided by Brandeo:
http://brandeo.com/2010-marketing-
calendar-template-free-download
Hope that helped!
Send questions/comments or requests to:
Suzanne Carawan
etouches
scarawan@etouches.com
703.431.2208
Twitter: @suzannecarawan
LinkedIn: /suzannecarawan
Facebook: /suzannecarawan