I spent working this weekend working on a strategic plan for my business. After two years, this was the first time that I sat down and started to clearly define the who, what where, how and why. As with many small business, it was easy to be reactive instead of proactive. I have written many business and marketing plans for other organizations, but found that it was much more difficult to do it for something that I am so close to. However, I know that in order to maximize success, it is critical to have a plan so I made the time to make it happen.
Some components of the strategic plan included:
- Purpose
- Products
- Markets
- Competition
- Marketing
- Timing
- Exit Strategy (this one is often forgotten, but very important)
These components don’t always have to be applied to a business as a whole, but can also be used for specific initiatives. In other words, you don’t need to own the business in order to take advantage of this planning technique. If you are a marketer, it might be helpful to take a look at the list and see how you can apply these to the campaigns that you are working on.
Where are you going?
If you are a business, have you taken the time to step back and figure out where you are going and how you are going to get there? Do you have a road map for success?