Tell Me How Your Garden Grows

DJ Smith / Jun 2nd / Comments

Over the Memorial Day weekend I had the privilege of tilling up some of my yard so my two sons and I could plant a garden. I wanted them to experience something I remember enjoying as a child – tending a garden. I think it will be an invaluable experience for them. I tilled up the ground, dug the necessary holes and, with their help, planted different varieties of tomatoes and bell peppers, as well as a row of carrots, purple-hulled peas, and a watermelon plant (my oldest son’s favorite). All in all it took nearly all day to plant the 10′ x 10′ space but we got the job done. Now, it’s pretty much in the hands of God to make everything grow. Being the marketer that I am, I considered how more organizations would do well to think of their marketing plans like a garden.

Prepare To Work When You Prepare To Plant

I’m not going to lie to you, tilling the ground, removing any weeds, and digging all the holes needed for the plants we had wasn’t the easiest of tasks. However, it was work that had to be done to produce healthy fruit. In developing your marketing efforts you need to work hard at your marketing plan. You can’t just throw something together and expect it to do much for you. True planning requires that you survey the landscape for the right entry spot, see what competition is in your market space, prepare the right message for your target, and test your message to make sure that it will properly seed itself in the mind of that target. At the end of the process you should feel as if you did something – work.

You’ve Got To Tend To Produce

Just because I’ve thrown some plants into the ground doesn’t meant that the work is over. I still have to tend the garden to make sure unwanted weeds don’t take root and choke out what I’ve planted. I have to mulch and fertilize the plants I have to ensure they grow properly. The same is true for your marketing plan. You must revisit your plan and continue to modify as needed. Changes in the economy, marketplace developments, or government regulations can all affect your strategy. You must keep your pulse on what is happening with your marketing efforts or suffer missed opportunities or worse – your plan fails from a failure to respond.

Know When It’s Pickin’ Time

I admit I get a little giddy when I see my plants punch through the ground. I love the blooms that blossom on the vegetable plants telling me that I’ve done a good job planting and tending the garden. But I don’t go picking the produce at the first sign of them coming on the plant, nor do I let the fruit sit on the plant so long that it starts rotting on the vine. There is a right time to harvest. With your marketing efforts the same is true.

Some organizations, for various reasons, feel that when they enjoy a little success with a campaign should immediately change it. I remember when Aflac’s former CMO, Jeff Herbert, thought that the firm’s favorite mascot, the duck, had run it course and he threatened to “clip its wings.” What eventually happened was that Mr. Herbert flew the coop amid a outcry of support for the duck after about a year of taking the CMO position (that’s powerful duck). At the same time, you shouldn’t leave a campaign floating out there beyond it’s intended lifespan. All campaigns have a shelf life and when one strategy has run its course it’s time to move on to another one. Would you want to hear “Where’s the Beef?” 20 years later? When forming a strategy or a campaign of any sort you must plan for your exit just as much as your entry. Otherwise, you could be looking rotten produce.

I’m looking forward to watching my garden grow. Although there is a goodly amount of work involved, the experience will be great for my family and me to share. Your marketing efforts should provide you with the same experience. It should be a time of hard work, dedication, and delight as you see the plan form and produce results. If you’ve done a good job in preparing and planning then you’ll see positive results that will make your organization’s profit healthier. Until next time – keep your pulse strong.