
When it comes to growing your business this year, it’s crucial to start with a plan!
In today’s fast-paced global marketplace, strategic planning isn’t just fulfilling—it’s essential. Here are our 5 simple tips to get you started:
- Start by Defining Your Positioning. It pays to be clear on what you stand for, and what you don’t. By ensuring you have a strong understanding of your market, business and customers, identifying your biggest sources of growth (and profit), and tapping into global and local trends, you can establish a compelling, differentiated offering to maximise consumer appeal. Once you’ve defined or reaffirmed your organization’s purpose and the value you provide to customers, it’s crucial to communicate this clearly within your business and to key stakeholders. This ensures alignment, gains support, and builds momentum to drive the initiative forward.
- Be Specific. By setting objectives that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time Bound) your plan will start delivering results before you know it. With so many analytics available it’s easier than ever to track the performance of your plans in market, allowing you to make tweaks and adjustments to sharpen them as you go. We also recommend taking time out from your day to day business on a regular basis to check on what’s working – and what’s not. By setting clear and actionable objectives up front & monitoring performance throughout the year, your plan will be more targeted, cost efficient and successful.
- Ensure your plan is embedded in the business. The saying ‘structure follows strategy’ is a powerful reminder that aligning your organisational structure with your strategic priorities is key to success. Start by allocating resources to support these priorities, setting clear goals, and breaking them down into actionable business targets. Reinforce progress by tying management and employee KPIs to these goals. It’s also worth reviewing your financial budget, assets, and innovation plans to ensure they align with your strategic direction. This approach not only drives immediate focus but also positions your organisation for sustainable growth and future opportunities.
- Bring your Plans to life for Clients: Firstly consider how you can use all of your existing assets & branded properties (or Owned Media) such as your store, website, database, social media, and employee advocacy to reach new people, tell a story or publicise an offer. Leverage any Earned Media including media coverage or publicity, references & recommendation, to build credibility, drive awareness of your offer and create connections. Factor in Bought Media where you’ll need to pay for advertising, brand or business exposure to drive business growth, set a budget and determine the most effective media channels to reach your new or potential customers. Investing in marketing is a must in bringing your positioning to life in market and building a strong, loyal customer base.
- Write it Down. The clincher in business planning? Writing down your plan actually helps to make it happen! Management studies since the 1970s have consistently shown that people are 50-80% more likely to reach and exceed their financial and productivity goals when they’re written down.[1] Why? Because you’ll be more committed to a plan that you’ve taken the time to get onto paper; it’s likely to be more clearly articulated or crafted; you will be better positioned to make decisions and allocate resources in line with your vision if it’s top of mind; and of course it will help to keep you focused on the bigger picture through everything that you do. In fact, we recommend putting your vision or goals somewhere where you’ll see them – on a pin board, as your screen saver, printed as a mouse pad, or framed with an inspiring image.
It’s often quoted that “a goal without a plan is just a wish” Antoine de Saint Exupery. It can be as simple as taking the time to consider where you are and where you’re going, but starting your New Year with a clear plan will deliver tangible business results in 2025 and beyond.
Want some help? At BlueFish Strategic Planning, we work with Boards, Executive Teams and Business Owners to develop and implement Strategic Plans that deliver sustainable, profitable growth. For support with your business, big or small get in touch today.
[1] Forbes Woman “Why You Should be Writing Down Your Goals” by Ellevate, 8th April 2014