How to write a marketing plan workshop

Building an Effective Integrated Marketing Plan

presented by

Jeffrey RichVice President, Marketing &

Innovation

Stamats, Inc. Cedar Rapids, IA 52406(800) 553-8878

2 | Building an Effective Integrated Marketing Plan | © STAMATS 2013

Introductions – Jeffrey Rich

Vice President of Marketing &

Innovation

25 years marketing experience across

higher education, corporate, and

agency settings

Served two comprehensive universities

as Vice President of Marketing, PR and

Enrollment Management


Introductions

Tracy Thomson Stuart Spires

Sr. Client Consultant Sr. Client Consultant


Today’s Agenda

8:00 a.m. Continental breakfast and registration check-in8:30 a.m. Workshop begins10:30 – 10:45 a.m. Morning break12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Lunch buffet3:30 p.m. Afternoon break5:00 p.m. Wrap-up

8:30 to 10:30 - Review and discuss Integrated Marketing Communications Examples of compelling messaging

10:45 to 12:00 - Top 10 Marketing Mistakes Colleges and Universities Make

1:00 to 3:30 – Plan development workshop Creating your own plan

3:45 to 5:00 - Discuss plans Four Good Ideas


Research, Planning, and Consulting■Brand clarification and development■ Image and perception studies■Recruiting and marketing

assessments, plans, and counsel■ Tuition pricing elasticity and brand

value studies

Strategic Creative■ Institutional, admission and

advancement websites■Mobile and social media solutions■Recruiting and advancement

campaigns and publications■Virtual and experiential tours■ Full media advertising campaigns

About Stamats

Stamats is recognized and respected as the nation’s higher education integrated marketing thought leader. Our comprehensive array of innovative services has set the standard for pairing insightful, research-based strategic counsel with compelling creative solutions. We promise our clients the highest level of professional service and attention to detail in the industry because, in the end, we know our success is measured entirely by theirs.

http://api.ning.com/files/wAuKUBWpJbv5aZaDPzDutfJD5txlzYSkLSKfXhu8h73d5a5xtKdbDnoV*gle52d3LX3CPpfwsxIPJn8bFzchm1u5Vl8AlSq0/135069926.jpeg


“The performance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services from producer to consumer or user” (1960)

“The process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of goods, ideas, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals” (1985)

“An organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders” (2004)

Evolving Definition of Marketing (AMA)

We talk, you listen We make, you take - Old IBM motto


IMC is a subset of integrated marketing

Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC)

IMC is an institution-wide effort to communicate your core values in ways that target audiences notice, understand, and respond to

IMC includes brand marketing, direct marketing, and internal communication


Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC)



Direct Marketing (DM)

Designed to generate a response Sometimes called direct response marketing

Primary direct marketers: Admissions – want to visit, apply, attend? Advancement – want to give?

Historic DM channels: Telephone Postal mail

New(er) channels: Email Social media IM Blogging (and all its permutations)


Brand Marketing

A brand is not a look Rather, a brand is a compelling promise a college, university, or school

makes to its most important audiences to meet a need or fulfill an expectation

Perry Forster: “A brand is a promise expressed as a benefit that your target audiences value”

Truly successful brands are perceived by the target audience as the best, or even only, solution to a particular need

Brands give permission


Internal Communication

Most organizations overlook the strategic importance of internal communication

Engaged employees as a channel Keeps internal audiences informed about

The day-to-day Progress toward achieving your vision

When internal audiences are engaged, they are more likely to become advocates


Integrated Marketing


Customer Experience Management

What is it that we sell, anyway?

Your experience and your brand are closely tied

The sum of all the experiences that a student has on campus (and off campus) and the opportunities they have when they leave

“80% of organizations believe they deliver a superior customer experience,

but only 8% of their customers agree” – Bain & Company


Remember the Eight Percent?

Unlike most organizations, which reflexively turn to product or service design to improve customer satisfaction, experience leaders pursue three imperatives simultaneously: They design the right experiences for the right people (customers) They deliver on these experiences by focusing the entire organization

with an emphasis on cross-functional collaboration They develop their capabilities to please customers again and again—

by such means as improving the product experience, training people in how to create and deliver new customer experiences, and establishing direct accountability for the customer experience


Who Pleases Customers?


Experience Marketing or Brand Engagement Defined

The identification and management, to a specific end, of the key touch points that define an experience that a customer has with a product or service

Have you diagramed key student and donor experiences? Admissions area? Financial aid? Registrar?


Brand Engagement through Integrated Marketing, or Just Promotion?


Core Beliefs About Brands

Strong brands demand: 1) Current and comprehensive market research; 2) Respect for your school’s heritage; and 3) A clear and shared vision

A brand strategy will more likely involve the clarification of your institution’s current core values rather than the creation of new core values

The goal of a brand strategy is to establish and hold a position of perceived and real value in the minds of your most important internal and external audiences and thereby return measurable value to the institution

The brand strategy should engage, equip, and energize the campus community

An effective brand communication strategy demands message discipline and channel creativity


Options for Reputation Building

Academic quality – high selectivity: Do you attract the best students in the country?

Academic quality – faculty research: The quality, amount, and type of faculty research is a significant indicator of brand equity

Big-time sports: Athletics are the front door. Win big or lose big, but don’t do six and six

Image-building: Institutions that work hard to build a strong local, regional, and even national image will build brand equity

Co-branding (alliance marketing): Marrying your brand with another, perhaps more prestigious brand, or a brand of particular interest to a target audience, is often used to jump-start a brand (U.S. News & World Report; NYT, Battelle, Boeing)

Endowment: $500 million in the bank might be a brand unto itself


Building a Brand That Matters

Clarify and confirm the stated and unstated institutional core values that will drive your overall brand strategy

Settle on, or commit to, a single brand positioning strategy

Convey involves both communicating the brand and living out the brand.


What Problems Do the Following Brands Solve?

Volvo Mont Blanc Gatorade Disney FedEx Target Yale

What problem does yours solve? Drive Safely


Sample Brands

MIT: Premier technological university in the world Yeshiva: Comprehensive Jewish institution of higher education in the

U.S. Appalachian State: Serve the people and communities of Appalachia Biola: The nation’s only comprehensive, urban, evangelical university

*Positions held or desired (and likely to be achieved); positions valued by both internal and external audiences


Brand Sweet Spot

Focus on the Sweet Spot


Brand Architecture

A systematic way of viewing and organizing your institutional (super) and sub-brands, attributes, and graphic identity so as to achieve greater clarity, synergy, and leverage ̶W House of brands or a branded house

A clear brand architecture is especially critical as brand contexts become more complex with multiple sub-brands and product offerings

College I

College II

Law School

Institutional Super

Brand

Medical School

Athletics

Adult Ed Program


Architecture – continued

“House of brands” “Branded house”

House of Brands Branded House


Your Brand…

Begins with your mission and vision

Is “rooted” in your brand promise

Is communicated via your brand attributes

Comes alive through brand stories, culture, and creative campaign

Recruiting messaging

Fundraising messaging

Internal communications


Verbal and visual vocabulary

Institutional Brand Promise(super-brand)

Institutional Brand Promise(super-brand)

Brand Rationale

Brand Rationale

Graphic Identity

Graphic IdentityTagline Tagline

Elevator Speech

Elevator Speech Creative

Boards

CreativeBoards

Brand Attributes

Brand AttributesSub-

Brands

Sub- Brands

Single Word

Single Word

Brand Attribute

Matrix

Brand Attribute

Matrix

ProofPoints

The Brand Platform


Brand portfolio: An assemblage of your key brand elements into a cogent, integrated whole. The creation and use of a brand portfolio ensures brand continuity and promotes brand synergy Brand promise: A pledge you make to your most important

audiences to do a certain thing and/or act in a certain way. It is who you are and what you want to be known for. Also known as a positioning statement or USP

Brand rationale: A written explanation as to the logic behind your brand promise and why you believe your constituents will value it A brand rationale is not an explanation of how the brand

promise was created

• Often includes supporting evidence, stories

Brand Platform - continued



Sub-brands: Separate, complementary brands that are developed when the larger institutional brand is too broad to differentiate the benefits or unique attributes of a particular department or school For example, sub-brands are created when a college or

university wants to clearly associate an entity—such as a law school or football program—with the larger institution

Brand attributes: A series of words or phrases—implied in your brand promise—that you want to position in the minds of your most important target audiences Over time, as a result of your brand communication plan, you

want your most important audiences to repeat these attributes back to you, and to others. Words you want to “own” • Also known as benefit segments and vivid descriptors



Brand attribute matrix: A set of institutional brand attributes that have been translated for such sub-brands as law schools or athletics

Single word you want to own Tagline: The brand promise expressed in “shorthand”



Elevator speech: A memorized statement that summarizes, in a meaningful way, the essence of your brand and your institution. This “speech” is given, usually verbally, when someone says, “tell me about your school”

Graphic identity: The visual, graphic portrayal of your institutional brand promise and attributes Not to be confused with a brand identity which often has

psychological and relational (associative) overtones Creative boards: An initial creative

idea that visually and verbally captures the flavor (essence) of the brand promise


The Four Ps

# 1: Product What is your product? How does your product compare/compete with similar products

from other colleges or universities? Is your product in demand? How do you know? Will students and donors overcome real and imagined barriers to

exchange their values (time and money) for your product?

Q What kinds of educational institutions tend to be morewilling to customize their products? Why?


A valued and differentiated product is the most important of all marketing assets


Academic Program Marketability Assessment

Fine-tune your academic offerings to increase share and tuition revenue. Identify which programs to build/expand Quality indicators:

Graduation rates by major Student satisfaction within major Job placement by major Graduate school placement by major Percentage of students employed in their major or in graduate school

within six months of graduation Demand indicators

Prospective student interest in major Enrollment by major Estimate of unused capacity by major Job and employment trends Percentage of top five competitors that offer this major



Develop a Business Approach to New Majors

Four major decision areas: Strategic Marketplace Economic and resource Promotion


# 2: Price How much do you charge for your product? Do all customers pay the same price? How does this price compare with that of competing colleges or

universities? What are the dollar and non-dollar costs of your product?

Q What are the dangers of positioning yourselfon the $ variable?

The Four Ps - continued



A big part of the cost equation is the relationship between perceived cost and perceived benefits

What is your value proposition?

Costs Benefits


# 3: Place (distribution) Where are your programs offered? Are people willing to take classes in those places and at those

times? Impact of asynchronous learning Brick and click

What alternative delivery modes are available?



# 4: Promotion To what media are your audiences most likely to respond? How do your promotional strategies compare with those used by

your competition? Remember the media mix?



But there’s really quite a bitmore lurking below the surface

Promotion

Product

Price

Place

Most people only “see” promotion

Iceberg Theory of Marketing


Why Are We So Preoccupied With Promotion?

Few senior decision makers understand the difference between integrated marketing and promotion

Decision makers, faculty in particular, almost automatically assume that the problem cannot be related to product “We are a …” “We just need to get the word out!”

The Fifth and Sixth Ps: policy and politics For the most part, product, price, and place issues are strategic and

require the input of stakeholders Promotion is usually tactical and of less interest to stakeholders


The Four Cs (represents a major paradigm shift)

Customer (or consumer) Not the product, but the customer; you can no longer simply sell

what you want to produce, you must sell what customers want to buy Within constraints of mission

Cost The dollar and non-dollar costs the customer is willing to “pay” to

meet a need or want Convenience

Not place, but issues of “easiness” and access Communication

Not merely promotion, but active listening and message customization


We Are Hard Wired to Notice the Different


How are you different from your competitors in ways that target audiences value? Differentiate along the four Ps

Terms - continued


Expecteds

high in relevance, low in differentiation

Neutrals

low in relevance, low in differentiation

Drivers

high in relevance, high in differentiation

Fool’s gold

high in differentiation, low in relevance

Source: McKinseyQuarterly.com

Seeking Points of Differentiation


Distinctive or Compelling?


Media mix: Mass and personal channels of communication and promotion Many components of the media mix such as advertising, public

relations, publications, and direct mail are often called “marketing” by the uninitiated

Terms - continued


Constituent relations:• Public• High school• Alumni

Media work:• Homeowners• Features• Wild art

Interactive media:• Web (social media, blogs, et al.)• Email

Direct marketing (response marketing):• Telephone• Postal mail• Email

Publications including variable digital printing/print on demand

Sponsorships, publicity, event marketing

Internal communication Collaborations, alliance marketing(co-branding)

Word-of-mouth (buzz marketing) Facilities and environmentals:• Buildings and grounds• Signage and perimeter marking

Traditional media (advertising): • Magazine and newspaper• TV/cable• Radio• Outdoor/out of home

Engaged employees as media • Training

• Donor• Community• Business

Media Mix (enriched)


It’s Only Communication if They Respond!


Image: A set of attitudes or beliefs that a person or audience holds about a college or university An image is how you are perceived, not necessarily how you are Because perceptions guide behavior, it is very important that you

know how you are perceived by the audiences you value most Institutions have multiple images Images change over time Moments of truth Bricks and mortar

Terms - continued


– Accuracy: Honest and provable – 95% who you are and 5% who you want to be

– Clarity: Is your message understandable/memorable?– Consistency: Is everyone singing off the same song sheet?– Continuity: Over time

Transmitting a Strong Image

Image Formula = (Accuracy + Clarity + Consistency) x Continuity

Terms - continued


When people hear your name, what do they think about?

What are your vivid descriptors?

Positioning: The act of placing an institution in the mind of a prospective student or donor Position statement – where you are now (based on research) Positioning statement – where you want to be

Competitive positioning: Developing and communicating powerful and meaningful differences between your offerings and those of your competition

Q

Terms - continued


Academic reputation

Quality of faculty

Value for the money

Study abroad programs

Campus amenitiesLocation

Breadth and quality of internships

Job and grad school placement success

Friendly, engaging atmosphere

34

80

36

2423

4465

69

51

Brand Association WebInternal External

Note: Scores on each attribute are shown from the most recent execution . Scores indicate the extent to which the brand is associated with the indicated attribute. Scores range from 1 (lowest) to 100 (highest).


Integrated Marketing

Firm commitment to the Four Cs (or Four Ps) Horizontal integration

Brand marketing Direct marketing CEM Internal communication

Vertical integration Strategic Organizational including internal communication Message

Active listening and remembering Database dependent gather and act on data

Ongoing evaluation and modification


Is Everyone on the Senior Team Rowing Together


Many marketing problems are actuallypolitical problems in disguise


Organizational Integration

D b M an a g er

P u b lic Re la t io ns P u b lica tio ns A d vertis ing W eb

M a rke ting S tu de n t Re c ru iting S tu de n t S e rv ices

A lu m ni F u n d -ra is ing

A d va n ce m e nt

V ice Pre s id en t fo r M a rke t R e la t io ns A ca de m ic V ice P re sid e nt V ice P re s id e n t fo r F in a n ce

P re sid e n t


When You Can’t Change the Organization

Adopt an ad hoc, team-based approach

The integrated marketing team (IMT)

Teams vs. committees or taskforces

O rg an iza tion


Centralized or Decentralized

Lately, a question we are routinely asked is whether marketing functions should be centralized or decentralized

In most cases, the answer is both Coordinated under one plan, with the larger institutions in mind:

– The brand function (awareness) is centralized– The direct marketing function (generating response) is decentralized in

functional units Recruiting Fundraising Special events


Message Integration Involves coordinating all messages so they share a common look, sound,

and feel across different media and audience segments

Sometimes termed integrated marketing communication (IMC)

Extension of the old “family look”


A Market-Oriented Institution …

Embraces a comprehensive definition of marketing Recognizes marketplace dynamics

You do compete, you are compared: Students Donated dollars Public and media attention

Is driven by transforming, compelling vision Nanus and Albrecht


Burt Nanus defines vision as “a realistic, credible, attractive future for your organization”

There is no more powerful engine driving an organization toward excellence and long-range success than an attractive, worthwhile, and achievable vision of the future that is widely shared

Karl Albrecht uses a metaphor, “the northbound train,” to describe how important vision is to an organization

Albrecht says that the image of a northbound train conveys an unwavering commitment to a particular direction

The idea of a moving train also conveys a strong sense of momentum, of unstoppable, implacable movement in an unambiguous direction

The Importance of Vision


Audience centric and not institutional centric Uses new definitions of quality and success

Less emphasis on edifices and finances and more emphasis on student outcomes

Embraces a culture of “Now!” A sense of entrepreneurship Risk taking is encouraged An attitude of immediacy Understand the too-high cost of perfect

decisions and plans Consensus is not a goal Focus on fixing problems and not affixing blame Individual and group accountability A commitment to followership

Market-oriented Institution - continued


Stresses data-based decision making A willingness to collect, analyze, and act on objective information

Features variability of product, price, place, and promotion based on customer needs and expectations

Establishes return on investment (ROI) criteria a priori

Database is a state of mind

Market-oriented institution - continued


Developing an Integrated Marketing Plan


Developing an Integrated Marketing Plan

1. Lay the foundation

2. Undertake a situation analysis

3. Define target audiences

4. Settle vivid descriptors

5. Refine your target geography

6. Establish marketing goals

7. Write marketing action plans

8. Assemble and debug the plan

9. Execute and evaluate


Integrated Marketing Plan Outline

Mission statement

Vision statement

Planning assumptions

Situation analysis (prioritized) SWOT OT

Prioritized target audiences

Vivid descriptors (Brand attributes)

Target geographies

Prioritized marketing goals IM

Four Ps IMC

Brand Direct Internal

Marketing action plans (MAPs) Short-term Long-term

Budgets

Timelines/GANTT charts


The Final Written Plan

While your final plan can take a variety of shapes and forms, this general outline will work in most instances– Mission 1 page– Vision ½ page– Planning assumptions 1 page– Situation analysis (prioritized) 3 pages– Prioritized target audiences ½ page– Vivid descriptors ½ page– Target geographies ½ page– Prioritized marketing/communication goals 1 page– Action plans for year one 15–20 pages– Budget 1–2 pages– Timeline 1–2 pages


The Parking Garage



More Than Dollars…Will

Many college and university administrators believe that the biggest requirement for a successful brand marketing strategy is cash

While you will spend dollars, there is another currency that is even more important than dollars: institutional will

For a brand marketing strategy to be successful, you must have the institutional will to conduct the research and respond strategically

A critical element of brand marketing, therefore, is the decision to focus outward rather than inward, the decision to first understand and then respond to customers

One final word about dollars: You will spend dollars to create and maintain a brand More than new dollars, you will spend coordinated dollars, dollars

already being spent; now coordinated—and maximized—under one overarching brand marketing strategy


The champion: The spark or true believer (the visionary) The sponsor: Runs interference for the champion The large steering committee or task force: The politically appointed

planning team; largely ineffectual as a true planning body Transition to advisory group status

The planning team: The champion and the team who actually do the heavy lifting ̶W Involved with both developing and

implementing the brand

People and Groups


The President as Sponsor

The president is the chief marketing officer. The signals he/she sends—to senior staff, middle managers, and faculty—will telegraph whether marketing is a legitimate institutional commitment

As such, the president must: Have a vision for how marketing can help the institution. Without this personal

vision there will never be personal commitment Commit his or her power and prestige to the marketing efforts Commit institutional time, talent, and treasure Make tough decisions in a timely fashion Provide authority to the chief marketing officer, department, and/or team Convey that marketing is an institution-wide commitment and responsibility Clear away organizational and policy roadblocks Insist on shared goals and resources among senior administrators/staffs Go toe-to-toe with recalcitrant administrators Demand departmental and even individual accountability Be the champion’s sponsor


Campus Involvement

Key issues: If your plan involves the public declaration of previously settled core

values, then there is less need for campus engagement If your plan involves the clarification of core values, then there will be

a greater need for campus engagement


Key Steps in Engaging the Campus

Help the campus community understand the process Clarify their role in the process Build their confidence in the process (solid defendable research) Give the campus community access to the process Clarify the role of campus members in executing the plan Aggressively communicate outcomes


Finalize the Marketing Mandate

At this point you must completely understand the president’s marketing mandate (what he or she hopes to see the plan accomplish)

If you do not have a clear understanding of the president’s mandate, it will be very difficult to keep the planning process on track

It is against this mandate that your president will examine:

Target audiences Vivid descriptors (brand attributes) Target geography Marketing goals Individual action plans Budget


To succeed, your marketing efforts must have a champion who is:

KnowledgeableTrusted/Respected

PowerfulPassionate about marketing

To succeed, your marketing efforts must have a champion who is:

KnowledgeableTrusted/Respected

PowerfulPassionate about marketing

It is almost always a mistake to have the marketing effort driven from “below”

Foundation - continued

Designate a champion


Assemble and build the marketing team While the exact composition of the marketing team will change

depending on the marketing mandate, most marketing teams include someone (or someones) from the following areas: Public relations Recruiting and admissions Academics/faculty Student services Advancement and alumni Institutional research Athletics Finance office

Don’t forget a secretary/coordinator/document handler Will also need to learn the planning software



Remember…

The job of individual team members is to investigate and represent the interests of their stakeholders and constituents

They need to conduct: Conversations and interviews Review of secondary data Document review Quantitative research Focus groups


Two TensionsKeep the Team Size Manageable

Spread Ownership

The Key: Keep the actual planning team small and: Have it periodically report to larger campus-wide advisory

team Have the smaller planning team serve as liaison to larger

campus community



Remember: While everyone may not be on the marketing team, the interests of everyone in the campus community must be presented by someone

on the marketing team.


No Perhaps Possibly Yes

Typical Response to Marketing Proposals


Questions That Must Be Answered

If you can’t get the following questions answered, proceed cautiously What is the president’s mandate?

Clear, definite, articulated, shared, and reasonable? Who is the champion? How long will the plan run?

Minimum of three years What is the budget?

Sustainable over plan’s life


Step Two: Undertake a Situation Analysis

A situation analysis (SA) is a systematic evaluation of your institution and its environment from a marketing perspective

Most SAs use one of two models: SWOT

Strengths: Internal qualities upon which you can capitalize Weaknesses: Inherent flaws, something to be overcome Opportunities: Things in your environment of which you can take

advantage Threats: Dangers in your marketplace that could cause you

problems PO

Major problems (internal and external) facing the institution Major opportunities (internal and external) facing the institution

Your president’s mandate should provide the basic direction of the SA


Situation analysis - continued

External/Environmental Analysis

Linkages and exchange relationships with important publics

Opportunities for sponsorships and collaborations

How the institution is perceived by external publics

Local, regional, national, and even international demographic, economic, and employment trends

Met and unmet needs

Institutions with which you compete for: Students Donated dollars Media attention

Others?


Situation analysis - continued

Internal/Institutional Analysis

Appropriateness of mission and vision Quality of leadership Campus climate Existing planning documents Market research Recruiting and fundraising programs How the institution is perceived by internal audiences Product, price, place, and promotion (or customer, cost, convenience,

and communication) strategies Facilities and physical plant Communication strategies Others?


Time Out for Research

Your initial situation analysis may reveal that you need to take a time-out to do some research Do you know enough about the audiences suggested by your

president’s mandate? Perceptions VALs Interests Media habits Opportunities to serve

Research must be Legitimate Timely

Date needed to establish baseline


Possible Research Studies

Recruiting and retention General prospects Noninquirers Nonapplicants Nonmatriculants Influencers (parents, guidance

counselors, club advisors) Current students Withdrawing

Fundraising Alumni Current donors Former donors

General Faculty and staff Movers and shakers Media Church leaders Legislators Business leaders Community residents Peer institutions

Environmental Demographic Economic Job trends Competitive analysis


Research Cycle

Studies done annually

Studies done every two years

Studies done every three years


Options for input: Administrative Staff Faculty Student Alumni

Important issues: Confidentiality Anonymity

Input options: Surveys Focus groups and forums Ads in student newspaper Personal interviews Bulletin boards and Internet

Goal: As much input/ownership as possible

Managing the Situation Analysis


What do you feel are your greatest strengths or assets? Which of your qualities do you think prospective students and donors

value most? Students? Donors?

What are the most significant recruiting and/or marketing opportunities and challenges facing you? Opportunities? Challenges?

If you had the responsibility, and a reasonable budget, what marketing/recruiting strategies would you immediately initiate?

If you could change one aspect of your institution, what would it be?

Possible SWOT/PO Questions


Sample PO

Liberal arts college in Kentucky Problems

Changing demography Perception of college as a commodity The demands of information technology The dual commitment to quality and accessibility

Opportunities Changing demography The liberal arts and sciences experience The XXYYZZ “experience” Our national reputation


Circle ofConcern

Circle ofInfluence

Source: Covey

Things you really can’tdo anything about

Things you can change

As You Develop YourSituation Analysis, Keep in Mind …


Pay-off Matrix

As you struggle with reviewing the range of possible strategic issues, it is easy to get lost in the minutiae

Juran’s the “vital few and the trivial many” Focus on those things that will help you

directly address your president’s mandate


Step Three: Define Target Audiences

Target audiences A target audience is the person or group whose behavior or attitude

you want to change or whom you wish to influence or inform Define target audiences by

Age Geography Household income Ethnicity VALs Others?


PossibleAudiences(remember, focus)

Students Donors Others

Current students• Undergraduate• Of color• Talented/gifted• Graduate• Continuing ed• International• Distance ed

Alumni Faculty

Prospective students Current donors Staff

Nonmatriculants Former donors Administrators

Withdrawing students Prospective donors Parents

Foundations High school influencers

Business leaders

Board members

Community members

Church and religious leaders

Government leaders/officials


Decision Point – Target Audiences

Limit yourself to a handful of target audiences in year one; add others in subsequent years

Audiences must “mesh” with president’s mandate

Before proceeding, the president must sign off on the target audiences


Keep them simple; avoid lengthy dialogue May need to translate for key customers and stakeholders:

How do different target audiences define “academic quality?” Remember, not all target audiences will be interested in all descriptors

(remember, segment the message mix) Illustrate your descriptors in ways that your audiences find meaningful

Guiding the Discussion on Vivid Descriptors


What five words/phrases/descriptors do you want to own?1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

What Five Words Do You Want to Own

http://www.stamats.com/taglines/submit.asp


Vivid descriptors must emanate from your mission and vision Because they represent core values, they are long-term and enduring

Your vivid descriptors will become the central themes for taglines,

advertising, publications, media relations, and other media

Descriptors - continued


Just as you limited the number of target audiences, you must limit the number of vivid descriptors to four or five

Keep them simple (or else they won’t be vivid)

Vivid descriptors must be consistent with the president’s mandate

The president must sign off on the vivid descriptors

Decision Point – Vivid Descriptors


Step Five: Refine Your Target Geography

Primary and secondary markets Think “small” (or in other words, focus)

Analyze support structures Feeder high schools Alumni clubs Population centers Airline hubs Athletic conferences

Analyze data Competitors Image “fall-off”

Consider geospatial mapping



Think “just big enough”

Watch out for institutional ego

Geography should represent key overlaps

The president must sign off on the target geography

Decision Point – Target Geography


Step Six: Establish Marketing Goals

Marketing goals

A goal is the thing you want to accomplish (often called “objectives”)

Integrated marketing communication (IMC) goals are designed to:

Create awareness (brand) Generate a response (direct)

Sample IMC goal: Within two years, increase the percentage of high school students within a 50-mile radius of Williamsburg who can identify one or more of our brand attributes from seven percent to 17 percent

Integrated marketing goals address the Four Ps

Sample IM goal: Increase the first-year-to-second-year retention rate from 66% to 75% over a three-year period


Goals - continued

Goals, audiences, and action plans Goal:

Within two years, increase the percentage of high school students within a 50-mile radius of Williamsburg who can identify one or more of our brand attributes from seven percent to 17 percent

Target audience: Prospective students that fit our profile

Action plans (sometimes called strategies or tactics): Determine which high schools have students that fit your profile Identify your graduates that work in those high schools Develop talking points for graduates and recruiters (compare and contrast) Place quarterly full-page ads in regional high school papers Conduct quarterly mailing to alumni parents within target geography “Match” college faculty with high school faculty Send student “stars” back to their high schools


General Marketing Goal Topics

Depending on your mandate, marketing goals are generally drawn from one or more of the following strategic areas: Finance Marketing

Brand, direct, internal Recruiting Student services

Retention Customer service

Facilities Technology Programs (academic mix issues)

Quality Array

Fundraising Human resources


Sample Goals – You Be the Judge

Of the following six goals, which are strategic goals (what) and which are tactical actions (how)? What else is missing from these goals?

1. Increase awareness and communication to residents and students in the district

2. Plan and execute a minimum of four events to increase awareness of the programs and services the college offers

3. Develop a prospective student database

4. Work with Institutional Research to utilize research tools to measure marketing effectiveness

5. Develop and implement a comprehensive marketing plan for the high school component of the Online to College program

6. Improve and expand the district web presence


One Year, Two Years, Three Years or More

Year One Year Two Year Three

Marketing Goals 1. Brand2. Recruiting UG

1. Brand2. Recruiting UG3. Annual fund

1. Brand2. Recruiting UG3. Annual fund4. Recruiting grad

Target Audiences 1. Prospective UG students

2. High school influencers3. Prospective donors4. Parents5. Business leaders

1. Prospective UG students

2. High school influencers3. Prospective donors4. Parents5. Business leaders6. Former donors7. Regional media

1. Prospective UG students

2. High school influencers3. Prospective donors4. Parents5. Business leaders6. Former donors7. Regional media8. Community residents


You are much more likely to be judged for the things you failed to do than for the things you accomplished.

Under-promise and over-deliver

If at all possible, delay politically sensitive goals until the second year of the plan. This will allow you to build on the

credibility you established during the plan’s first year of operation

Goals – continued


Decision Point – Marketing Goals Are your goals:

– Important?– Believable?– Achievable?– Consistent with your president’s mandate?

The president must sign off on the marketing goals


Step Seven: Write Marketing Action Plans

Marketing action plan (MAP) A marketing action plan outlines the activities that are designed to

accomplish or help accomplish a goal Who does what, when?

How they fit together The goal is the thing you want done The target audience is the people at whom the goal is directed The marketing action plan is how you accomplish

the goal


1. Goal to be supported: ______________________________________

2. Description of action plan: __________________________________ _______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

3. Target audiences

1. Audience A: ______________________________

2. Audience B: ______________________________

3. Audience C: ______________________________

4. Begin date: ____________ End date: ____________

5. Budget: _____________ Request for new dollars Reallocated from my budget Reallocated from other budget

6. Assigned to: _____________________

7. How/when evaluate: ________________________

Action Plan Template


Dissecting a Marketing Action PlanDescription of Marketing Action Plan

Create a media database of all print and broadcast media writers/reporters within a 100-mile radius of the institution

Which goal does this MAP support?

Within two years, increase the percentage of high school students within a 50-mile radius of Williamsburg who can identify one or more of our vivid descriptors

Target audiences Regional editors and writers

MAP (step-by-step) • Buy directories (1/15)• Select database software (1/30)• Input data (3/15)

Begin date 1/15

End date 3/15

Budget $1,600

MAP assigned to Bob S.


Sample GANTT Chart

Source: Marketing Calendar


Action Plan Exercise

As a group, let’s complete action plans for the following goals:

Goal: Increase the annual fund contribution rate from 23% to 40% over a five-year period Action: Action: Action:

Goal: Increase the number of adult students from 180 to 240 over a three-year period Action: Action: Action:


Step Eight: Assemble and Debug the Plan

Does the plan focus on the president’s mandate? Are you spending priority time and money on priority goals? Does the plan shake hands with existing plans?

- Strategic - Advancement - Recruiting - Marketing

Is there a clear delineation of who is doing what? Does it have a strong internal communication component? Does it meet the overall budget goal? Is there a solid, workable timeline?


Step Nine: Execute and Evaluate (and Learn)

Just do it Monitor budgets and timelines If an important goal is stalled, be willing to reallocate resources

Time Money

What can we quit doing?

How do you evaluate the plan’s effectiveness?How do you know when to update your plan?Q


Evaluate and learn Provide data for mid-course corrections Determine the effectiveness of completed strategies

• Demonstrate effectiveness • Adjust plans for next year• Gain credibility

To evaluate and learn Brand: repeat research studies to measure progress against the

baseline Direct: measure response

Marketing progresses according to the quality of its measurement tools

Execute and evaluate – continued


Budgeting

The budget will be directly affected by the scope of the mandate Remember:

Don’t begin something you can’t sustain Anticipate that your marketing efforts will heat up the marketplace It is more about coordinating existing dollars than new dollars


Factors That Impact Your Marketing Budget

Will require more marketing $ No strategic direction Large, political marketing committee Weak champion No integration No baseline data Can’t make a decision Highly competitive marketplace Expensive media market More target audiences Contested position Less valued position Complex position

Will require less marketing $ Active alumni Strong or well-known athletic

program Narrow focus and reasonable goals Timely decision making Smaller target geography Fewer target audiences Smaller target geography Open position More valued position Simple position


Apportioning Marketing Dollars

70-20-10


Change the Emphasis

In the old days (last year) 10% of the creative dollar was spent on the idea and 90% on the placement

Now, the emphasis is on the idea and if the idea is good enough, the placement is free


Who Is Responsible?

Marketing begins with strategic vision on how marketing can help Usually this is from the president

The president must Establish a clear institutional direction Enact enabling policy and remove organizational roadblocks Allocate realistic resources

Link programs to budgets Provide authority Assign responsibility

The president can demand results Commitment is spelled $


Planning Postmortem

A postmortem recognizes that planning is an ongoing process The postmortem is designed to help you evaluate the planning process

you just completed so that your next planning cycle will be more effective and efficient

Talk to the team Talk to the folks your team represents


Final QuestionBased on this presentation, and your experiences at your institution, what ducks do you need to get in a row before you can begin the planning process?

1.

2.

3.


Available from strategypublishing.com

Books by Bob Sevier


Good Promotional and Brand Spotshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2udiWBzETJg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijeg-jeTUBs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jboRPUGRMJY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9y7N4n_Avs

http://www.youtube.com/user/lyndapodcast

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jme8jQUdIb8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2udiWBzETJg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijeg-jeTUBs





http://www.youtube.com/user/lyndapodcast

