I’m a great believer in writing down your goals or in my field, your marketing objectives. For three reasons:
I often ask businesses what are the marketing challenges they face. It’s always interesting to get a business’s perspective and compare that with my own. I tend to work with small SMEs who don’t have a marketing manager or director. For them the main challenges tend to be:
With David Bingle of DDL Group who provide a complete range of direct marketing services. I was chatting with David the other week about data. (To marketers data usually means contact data – names, addresses, email addresses etc.).
You’ve probably heard of a SWOT Analysis. It’s used throughout business not just in marketing. It’s a simple 2×2 matrix that helps crystallize thoughts and prepare action plans. I feel it’s particularly useful for measuring up against a competitor, especially when a business is looking to grow.
There’s a line of dialogue in Black Adder III (Episode 4 Sense & Senility) where Black Adder is looking for a new job. The line goes “…there’s a fellow called George Stephenson…has invented a moving kettle…wants someone to help with the marketing….”
What are marketing metrics? A very good question. There are some very complex answers out there. Trust me; I have studied more than a few!
I like matrices and, marketing, like most disciplines has its fair share of them. One of my favourites is the Ansoff Matrix. This matrix highlights the strategic direction a business could take if it wants to grow.