There is
a long running expression that says, "management doesn't plan to fail,
they just fail to plan". This is something I learned very early in my
career as a programmer, and it still holds true today. While it's important to
have a plan, it's more important to give yourself enough time to develop a
solid strategic plan. Everyone is different but I found July first to be the
best time to start the planning process for an upcoming year. It depends on how
detailed a plan you want to create.
The 7
Stages of Brand Building is an excellent tool to help guide you through the
planning process. In this piece, I am going to give you the condensed version
to layout the guidelines you'll need to start developing your annual strategic
plan.
The reason I start the process on July first is each of the 7 stages requires the entire management team’s participation regardless of size. By doing this, everyone feels like they had a say in the process so when it comes time to implement it, they have a vested interest. This process also helps reinforce the chain of command.
I
recommend these 7 stages be executed in the order I've laid out because one
planning stage leads to the next.
S1-
The SWOT Plan- Identified the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and
Threats for each station in your cluster and your competition. Do one that is
sales oriented and one that is programming oriented. The SWOT is what you'll
work on to develop the other six stages.
S2-
The APEC- Layout your annual promotions and events calendar.
Include the promotions and events you do annually but leave room for adding
others throughout the coming year. You'll want to plan a minimum of six months
in advance for each to give you ample time to sell them. (use my 11 Immutable
Rules of Promotion on my website under services/presentations.
S3-
The LPU- This is your listener profile update. This is a
tremendous exercise to get the entire staff involved. It helps everyone
understand who the average listener is for each format. The LPU allows you to
identify common characteristics for each station’s audience and should be
completed within two weeks after completing the SWOT and APEC.
S4-
The SPS- The annual sales and programming summit is where you
plan a day or even a weekend retreat to meet with the entire management team
out of the office at a hotel or resort. Using the results from the SWOT, APEC,
and LPU, discuss ideas on how to achieve your sales and programming objectives
for the coming year. An SPS allows sales and programming to get on the same
page by understanding each other’s challenges. It improves communication
between both departments and gives them a detailed outline to refer two during
the months ahead.
S5-
The BIC- The brand imaging checklist helps you identify what
defines your brand which allows you to create a story for each format. The goal
is to develop the image you want to project to your audience and
advertisers.
S6-
The POA- Plan of Action lays out your entire sales, marketing,
promotions, digital and programming plan for the coming year. Even though your
plan is complete, you'll want to be flexible to adjust as necessary to take
advantage of unforeseen opportunities that might present themselves throughout
2027.
S7-
The QPT is the quarterly programming tune-up at the end of
every quarter. It requires the entire management team to meet and develop a
progress report to ensure you're still on point and if necessary, reset goals
based on current market conditions.
Finally, make sure you implement realistic drop-dead dates for each stage to be
completed, taking into consideration your staff’s current workload. This is
another reason why you want to start the process on July first to prevent
overload which clouds the thought process. In most cases, budgets for the next
year won't be approved but you can use your current budget and adjust when the
new annual budget is approved. The advantage of creating a plan like this is it
helps ensure you have a more accurate budget to present for approval.
As you
can see, there is a lot that goes into planning for a new year and why it makes
sense to start the process six months in advance. If you wait to plan until the
last two or three months of the year or wait for budgets to be approved, you
will find yourself always leading from behind when the new year begins.
I can assist you with putting a comprehensive plan together
for next year, regardless of when you start the process. Contact me at Mark
Elliott Media to discuss.
1 Bruno Mars- I Just Might
THE MARK ELLIOTT MEDIA FAMILY OF FORMATS
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