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Your Action Plan: A Step-By-Step Process
After developing your messages and generating ideas for your marketing plan, it’s time to craft an action plan that includes goals, strategies, tactics, who’s responsible, measurable outcomes (metrics), and methods for tracking progress.
Your first step is to bring together a core group of administrators and staff who should be aware of the marketing plan and who may be assigned responsibility for tasks. Begin by asking your group to review information generated from the marketing plan development process.
Collaborate as a group to:
- Prioritize the activities based on strategic goals and available resources
- Assign tasks related to the activities
- Set metrics to measure outputs and outcomes
- Determine existing tools that will allow you to measure metrics
Using a matrix similar to the one below, develop a one- to two-year working plan tied to your unit’s overall goals. Focus on top priorities first, choosing the audiences and marketing methods that align with those priorities in order to invest new resources in effective areas. Develop a plan that includes the following information.
| I. Goal | Define reasonable goals given time, activity level, and other resources |
| II. Strategy | Each strategy ties to a goal and an audience |
| Typically no more than 3-5 strategies per goal | |
| III. Target Audience(s) | Who will be impacted by the following action? |
| IV. Action or Tactic for Communications Plan | Each action ties to a strategy |
| Usually tied to an audience or targeted market | |
| Typically no more than five actions per strategy | |
| V. Assigned To | Set responsibilities for actions and tactics |
| VI. Desired Long-Term Outcomes | Measurable and achievable within the funding cycle |
| Highly valued | |
| VII. Measures or Metrics | At least one metric tied to each strategy |
| Capatilize on existing data | |
| Use naturally occurring data collection points | |
| Try to capture recurring measures | |
| Make sure data is reliable and valid | |
| Use as a baseline for change |
Implement the action plan and evaluate progress every three months.
