Cooking Up A Marketing Plan: A Tasty Case Study

February 13, 2016

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Vicki R. McCulloughSequitur Marketing, LLC

www.sequiturmarketing.com

Elizabeth RabaeyCook-Joyce, Inc.

www.cookjoyce.com

Vicki McCullough works through checklists, plans, and processes. She believes in the value of a strong marketing function as a foundation for business success. It was a natural move for to combine her planning/process/project orientation with her experience in marketing, sales, and communications. Sequitur Marketing focuses on helping businesses define and achieve success through marketing planning and management.

Elizabeth Rabaey, is the marketing coordinator for Cook-Joyce, Inc. She has spent over 20 years working for environmental engineering and consulting companies providing project management and technical assistance on many innovative engineering projects. Elizabeth shifted from the technical side of the business to the creative side by helping CJI highlight their unique characteristics in their marketing activities.

Credit goes to Elizabeth for this session’s title. “We’re not selling cupcakes!” became her battle cry and cheer as she supported and encouraged the CJI executives and staff through the marketing planning process.

In this presentation, we will share what we learned in working together, and to give you insights and inspiration to develop your own stronger marketing program. We appreciate your thoughtful participation…please share your experience, observations, and comments.

Cooking Up A Marketing Plan: A Tasty Case Study

Cupcakes are fun and delicious. Who wouldn’t love to product manage cupcakes? But most of us, including Cook-Joyce, Inc., are not in the cupcake business. CJI is an environmental engineering and consulting firm. In considering how to promote the firm’s growth, the firm did not think about recipes, the potential price of sugar, or where to purchase eggs. They initiated a careful selection process and engaged Sequitur Marketing to lead and support them in developing and documenting their marketing strategy and plan. They considered their product offerings and the needs of their clients. They looked at staff skill sets and the regulatory environment. Based on their unique history, resources, and goals, they built their plan.

THE COOK-JOYCE CHALLENGE

THE COOK-JOYCE CHALLENGEStrengths:• Willingness to consider new ideas, to work hard• Established client list, geographic focus• Solid industry reputation• Stable and consistent management and longevity of employees

Challenges:• Clearly stated desire for GROWTH but had not defined what this would mean or how it would be recognized. • Develop new work habits: defining specifics and maintaining focus.• How to best use resources.• Make marketing everyone’s job.• How to incorporate effective use of social media into the marketing activities.

PROCESS

PROCESSAll process details were outlined in the SOW and were part of the services agreement between Sequitur and CJI.

Key events:• SOW and services agreement• Kick off• Marketing Inventory (review and assessment)• Project Manager work sessions• Executive Team work sessions• Status reporting• Wrap up• Quarterly reviews to fine tune plan, accountability checks

PLAN DOCUMENTATION

PLAN DOCUMENTATIONSupporting, overview information:• Firm history – with detailed timeline, industry trends, long-term clients, variety of projects• Mission, vision, values • Marketing history • SWOT analysis • The future

Essential plan components: • Goals – Objectives – Measures – heart of the process.

• Goals – broad, less specific, longer term – target• Objectives – more specific, immediate – what we do to hit the target• Measures – the target - How will you measure progress? How will you identify success? Can include

measures, metrics, anecdotal • Activities –list of what to do (tasks to complete) in order to meet Objectives and therefore Goals. • Calendar – shows activities by month, good for planning of events, ultimately CJI did not use the marketing

calendar but does list marketing events on the firm calendar

LESSONS LEARNED

LESSONS LEARNED• It can be done! Focus on what you can do….baby steps are ok. • Involve staff in a way that makes sense.• Start at the very beginning, build common language and pace of work. • Carefully manage the number of goals and objectives to take on. • Do not focus on completing activities at the expense of completing Objectives and meeting Goals. That is,

completing Activities does not equal plan implementation/execution /success.• Allow time for new ways of thinking and acting (habits) to develop.• Don’t overlook what you have already accomplished. Bring current activities all to one central location; evaluate

and organize them. Don’t reinvent the wheel.• Gathering information into central, organized library is valuable activity.

CURRENT STATUS AND NEXT STEPS

CURRENT STATUS AND NEXT STEPSMeetings, work sessions, documentation complete

Last quarterly meeting (Dec. 2015) , we reviewed and evaluated the process and results to date.

CJI moving ahead:• For now, CJI will continue on its own. The Marketing Coordinator and Executive Team are meeting weekly to

discuss ongoing activities.• 2016 plan is currently being revised to reflect the lessons learned last year.• Refined 2016 marketing calendar and activities by reducing the number activities and updating our calendar.• CJI will consult Sequitur Marketing on an as needed basis.

Sequitur Marketing:• Working with CJI great experience. They work hard, they want to grow.• Available to them for moral support!• Consultant available to help develop and implement a strong 2016 plan, serve as accountability partner. The

team communicates regularly and will work together as needed.

Sponsors

Advocates

In Kind

Supporters

Thank you!

Presentation will be available at

www.slideshare.net/sosequitur

Vicki R. McCulloughSequitur Marketing, LLC

www.sequiturmarketing.com

Elizabeth RabaeyCook-Joyce, Inc.

www.cookjoyce.com