Building a Marketing Framework
When we think of functional marketing terms we usually use the term “strategy” or “plan”, however, what we are really building is a framework around marketing functions. No matter the term we use, a framework is something that can be used interchangeably no matter the client.
What is a Marketing Framework?
Think of a marketing framework as a set of short tasks designed to identify the parts of the overall plan that will lead to trackable outcomes. My marketing framework typically follows these tasks in order:
IDENTIFY PERSONAS
Identify the audience and customer personas. Determine the attributes that make up the audience including, gender, income, geographic location, buying habits and pain points. Assign KPIs to each persona based on the outcome you are hoping to achieve, and implement a funnel to lead the personas through that customer funnel.Â
INVENTORY ASSETS
A review of all business assets that are channels where we can connect, engage and convert our personas. This includes the business website, social media, eCommerce, marketing and advertising assets.
MARKET RESEARCH
Identifying attributes is not always a necessary step when building a framework, but understanding minimal information provided through a SWOT analysis assists in the overall strategy of the framework.
BUILD THE STRATEGY
The most crucial part of the framework is the strategy and timeline we build in the process. By building a strategy that is attainable and realistic we can implement, execute, monitor and report on its success.
EXECUTE AND MONITOR
As a plan gets executed, it is vital to monitor the data to ensure the success of the framework. As the framework is designed, benchmarks, goals and conversions are identified throughout to ensure we can track data and metrics and assume ROI. Without this, there is no accountability on the success of the framework.
Tracking the Marketing and Advertising Framework’s Success
The success of your framework is dependant on the outcomes of the overall strategy. In the early process of identifying your personas, you need to be able to attach KPIs and ROIs to any tactics you apply to those groups. A KPI might be as simple as having those personas view a page, or as complicated as having them convert on multiple conversions points such as cart checkout and email subscription. No matter the outcome, the plan is essential to monitor the framework’s success.Â
