Creating An Advertising Plan

As you have probably gathered from reading my other articles, I am a firm believer in planning for success. Whether it is operational excellence, de-branding a store or outlining your procedures and policies, prudent planning creates stronger execution and efficiency. While planning may come second nature to me, I am surprised at how plenty of operators leave their success to chance.

I have the chance to speak to a considerable number of audiences on advertising/marketing, and of the questions I ask is whether or not the audience has created an annual advertising/marketing plan. Invariably, the operators that have an annual plan are in the minority. It is odd that most operators are regimented in their routines, until it comes to investing dollars back in to the business in the kind of marketing.



Outline Goals: What would you like to accomplish? This may appear like an simple query, but depending on what your goals are, will choose what type of advertisement plan you will generate and follow. If your aim is to increase customer traffic to existing and new customers, then a plan that addresses promotion activities throughout your 3-mile trade area is critical. If, on the other hand, your aim is to sell more to existing customers, implementing loyalty programs and combo deals, for example, are both designed to raise your average ticket. All year long, you may find that you weave in both of these strategies.

My guess is that most operators may be intimidated to a sure extent regarding marketing and thus, avoid the method of planning their investments. While it is true that there's some buzzwords in marketing, it is nothing over having a cohesive communication plan for your trade area. With that in mind, here are some key items to include on developing an annual plan:


Determine Budget: One time your goals are determined, it is time to earmark investment dollars for your plan. The budget will help select how "meaty" your annual advertisement plan will be all year long. Most operators select their advertisement investment dollars as a percentage of their sales. That way, as sales grow, more dollars as a percentage, can be re-invested back in to the business. While this may adjust some of your designs over the work of the year as sales projections fluctuate, it is much simpler to fine-tune from an annual foundation as against month-to-month planning.

Set To A Timeline: Which leaves us to the whole notion of generating an annual advertisement plan so that it can be executed all year long in a cohesive way. Most operators miss this part of the planning. Operators will say "we have a plan", but a collection of month ads that fail to work together is not a long-term cohesive strategy. , the scattered approach lends itself to "chasing the next shiny object" & at the finish of the year, the goals are not achieved.

Vertically Integrate The Message: One time the key dates are determined, identifying the vehicles to be used - i.e., electronic, print, social, POP, etc. - is next. Irrespective of the sequence, it is imperative that each of the vehicles communicate a theme or what is often known as "vertically integrating" the message. Limited advertisement investment funds can stretch considerably longer if each of the vehicles reinforces the message. If it is "burger of the month", then all ads in the work of that month ought to promote that burger.

Communicate To Team: Your staff is the critical link to a well-executed marketing plan. Failure to communicate when the vehicle will be in reaching customers or the content of the message will blindside your staff when a customer reacts to an advertisement. There is nothing more frustrating to a customer that comes in to a store then an ill-informed staff member. All of the time to plan & investment to bring in that customer is for naught.

Post Analysis: Finally, in order to make your dollars work stronger in the future, it is essential to judge & measure the success of dollars that have already been spent. If something works - repeat it! If the investment underperformed, go to plan B & alter your annual plan. While your annual plan ought to generate a cohesive strategic foundation, it is not etched in granite - it can be modified as vehicles are analyzed. Generate a plan for success & adjust all year long.