stretch your marketing resources with the p.l.o.w. method
TRANSCRIPT
Tackle Your Marketing TO-DO List
with P.L.O.W.
Biggest ChallengesGetting Everything Done by Yourself
http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2015/26859/the-most-effective-marketing-strategies-for-small-businesses#ixzz3j0LsGye2
–Audrey II, Little Shop of Horrors
“No sh*! Sherlock.”
Energy, Ideas & Passion are Not Enough
Spark: Vision & Risk
Management Discipline
Leadership: Maintain & Grow
Delegate
Evolving businesses require the development of systems, procedures, and processes if they want to grow.
Sole Decision-Maker Disciplined Manager
The Business Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained
Don’t Get Lost in TacticsIt’s Knowing Which Ones to Use
Organize Your Wishlist
Drivers ID Objectives QuantifyClarify
Drivers Motivators, Influences, Forces, Problems
Internal (Your Time & Money) External
More money
More personal time
More time on what I like -- less on what I don’t
Better working environment
Industry
Marketplace
Competition
Market Trends
Video Company X “Drivers"
“I want to move my business to the next stage. I’ve hit a plateau. I’d like to...”
Find a niche
Acquire bigger clients
Find a commissioned salesperson
Get an admin
Create videos for clients’ social media marketing
Identify the Objective
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Bigger Clients
Niche
Commissioned Salesperson
Admin
Social Media Videos
Clarify & Quantify Vague Objectives are Not Attainable
Who How Many?
Demographics, Geography? How many do you need?
B2B: Size? Industry? What’s your capacity?
Needs, concerns, problems, pain points, behaviors? Timeframe?
A worthy objective? Can you “afford” to acquire them? Profitable?
Identify Strategies
Remaining Drivers Categorize PrioritizeConsider
Marketing Isn’t Just Promotions
Products and services you offer
How you deliver them
Acquiring new customers
Communicating with existing ones
The P.L.O.W. System
Promotion Getting the Word Out
Logistics Efficiency
Opportunity Improvement
Work Mining & Maximizing
Video Company X Categorize
“I want to move my business to the next stage. I’ve hit a plateau. I’d like to...”
Find a niche
Acquire bigger clients
Find a commissioned salesperson
Get an admin
Create videos for clients’ social media marketing
Objective
OPPORTUNITY
OPPORTUNITY
LOGISTICS
LOGISTICS
–Unknown, but a great question.
“What have we missed?”
P.L.O.W. Helps Identify Gaps
MISSING!Commissioned salesperson
Get an admin
Find a niche
Do videos for clients’ social media
MISSING!
P L
O W
Build awareness
Ask for referrals
Don’t Assume Question & Evaluate Options
Objective PLOW Possible Solutions Questions (W’s)
Acquire bigger clients
P Build awareness Is lack of awareness the problem? How would we know? How would we make them aware?
L Commissioned salesperson Viable solution? Do they exist?
L Hire admin Can I afford it? What will they do? My time?
O Find a niche Why? How? New, existing, differentiation?
OCreate videos for
clients’ social media marketing
Will clients care? Which ones? Will it lead you to bigger clients? How? Will your current
customers want them? Will they pay? How much? Profitable?
W Ask clients for referrals Have you? How will you? What’s your process?
PrioritizeEasiest to Execute
Short Term vs. Long Term
Most profitable
Product-Portfolio Matrix (BCG)
Existing Customers New Customers
Existing Products 1
New Products 4
Easiest
Hardest
Videos
Awareness
$$$
$
Your Blueprint Acquire Bigger Clients
P.L.O.W.Planner
PLOW Goal (Q) Calendar/Runway
Metric or Results/ Tools
P Build awareness with X number of people
Q1/3 months
Increased website traffic/Google Analytics
L
O Create videos for clients’ social media marketing
Q2/6 months
Packages designed/described/priced
W
Identify Tasks
Strategy ActionsTacticsPrioritized Solutions
• Build awareness for existing products with new customers • Create videos for social media marketing
Divide & Conquer
“Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary
to resolve it.”
– Rene Descartes
Goal: Build Awareness Get from A --> B
Promotional Mix Website Personal
Selling Advertising Public Relations
StrategyImprove Website Visibility
Get to know decision-makers
Drive website traffic
Demonstrate expertise
TacticImprove keyword
usage
Attend target networking
eventsGoogle Ads Put blog posts
on Linkedin
Task/Action Research keywords
List local events and
sign up
Research Adwords
expert
Create editorial calendar
Media
Strategy Matrix
The P.L.O.W. Mindset
Set realistic objectives - keep your eye on the prize
Make decisions that yield efficiency & effectiveness
Be accountable
Develop repeatable processes - leverage cloud technology
Track results
P.L.O.W. Management Kit
20,000’ A-->B: Tactics, Target, Media
Accountability Performance
Now It’s Your Turn
1. Create a wishlist
2. Identify the objectives and quantify (plug into Planner)
3. Vet out everything else. What’s missing? Weigh the options. Prioritize.
4. Select strategies and tactics (plug into Strategy Matrix)
5. Create a list of actions for every tactic (plug into Scorecard)
6. Execute (the Scorecard will keep you accountable)
7. Measure business performance (with the Tracker)
Free & Low-Cost Tools
Contacts, Leads, Sales Pipeline, Project Management
Website data
Performance dashboards
Strategy/communication
© copyright Block Media LLC 2015Trademarks and images are all owned by their respective owners.
A Big Picture Approach to Small Business™
206-335-5929 [email protected]
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