Many small business owners would argue that Zig Ziglar lacks understanding of the realities of running a small business when he suggests: “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four-hour days.”
But often, it is that lack of direction, not the lack of time, that creates the pressure.
This article looks at a solution to those limitations, one of which to bring fresh resource into the business planning and execution phases.
This article will present the strategic planning cycle under the 5 I’s
1.1 Information.
1.2 Idea.
1.3 Intent.
1.4 Implement.
1.5 Investigate.
1 Information
The first step for any business is to assemble all available information. That information might include SWOT, competitive, the business’ existing business plans and many other bits of information about the market, the segments, products and consumers the business serves.
A seasoned marketing professional will gather this information using a proven approach. A fractional marketing resource is the ideal resource to assist.
While gathering that information the business will identify many new ideas or new opportunities for the business to exploit.
2 Idea’s
Many of these ideas will come from earlier business plans, from opportunities in the market, from recently completed product developments, and from research.
These ideas should now be listed in a priority sequence, that priority driven by factors such as how much profit might these new ideas will generate, how much will they cost to make them happen, the resources the business needs to deliver success, and when can they be realized?
A seasoned marketer who is familiar with this process will greatly assist the process.
3 Intent
Thus far the business only has a list of intentions, a wish list of the things it would like to do. Now the business needs to convert that wish list into a detailed plan, a plan the business can share with the rest of the team, using written plans.
Such plans can take on four formats with examples of such plans as used by a local manufacturer of ground coffee, shown in italics.
3.1 The strategic plan guides the long-term goals and direction. It sets the tone for the business.
e.g. Focus on being the preferred packaging supplier for local ground coffee manufacturers by providing high-quality, sustainable, and customizable packaging solutions that enhance the coffee brand’s appeal and extend product shelf life.
3.2 The tactical plan starts to describe the specific actions and methods that will deliver against the strategy.
e.g. Target small to medium-sized coffee producers with eco-friendly and premium packaging solutions, offer flexible production quantities and personalized designs to meet the needs of local, artisanal brands.
3.3 Next are the action plans. The action plans describe who will do what, when, and at what cost.
These might include researching and sourcing eco-friendly packaging materials, developing packaging design templates that coffee manufacturers can customize, setting competitive pricing for small production runs and implementing a customer referral program.
3.4 Finally comes the campaign plans. These are the immediate term communication plans.
These might include launching a social media and email campaign promoting the sustainable packaging to local coffee brands, highlighting the customization options and focussing on the environmental benefits, partnering with coffee influencers and trade shows to showcase the packaging as a value-added product for coffee manufacturers.
The key at this stage is to communicate consistently with every member of the team. It is only with a documented planning process that the individuals in the small business will be able to consistently deliver.
4 Implement
The implementation or execution of the plans is often the most troublesome step for many small businesses.
4.1 Firstly, the small businesses resources are limited.
- Does the business have a marketing team who will design, develop and build the website to be effective and achieve the business objectives?
- Does the business have email marketing experts who can effectively run an email marketing campaign?
- Does the business have a video team who can shoot, edit, and add sound to video for posting to the website?
Most likely the business does not.
4.2 The business’s skillset are often limited.
- If it has a legal problem, it will consult a lawyer. If it has a tax problem, it will consult chartered accountants. If it has a new IT installation it will consult IT professionals. If it has a marketing opportunity why will it usually will attempt to do it itself?
- Yes, marketing resource can be expanded cost effectively on a freelance basis.
4.3 Thirdly the owners time and priorities are driven by crises.
- If the business has a customer cheque refused by their bank it requires immediate intervention.
- If a large customer has a product failure the owner will attend to it immediately.
- If the company delivery vehicle is involved an accident the owner will need to respond urgently.
With senior management attention switching to the crisis, the implementation of the marketing campaign will be negatively affected.
All these negative events or occurrences can be addressed with fractional marketing, by appointing freelance or fractional marketing resources to manage the implementation, without the costs associated with hiring full-time marketing staff.
5 Investigate
The final step in any marketing process is the investigation of the result.
- The marketing intervention may have been very successful and all that is required is to repeat it.
- It showed promise and with minor adjustments it can be repeated.
- It may have resulted in a major failure. In that case the business must use the experience gained to revisit what the business was trying to achieve or adjust the tactics or actions and do it again.
This calls for a fractional marketer, a person who will have considerable experience in compiling plans, implementing them and having to go back to a board and ask them to invest again.
Conclusion
Evidence suggests that marketing can make a successful contribution to the small business.
That success is limited by the lack of time that is the one challenge most small business owners face. Often implementing the plans is compromised by the workload on the owners’ shoulders.
A way of eliminating that is consistent plan development and thorough communication of that with the team. That allows the small business to fully conceive and properly implement the business and marketing ideas successfully and give it the plans the chance they deserve.
Appointing a freelance marketing officer can become a critical success factor.
About Garth Sutherland
Garth Sutherland boasts a wealth of marketing expertise spanning over two decades, showcasing his prowess at a senior level with major brands across South Africa and the GCC. His impact on the marketing landscape has been enduring.
Having steered prominent brands in South Africa and successfully establishing multinational and local start-ups in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, and the GCC, Garth’s journey epitomizes a dynamic fusion of science, teaching, and experiential learning.
Trained as a scientist and educator, he honed his craft under the guidance of mentors with a traditional FMCG background.
In addition to his business acumen, Garth imparts knowledge by lecturing on Marketing, Digital Marketing, and Project Management to aspiring students within the IIE group of institutions.
As a natural integrator, Garth brings a distinctive approach to his work—aligning the essence of the brand, the strengths of its people, and the nuances of the environment to optimize brand positioning, success, and profitability.
His impressive track record speaks for itself, with a pivotal role in guiding numerous brands to achieve their full potential.
If you’re eager to discover how Garth can elevate your small business to new heights, connect with him via LinkedIn or drop a message at garth@smallbusinessmarketing.co.za
Alternatively, you can reach him directly at +27 81 265 5803.
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