I like to think of spring as a time to reaffirm goals, sort of like a New Year’s resolutions do-over ; ) Sometimes we get distracted by details in the beginning of the year and our larger goals fall by the wayside. If you’ve let your resolutions
for your marketing plan slip, spring, the season of renewal, is the time to re-commit to them!  Let’s take a look at how you can maintain a good marketing plan…today!

Ok, Your Business Plan: Maintain a Good Marketing Plan.

The reality is that the average practice, and that’s including architects, has no marketing plan at all. Some have hazy plans, not quite defined, typically un-written. Better run practices have them defined, written and executable. That’s the thing I also see – unworkable marketing plans that cannot be done or that have so many items that only the owner (you) can execute.

Virtually all practices that last for decades do so because they evolve.  Marketing plans must change over time to adapt to the society and current thinking. Those that do not go out of business.  If you were in a bubble in the last few years, the
current economic situation for architects, is no longer the same.

All practices must adapt themselves and how they present their offerings to the market that consumes them.

Knowing your customer and what they need and want and will buy are the keys to success in any professional endeavor. For too many, success breeds marketing arrogance (all about them) that can sink a practice - and does.  That is when they do any sort of marketing.  And no, world of mouth is not the answer.

Having and maintaining a workable marketing plan affects all practices - young and old. There are many reasons that 96% of all new businesses fail within the first ten years of existence.

Having a workable marketing plan and strategy is in the first flight.  It is one thing to have a marketing plan.  It is quite another to use it.

It is crucial to remember that a marketing plan is more like a living document. Many practices plans suffer from neglect. Many are made and carefully put into big thick binders and placed on the shelf until next year when another one is done.

The best plans are actively used and broken down into useable segments, shared with those it will affect. It is consulted as part of monthly, weekly and daily planning. Projects are started and completed in accordance with the plan. Desired results are measured objectively and used to make adjustments along the way.

Your marketing plan need not be complicated, but it should include where and how your income will be generated. It should also include a budgeted outlay for practice expenses by category.

Your plan should also include what you will be continuing, eliminating and starting newly.

Here is one question that should always be answered:  
how will you improve your practice over the next twelve months?

Your practice plan should include your practice goals, your personal development and your profitability over the next year.

Here’s the bad news: this will take some work to figure out.

That’s okay. What’s your alternative?

You have to work at it anyway. Isn’t it better to have a plan than to just hope it will “all improve?” 

I do think so.