We are all familiar with the acronym MIA. Missing in action, and unfortunately that is the case with many marketing plans. Excuse my analogy, but the fact is so many companies are very reactive in communicating their message.   In most cases when a marketing plan exists it typically focuses on mass marketing alone and on a campaign by campaign basis. Personally, I think the epitome of marketing would be to change the reality of “Missing in Action” to what I call the “Marketing intelligence Association.”   I meet with various organizations and I find the following scenarios. Don’t be ashamed if you fall into one of these categories. You are not alone.

      The non-believer
      No written marketing plan and don’t feel marketing is necessary

      The Reactor
      No written marketing plan but market on a project by project basis

      The Disconnected Marketer
      Mass Media, Social Media, Event Planning and Direct Marketing Programs exist
      but are highly manual and not connected.

      The Auto-Pilot Marketer or Aggressive Marketer
      Detailed marketing plan exists that is somewhat automated and more efficient but
      not quite predictable, not completely connected and no way to track and
      measure.

      The Marketing Intelligence Association
      Detailed marketing plan that is highly automated, relevant, personalized to the
      different targets, predictable, completely connected and with tracking, measuring
      and a real ROMI

So which one are you? Would it surprise you that only 4-5 thousand companies have made it to the “Aggressive Marketer” and an even smaller amount could be considered the new “MIA”

First, let’s face it as marketers our number one challenge for years has been to provide sales with more qualified leads and most importantly drive revenue. In many cases, the sales team is still bringing in the larger percentage of leads which is a long process for most organizations that everyone wants to speed up. Well, I don’t know what you are thinking right now but I look at this as an exciting challenge and opportunity for any marketer today. With the technology available today, the right amount of research, marketing intelligence and creativity the only thing I’m starting to see that could be “missing in action” in the future is your competition.

Now, let’s talk about how to become the elite, the new “MIA.” This is what we have to become as a marketer. What has been missing for so long is the information. Not so much the information itself but the putting it to real use. Our databases are a mess if they even exist. And let’s face it an excel spreadsheet is not a database. We don’t know enough about our prospects and clients and all too often we make too many assumptions on what we think they want and need without asking. There are times we ask so we adjust our message, design and content but by the time we get it all launched their needs have changed faster. We can all agree our most important assets in an organization are its people and its information. We manage our people every day. Sadly, we poorly manage our information and do not fully realize its power. If we are not personal and relevant in our marketing messages not only do we not get noticed in the clutter out there but we will never get the results we desire.

In the end, if we are not relevant, at the right time and at the right place we are all wasting our beautiful creative minds. Therefore, we have to start at the basics and truly begin to analyze our customers and prospects. Yes, the answer to becoming the “Marketing Intelligence Association” is to use our information to build relevant, personalized messages to our audience. Now, I never said this was easy. It might sound like a huge undertaking but it is a process that you start and continue to grow. I will admit it’s going to be a lot of hard work on the front end but the pay-off has proven to be huge for the brave.