Making your marketing work: Print 21 magazine article

It's one thing to have a plan but in order to make it a reality, you need to breathe life into it. And the best way to do that is to get your staff involved in making your marketing work. Not sure how to do it? Jenny Clarke has the answers.

Does it surprise you that one of the most common questions I'm asked is "I thought I had all the right marketing plans, so why isn't my marketing working for me?" Actually, to be fair, I really should also provide the beginning of the next few sentences: "Why don't my team ...", or "Surely my staff ...", or even "I'm sure everybody knows ..." I see a theme emerging here, don't you?

Put simply, your marketing dreams and plans will not happen without everyone being involved in making them happen.

What's the point of creating any kind of plan if you are the only one who knows about it? It just doesn't make sense to keep your plans, ideas or concepts to yourself. As my mother used to say to me as a small child, "What, did you expect the knowledge fairy to use her magic wand and zap you the information?" Same principal – unless your entire business is aware of your plans and strategies, how are they expected to achieve them? Even the most structured or well-developed marketing plan needs to be implemented. To date, I've never seen a marketing plan achieve the goals on its own accord. People must inject life into a plan to make it a reality.

Crunch time:
1. Are the staff aware of your marketing goals for the next six months, one year and two years? (Better still, don't answer on their behalf - ask a staff member beside you or in the next office. Yes, right now!)

2. More importantly, do they know what role they play and what is expected of them? (This is the second question IF they respond with 'yes, of course I know what your marketing plans are'.)

Getting staff involved
Hold those horses, don't call a staff meeting and start photocopying plans, not just yet. Firstly ask yourself, 'Why haven't I communicated something this important earlier?' Not just with the sales or front line staff, but everybody? After digging deep into the real reasons why business owners do not share or communicate their marketing plans, I've managed to categorise the 'causes' into three major themes. Not necessarily in the order of occurrence: 1. Oops, didn't think of that; 2. The plans include 'high end business stuff'. This is private and has nothing to do with staff – they shouldn't know about it; and 3. Assumed that staff would find out sooner or later.

Let's just say, for argument's sake, that your staff are not across your plans and not sure of the role they need to play. What now? Do you simply call a meeting, photocopy and distribute the 1cm thick plan for staff to read or issue a company memo? At some stage in our own working careers, we have all been involved in a meeting where we've have been TOLD the vision & values or 'our company direction'. The message goes in one ear and out the other. You nod at the right times and you tell yourself that when you have spare time, you WILL read the document. Yeah ... right!

Consider creating and communicating your positive marketing vision where your staff play the major role. Titles, departments and tasks become irrelevant; instead initiate a dream that is understood, explained and 'shared' by all. In one word – culture. Establish a marketing culture where the customer is everything, a culture where staff living and breathing the marketing vision are recognised and rewarded, a culture where staff want to make a difference and not because they have to. Culture is such a powerful word, but even stronger when it is lived.

A true marketing culture is NOT achieved simply by telling your staff. A meeting and print-out will not suddenly inspire and drive your staff to 'get on board'. This type of culture is only realised when the staff are truly integrated in your marketing plans. By integrated, I mean marketing plans are developed with the staff in mind, not just the customer! Do your plans address:

* Clear communication of your marketing goals, dreams and vision - what is the culture you want to create?
* What are the marketing tasks you expect your staff to perform to achieve the goals?
* Explain and describe these tasks - how will they be accomplished?
* The training and assistance offered to staff?
* Measurements of marketing success and the recognition for their efforts?

Is this an easy or quick fix? No, far from it but the extra effort is worth it. The choice is yours – either keep your marketing plans a secret or involve your staff to embrace a real marketing culture. Not a hard decision is it ... really?