Get Started. Start with a simple list of questions appropriate to any type of ad or campaign to give you
flexibility to generate and expand on ideas. What's going on in market? Anything special happening with consumer side? Who are you talking to, and what do you need to say? Narrow it down to very specific goals and you've got answers that will spark project-specific solutions.Get Specific. What is your objective? Develop a concise statement demonstrating effect your message should have on consumers. Stay focused on what you want them to think, feel, or do.
What do you need to say? What is single most important thing you can say to achieve your objective? A simple sentence or two expressing a specific idea is all that is needed. You must avoid generalities because they result in ambiguous communications.
What support do you have? Develop a list of rational and emotional reasons for your audience to believe what you want them to believe and to do what you want them to do. This includes all major points, in order of relative importance to consumer.
Who are you talking to? The more precise better. Go beyond simple demographics and include specific psychographics, then pare it down to best prospects to reduce mass-marketing gamble.
What do you need and when do you need it? You must determine all production requirements: media, size, color, anything that applies. Then you can establish realistic deadlines for review of initial concepts, review of revised designs, final approvals, print production, mailing, media placement, everything.
Get It Together. Take time to gather information: previous ads, brochures, competitor ads perhaps books and websites for reference. If you're working on a content-heavy project, write an outline that includes all important copy points, as well as an indication of possible visuals. It is also important to include any raw data and images specifically relevant to your product.
Get Real. Feel like all this is too much work? Don't think you have enough time? Just remember that working from verbal input, without a written plan, is how non-professionals waste time and money.
Summing Up And Moving On. A good creative work plan leads to imaginative and persuasive ads. A bad one starts you off in wrong direction. You have to stop, figure out where heck you're going, and start again. Or follow through and end up back at square one. Or worse completely lost.
The Marketing Plan. When you're ready to optimize your marketing efforts for maximum effectiveness, you should start with a complete historical review of your company. Use this information to generate an industry analysis and business evaluation, which will become foundation for your marketing plan. From this information you can develop a twelve month marketing plan or one to serve needs of a single long-term campaign. A well developed marketing plan will guide you in organizing, scheduling, and budgeting your projects for maximum efficiency and effectiveness. From there, all work should be handled on a per project basis with total marketing plan always at core of your goals.
