Last Updated on 8 July 2021
To obtain the best results from our marketing plans, we need to make sure our approach is well-thought and complete.
This is especially true of trending marketing tactics, (i.e., social media and discount coupon sites). We feel pressure to use these because they are popular and we’re worried about missing out. But, how do you determine what tactics best suit your needs?
An approach I have successfully used to test marketing strategy is to form a “complete marketing sentence.” Below I provide details and a ready-made template. Enjoy!
Similar to the way English grammar requires you to pair a subject and verb for a complete thought, marketing grammar requires its parts of speech for a thought to be complete.
To ensure your marketing tactics make sense, you’ll need:
- The Strategy – what existing company strategy supports the idea, making it worth pursuing?
- Your Audience – with whom do you wish to connect.
- The Tactic – the activity you’re planning.
- Timing – when you plan to do the activity.
- Why this Audience Cares – the pain in their life you are solving.
- The Benefit of the Benefit – the effect this has on the quality of life of the audience.
Once you have all the parts identified, plug them into the structure – to form the complete idea.
The Structure:
Here, let me give you a “complete” sentence.
[Build awareness of our “Lower Employee Churn” program] among [CEOs]
thru [Direct Mail postcards] implemented [the first week of October 2012].
The audience cares because [it can significantly lower training costs and increase morale]
thus [allowing them to reaffirm their leadership role].
Here’s the background for that sentence.
You offer company leaders a training program. It teaches them how to keep their employees happier and, therefore, reduces the number of employees that quit. You want to let these leaders know about this program through a direct mailing.
The Parts:
- Strategy: Build awareness of our “Lower Employee Churn” program
- Audience: CEOs
- Tactic: Direct Mail postcards
- Timing: the first week of October 2012
- Why They Care: it can significantly lower training costs and increase morale
- Benefit of the Benefit: allows them to reaffirm their leadership role.
That complete sentence again…
[Build awareness of our “Lower Employee Churn” program] among [CEOs]
thru [Direct Mail postcards] implemented [the first week of October 2012].
The audience cares because [it can significantly lower training costs and increase morale]
thus [allowing them to reaffirm their leadership role].
Next time you’re wondering if a marketing tactic has been well-thought, try “completing the sentence.”
Handy Template: Download your Complete Marketing Sentence Template. [PDF, 59kb]