What do you want to accomplish in 2011?  Do you have a plan of action steps that will encourage that to happen?  Is your organization aligned on the 2011 goals and the plan?

Here are some of the key questions we examine with our client groups -- and from the collective, the plan begins to form.   Planning together as a group gives everyone renewed energy and a sense of purpose.

Review the past year:   What happened/did not happen and what did you learn?

Identify your goals for 2011:   What do you want to achieve?  How will you track your progress?

Re-examine your value and your message to your customers:  Has it changed?

Brainstorm strategies and tactics:  What are the ways to deliver your message to your customer?

Review your resources: What do you have now and what do you need?   

Detail first quarter actions: Who’s doing what, when.

Plan for flexibility:  Keep actions for second, third and fourth quarter more broad.

Build in evaluation milestones:  Track your results to celebrate your accomplishments and reformat for unforeseen changes.

These questions and steps tell only part of the story.  The real power behind such a plan is the buy-in from everyone in the organization.   

Alignment is powerful.  When everyone from the receptionist to the CEO is on the same page, the organization naturally resonates with the outside world, making achieving any external marketing goal that much easier.   

Happy Planning!