How to Swat Pests: Planning Tactical Marketing Communications within a Strategic Framework
The development of a business plan should be based on a customer- (or “publics-”) centric strategic situation analysis, which will include SWOT-PEST analyses. A customer- or publics-centric approach to business design, strategy, policy, and indeed marketing communications, ensures that the organization remains focused on its raison d’être. SWOT-PEST refers to internal Strengths & Weaknesses; and external Opportunities & Threats in the Political/regulatory, Economic/competitive, Social/cultural/media, and Technological environments.
The business plan shall lead with (and be led by):-
- Mission/Vision
- Strategic Goals
- Strategic Objectives
Operating within that broader strategic framework, marketing communications professionals as well as all other strategic management functionaries must continuously be on the look-out for changes or trends that may affect the organization. Changes or trends may be short-, medium-, or long-term. They may have positive or negative consequences for the organization. And they can stem from customers themselves or any of the PESTs. Thus they can be viewed as possible opportunities or threats.
An effective response to opportunities or threats perceived as having significant medium- to long-term consequences may be an overhaul of the business plan, entailing a strategic change of course across the whole organization. An accumulation of smaller changes and trends in a short period of time may also necessitate a review of the business plan. In any case, business plans should be considered “living” documents as they are only as sound as the information available to the author(s) at time of writing.
