The 2015 Planning Window of Opportunity is Upon You

Summer’s gone. School has started. Cooler temps are on the way. Thanksgiving is around the corner. December will be all filled up with holiday activities. That makes now the perfect time to prepare for and lock in an effective 2015 strategic marketing plan and budget.

What’s in it for you? By planning now, you’ll…

- Avoid entering the New Year with no plan, leaving you to only react to opportunities that may appear.
- Clarify the New Year’s business goals and align them with marketing strategies and tactics to help you reach those goals.
- Get the whole team on board with where you’re headed, why you’re headed that way and how everyone can contribute to getting there.
- Save marketing dollars by working with your marketing/PR agency to identify and evaluate opportunities, as well as potentially lock in lower 2014 media rates into 2015.

Investing in planning now will allow you to more fully enjoy the remainder of this year and help ensure a more profitable, more focused and less stressful 2015. After reading the next few sentences, switch screens on your computer to see your calendar. Block off several hours with others involved in your marketing decision-making process and plan for a review of your business and the competitive landscape. If you need help getting your ducks in a row, call CIM Marketing Partners to schedule a Strategic Marketing Summit®. Together, you can create your 2015 strategic marketing plan with right-fit strategies and tactics. In early 2015 and throughout the year, you’ll be glad you did, especially as you experience marketing efforts working behind the scenes of your everyday work efforts to improve profitability and ultimately build the value of your company.

The Tale of Two Marketing Committees

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Don’t Let Analysis Paralysis Take Over Your Marketing

Do we need some PR? Someone asked me why she couldn’t find us on Facebook. I feel like we’re being left behind in social media. Should we do that sponsorship? Maybe we should do something. Maybe we need a plan. It’s time to move the dial on our business plan…wait, we haven’t updated “the plan” since 2009. The New Year may be a good time to start. Let’s set a meeting to talk about our marketing. We

The Hollywood Remake, the Everyday Company Way

We see it every day: the revamp, refresh, reimagine or relaunch of movies and TV shows from 10, 20 and 30+ years ago. Oftentimes, these new versions are met with protests from a fan base unwilling to allow the update or alteration of the classic worlds and beloved characters the fans have come to know. Similarly, refreshing a corporate brand, while necessary from time to time, may bring resistance and protest from supporters, both internal