Seven Key Steps to Holistic Brand Planning

It seems like not too long ago that “holistic” became a bit of a buzzword. And while it’s certainly a word that carries a variety of connotations, we simply mean it in reference to the whole of something, and not just a part. It’s easy in marketing to start thinking about how great your new bridge will look in architecture magazines before figuring out if you can even afford a civil engineer. Or in other words, it’s easy to come up with a single point on a marketing plan but have no points leading up to or after it.

Which is why we make it an emphasis at Marketicity to work with clients from the start of a project to its finish. Many ideas sound great in a vacuum, but they’re no good if they don’t produce results when played out in reality. So we’ve come up with seven key points that we go through every time we work with a brand.

Over the years, our work with HTC (One of Illinois’ largest and most trusted independent telecommunications companies) has given us ample opportunities to refine these points. HTC is a phone, internet, and TV provider for both residential and business customers. The demand for these services is always changing and growing as is the technology powering those services. From new products to updates, to the continued expansion of HTC Fiber services, we have had many chances to work through these seven steps with this client – and numerous others.

1) Goal Finding
You can come up with a great plan to promote a product, but it has to be vetted and put into action. So the start of any plan is to figure out what actually needs to be accomplished and set goals for it.

2) Research
This is obvious, but no less important. Researching competitors, companies or ideas from outside the industry, past strategies, and so on. Good research goes a long way.

3) Strategy and Development
Goals and research should give you plenty of ideas, but now those ideas have to form something. Of these steps, this one is maybe the most iterative. A strategy can change and grow and adjust even as it’s being implemented. And that’s fine.

4) Client Review
Client buy in is key. A good marketing plan should feel natural and authentic to the company.

5) Execution
This one is easy: efficiently and effectively execute the plan. (Although this one works in tandem with the next step.)

6) Evaluating Results
Gathering meaningful data is key and we always track whatever we can in real time. It may reinforce your hunches, require you to tweak a strategy or execution, and so on, but tracking data is necessary to carrying out the best plan possible.

7) Post-Mortem
Gather your data points. Feedback, analytics, sales numbers, etc., and give the whole thing a birds-eye look. Maybe it will confirm what you already know, but often times this process can reveal helpful, unrealized information.

Marketicity is a marketing services firm whose team members have delivered successful campaigns and have been Moving Brands Forward for some of the best-known brands in their categories – both locally, regionally and nationally. We’re proud of our work but even more proud that our clients are proud of the work produced for their brands. Want to learn more about how we can help you “move your brand forward”? Simply give us a call at 618-281-6648 or visit our Contact Us page. We look forward to hearing from you.