This is the time of year when marketeers everywhere are putting the final touches on next year’s marketing plan.  A good plan doesn’t have to be complicated.  In fact, the simpler the better.  Every business I know is tightening the budget and looking for measurable ROI on every activity.  So it makes sense to do a few things very well instead of a shallow attempt at 25 different marketing activities.  Also, remember that a marketing plan is a guide, not a mandate.  Things that appear to be a good idea now may not perform well when actually executed.  Flexibility is key and data is everything.  If you can’t measure what you do then you probably need to question whether it should be in the marketing mix to begin with.

With that said, here are some things we hope you’ve taken into consideration when finishing up your marketing plan for 2009:

1. Collaborate with the sales team.  Have you met with the VP of Sales and discussed the objectives for 2009?  Have you attended the sales meetings on a regular basis?  Do you know how the pipeline works and do you have a written agreement with the VP of Sales that describes exactly what qualifies as a lead from the marketing department? This way, you can avoid the conversation in July when you say you generated 2,000 leads and they say you generated 20. [Read more...]