Strategic planning for marketing takes on a new shape.

We live in a society where quick fixes are heralded, listening is a lost art and strategic planning is a luxury. Marketers are caught in a squeeze of expectations and a sea of suggestions. The answer is not another Powerpoint presentation, it’s getting everyone to see the big picture to make smarter decisions. It’s sometimes called a song sheet, but we call it a marketing dashboard.

The sales team has a scorecard that increases by the day. The executives have a board that wants what it wants. And, every time a VP of Marketing turns around the competition is integrating the next “new thing.” We are all under pressure.

Let’s get some control.

The goal of R+M’s Marketing Dashboard is not to be all things to all people, but specifically to support marketing. When an executive suggests cutting the ad spend in the fourth quarter, wouldn’t you love to be able to share the impact that will have on the prospect’s experience with your brand? When a sales colleague wants to add a tradeshow to the mix, wouldn’t you love to be able to educate him or her on alternatives?

Traditionally, marketing plans have focused on tactics and budgets, not necessarily the people with whom we desire a relationship. That means the red pen will take the easiest path of cutting the advertising in this month or cancelling the mailer in the next. But, easy answers often beget hard outcomes.

Look at your marketing plan. What questions do you not want to be asked? Are you prepared to answer them in a way that will preserve your budget, fuel internal collaboration, evolve your brand and create new opportunities for sales? Or, are you at the mercy of seeing programs dismantled and staff demoralized? Are you ready to try a different approach?