I had grand plans for a blog I launched ten years ago. I posted three times and then let it slide behind everything else on my plate. I told myself I was too busy.
A great idea killed by poor execution.
I’m willing to bet you’ve got a similar story somewhere in your past.
Good intentions let down by poor execution.
The idea and launch are more fun than the monotonous execution. That’s a fact.
BUT, it’s the monotonous execution that separates successful marketing from everything else.
I learned this lesson the hard way and set myself back ten years. Oh well, shit happens.
It wasn’t until I started a weekly email last year that everything came together for me. All of my experience and learning seemed to fall into place. Things I knew, in theory, came together in practice.
These realizations have led to the construction of a marketing plan framework that I now use for myself and all of my clients. Please feel free to steal the process and use it for your own benefit.
I call this grand marketing strategy pyramid planning. Here’s a quick view of the steps of the pyramid:
- Goal
- Strategy
- Tactics
- Systems
Let’s dive into each step in a little detail so you can understand exactly why this marketing strategy makes sense.
Big Hairy Goal
Sitting up top is the goal you want to achieve.
I want to help 100,000 businesses grow through my Growth Recipe Brand & Marketing System by 2027. Sound crazy? Maybe it does to everyone else, but I’ve got a path to making it happen thanks to this plan. Your goal should be BIG & HAIRY. Your steps below will break things down into achievable steps.
Strategery
The step below your goal is strategy. What is the unique approach that will take you to your goal?
My strategy is to turn my Growth Recipe into a recognizable brand and marketing methodology. I will have four delivery vehicles for the Growth Recipe methodology (working with Special Sauce directly to implement the system, group workshops, taking my online workshop, or reading the book I’m going to release). This four-headed strategy allows me to continue working with clients (which I enjoy) while scaling up the number of businesses I can help to hit my 100,000 business goal.
Time For Tactics
Now you can lay out specific tactics that will bring your strategy to life.
I’ll be using weekly posts to my blog, Medium articles, The Recipe weekly email, and some strong new efforts on LinkedIn as my regular drivers. These will be amplified by some big effort items that include mentoring and public speaking to raise the awareness of my Growth Recipe methodology.
Systems Trump Discipline
The final piece of the pyramid is the foundation. Just like building a home, your foundation holds everything up. It’s not sexy and nobody will see it, but it’s the most important part of the building process if you want a solid house. In this case, the foundation is the systems you’ll use to ensure your tactics are consistently executed.
Goals are just dreams without systems to make them happen. Discipline will break down for all of us unless there’s a system in place to hold you accountable. My Friday email is a prime example. I am held accountable by the fact that I’ve made a promise to deliver an email every Friday. I take that promise seriously. The accountability has lead to a Friday schedule that ensures The Recipe gets sent. I’m now applying this across all of my marketing. Every tactic will be backed by a system moving forward.
To Sum It All Up
Setting big goals is pointless if you don’t have the strategy, tactics, and systems in place to make them happen. On the flip side, strategy, tactics, and systems are pointless if they aren’t moving you toward a Big Hairy Goal.
If you’re struggling to get something off the ground, try giving the pyramid planning system a go. Dip your toe in the water by only committing to one tactic backed by a single system. Small actions can add up to big things. The pyramids of ancient Egypt certainly weren’t built in a day.
Have a friend struggling to move past go? Share this with them. Let’s help them get off the ground.
This post was originally delivered to The Recipe community. The Recipe is an email I send each Friday for entrepreneurs and marketers. You can Sign Up Right Here
