Name of Organization,Product, Program or Service that You Will Market

Time Period of Plan(usually one year)

I saw a question on sharing a marketing plan.

I’ve been asked this a lot (and created quite a

few) over the years for a lot of successful

products, programs, and organizations. I thought

I’d share how I’ve always done it and give you

both the framework and some pointers on how to

do the same for whatever you’re trying to market.

In the interest of time, I’ve shared my own plan.

However, I’ve used the same framework/method

for associations, technology companies, an

individual product, an individual program, and

even to market an individual person. The

framework stays the same—just change the

specifics based on what it is that you are trying

to market.

The one piece that I didn’t cover was on pricing,

which—I think—is a whole slideset unto itself.

Good luck!

Market Opportunity

What is the size of the market opportunity:

-in terms of revenue amount

-in terms of unmet needs

-in terms of # people/buyers/donors/members/attendees

Are there geographic boundaries? Time zone considerations?

Are there seasonal effects (periods of time during a calendar year when people do/don’t

buy or engage?)

Who are the competitors? How much of the market is available to win?

First: Take the time to

really outline/define and

refine the market

opportunity. Get clear—

and get everyone else

clear—on where you will

be successful and where

you won’t. You are

looking for least risk for

biggest return situation

Market Opportunities bySegment & Vertical

Segment 1: e.g.

Corporations

Segment 2: e.g.

Non-Profit

Segment 3: e.g.

Government

Vertical 1: e.g. Health X X X

Vertical 2: e.g.

Education

X X X

Vertical 3 X

Vertical 4 X

Vertical 5 X X X

Vertical 6 X X X

Vertical 7 X X

Next: Slice up

your market so

that you can

easily identify

where you fit.

Identify sub-

verticals, if

needed

Messaging of Your Program/Product/Service

1. etouches is an innovative brand of SaaS-based event software

2. etouches is the first event software built by event planners instead of technologists

3. etouches has been global in software functionality and support since the inception of

the company: in software and service support

4. Designed to scale and to handle complexity

5. Designed to work the way that meeting planners think and plan events

Write down the sentence(s)

that describe your value

proposition and unique

identifiers to the marketplace.

For example, mine are:

etouches Product Line

1. Establish etouches as an innovative brand of SaaS-based event software

2. Develop and tell a compelling and differentiated story for etouches: # modules,

specificity of the modules

3. Establish consistent communication channels with target audiences through direct

and indirect marketing and PR (including social media)

4. Cultivate relationships with potential reseller partners

5. Develop an education-based thought leadership program

6. Grow the customer base from X to Y organizations within the vertical

Next Step: Clearly

outline the actions you

need to take for your

product, program or

service. Here’s mine:

Brand Elements & RationaleElements Rationale

• Touch

• Pink for energy, innovation and

warmth

• Love and comfort

• Delightful and light-hearted

• Utilitarian: benefits the entire

organization

• To date, target audience has been

terrorized and abused by

technology options

• Available software is outdated and

geared towards transactions, not

end user experience

• Competitor tech companies focus

on feature/function, technobabble

and integration

•Solve the organization’s pain of

ensuring a wonderful event

experience from start to finish

through superior service-inspired

products

Next: I like to write down the brand elements that will

be included in my GTM plan and why I’m

highlighting some (and perhaps not others).

Providing written rationale allows you to identify

some of the psychological elements are critical to

your GTM and will drive your campaigns. Without

this, you often get marketing “fluff” campaigns that

are not tied to any identifiable pain/want and are,

therefore, not compelling

Key Differentiators

Corporate Product

-event management origin -highly flexible to allow for infinite

configuration to meet specific needs

of event marketers

-global -truly multi-tenant, SaaS-delivery

-400 customers with a 90% renewal

rate

-localization and globalization

-exceptional service -integrated apps allow you to keep

flow-through of people and budgeting

for cross-planning and reporting. You

can clone for next year!

-investor-backed firm -24 languages/multi-currency

Next: Take the time to

write down how your

program/product/service

is TRULY different.

The only thing that

counts is what stands out

and is worthy of a

conversation.

Don’t spend time on that

which is standard,

expected or a commodity

Pain Points Solved by etouches• Events represent the majority (typically over 75%) of an association’s revenue

for the year and is the #1 way to recognize donors (npo)

•Event experience begins with registration/purchasing

•Organizations have had, to date, little control and

outdated tools for creating an enjoyable interactive experience for users

•Organizations typically brace for event registration season to prepare for

inbound calls for help with login, registration issues, etc

•Organizations have had to let their brand suffer for the sake of technology: the

transaction, not the person, has always been the priority

•Events are understaffed and produced through a multitude of tools by staff that

are not trained, supported nor have advanced technical skillsets

Next: Write down what your

product/program/service SOLVES.

Don’t start writing benefits before

taking this step!!! Tie benefits to

pain points that you eliminate.

Keys to Success for Association/Nonprofit

1. Price

2. Transparency

3. Multi-use across departments

4. eHome to replace current websites or team sites

5. Ready and Available Now

6. Big Brand For-Profit Organizations Rely on etouches

7. Relationship-Based Business

8. Global: multi-currency, multilingual

9. Component Events: can be used for chapters, committees, sections, etc

Identify what your keys to success

will be in a given market

GTM Marketing Mix

1. Public Networks: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

2. Email marketing

3. Direct mail

4. Speaking Engagements

5. Webinars

6. Small hosted events (lunch-n-learns, cocktail hours, breakfasts)

7. Tradeshows

8. Banner ads

9. Content: Articles, White Papers, Surveys

Identify which mix of

marketing

communications

means/channels that you

will use to create demand

Marketing Activity Calendar

Next: Finally, start to map out your

various, specific activities you’ve

identified in your GTM demand creation

mix into the calendar year.

Use a Marketing Calendar like that

provided by Brandeo:

http://brandeo.com/2010-marketing-

calendar-template-free-download

Hope that helped!

Send questions/comments or requests to:

Suzanne Carawan

etouches

scarawan@etouches.com

703.431.2208

Twitter: @suzannecarawan

LinkedIn: /suzannecarawan

Facebook: /suzannecarawan