If there were no starting blocks at a track meet, it would be very difficult to determine where the finish line is - and who won the race.
The same could be said for marketing and communication. If there isn't a baseline number, how can you tell if your social media followers increased? Or if your sandwich promotion contest made a difference? Or, if bookstore sales grew or remained static? Creating a marketing plan at the beginning of a measurable time frame is an invaluable tool to guide and document productivity.
1. Understand the current situation For me, this looked like reading through the previous documents, including the annual report, with a highlighter and sticky notes, and then asking questions. I also looked at a leadership proposal for funding, which identified building priorities and summarized survey data from stakeholders. In most cases, there would also be an existing marketing plan for your organization that you could modify and tweak from year to year. In this case, there was no template to build upon.
2. Look at the numbers
My department serves uniquely different business functions including dining, retail, events, engagement, and general building operations. After digesting the publicly available information about all of these units from previous reports, I emailed individual area directors to request more data, including breaking down total operating budgets into subcategories.
Using the aggregated number and individual category totals, I was able to create a graphical representation of statistical data, such as pie- or bar-charts. This illustrated not just the total number, but demonstrate visually the breakdown of profit per venue, gave historical detail around traffic patterns, and created a side-by-side comparison of revenue streams. Removing the data highlights from the complex, number heavy excel-type environment where it is compiled made it easier to see wins and losses side by side.
3. Ask questions
I formulated specific clarifying questions of the subject matter experts to get further context around the body of information. When the experts viewed their information in the infographic style format, their reactions were very insightful about why certain numbers were high or low, and they could share some of the context, such as environmental factors they were working with or other stakeholders in the process. This not only gave me great context, but was a way to build a rapport with directors and let them explain the challenges they face in their own words.
4. Draw conclusions
By comparing the raw numbers with the directors' commentary, it was possible to strategize together about where small steps could have a larger influence. This information allowed me to identify areas of possible growth. I was able to distill this information further into goals, objectives, and tactics. This first year of data became the baseline from where we hoped to grow. Often the tactics and plans were stated, word for word, by the directors themselves.
5. Articulate the goals
Four broad communication and marketing goals were identified. Priorities focused on raising revenue for reinvestment, generating more foot traffic, raising individual departments' participation numbers, and creating a broad awareness of programs and opportunities regionally through creating specific content.
From there, I could funnel information from each of the different business operations and define what growth would look like. I was able to set a goal such as "increase profit from coffee shops," and then support that by identifying specific locations where numbers had been soft in the past. I listed specific tactics, such as running advertisements, and then created a measurable goal.
Once I had ironed out the major needs of each of my area, and zoomed in on specific targets that could be supported and measured, I was able to put together a cohesive plan.
6. Follow the plan
Having the plan in place has been extremely valuable in making decisions. It was clear what topic my purchased advertising could support. Making a path to promotion, such as getting the bookstore website and product in front of the right people, became the basis of new campaigns. Articulating what services most need public awareness made it easier to guide our social media choices and know when to invest time in feature length copy.
7. Measure success
Now that the plan is in place, I have a concrete way to measure and demonstrate the Marketing Team's effectiveness. For example, our goal of raising revenue through online bookstore sales has been achieved, as those category numbers for fall semester alone are more than 33 percent higher than they were one year ago. Asking the director to provide the data created additional transparency. Building revenue across the board is up nearly a million dollars after the third quarter.
I am looking forward to reaching the one-year mark and celebrating our successes. There will be more information available to pinpoint what is working, and what we could do better. We will also have a tool to inform requests for more resources, such as a larger printing budget, more paid time for staff, and trust from stakeholders.
UPDATE: Year Two
Creating the marketing plan for the second year was a much more robust process because there were more data points to include and more facilitated conversations happened with building staff. The LSC participates in the ACUI Skyfactor (now Benchworks) survey, which invites students to give feedback on the LSC's performance. In addition, I implemented a staff survey to measure which marketing services were most valued. These resouces, in addition to the financial information and meetings with Directors, allowed me to hone in on more specific and nuanced goals for the second year. Additionally, I scheduled meetings with larger teams to invite more open discussion prior to publishing the full plan.
As a result of this additional information, the second annual plan was written with a more focused lens on the student experience. The Bookstore goals focus more on promoting customer service and material access, and less on retail sales. Goals around content and social media are focused more on highlighting student leadership opportunities and uplifting the adjacent Cultural Resource Centers. There is a greater understanding of how the Marketing department provides services such as signage across the building, which are not associated with specific partners but enhance the facility as a whole. I am looking forward to executing the new plan, knowing we have developed a more intentional relationship and understanding with our buildingwide community.
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