agribusinessreview.comJULY 20258 opinionIN MYBy Janie Page, CMO, The Human BeanPretend you were asked to host your family's annual Thanksgiving dinner. What would you do? Some may wait until the day before to go to the store, but others would take time to search for the best recipes, ask guests about their favorite dishes, create a grocery list, plan picturesque decorations, and orchestrate the optimal day to please our friends and family. Whether you are hosting a Thanksgiving Day dinner or developing a marketing plan, it is important to have a process. There are 6 key steps: gather insights, harvest ideas, prep and measures, execution, plan B and debrief.Gather Insights Before marketing planning can begin, it is important to conduct a Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) assessment. This will help identify a framework to evaluate a company's competitive position and to develop a strategic plan. Reviewing the results from the past year's marketing initiatives is also another great way to improve upon key learnings or repeat successful programs. Leverage supplier partners for insights and trends that may be helpful to your planning.Harvest IdeasOne of the key elements of a great plan is involving others. When you take time to brainstorm and listen to others, you can uncover unexpected ideas and areas of innovation. Bringing together your entire marketing team, other departments, strategic partners, and customers can generate a large quantity of ideas that the team can then filter and cut down into the best, most practical or most innovative ones. It's powerful to have everyone in the room to review insights that you have uncovered and discuss ideas with your target audience in mind.Prep and MeasuresNow you are armed with insights and ideas, it is time to map major themes for the year with timeframes and create clear marketing goals. Goal setting is critical to aligning your SIMPLE STEPS FOR LEADING MARKETING ANNUAL PLANNINGBringing together entire marketing team, other departments, strategic partners, and customers can generate a large quantity of ideas that the team can filter and cut down into the best, most practical or most innovative ones
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