Didn’t it feel great when you got the keys to your first car? We feel the same way every time a client tells us that we are free to take the reins and help them develop a strategy to solve a problem or achieve an objective.
A large financial services organisation we work closely with had asked us to come up with a marketing communications strategy that could help with engaging a specific group of customers who had become disengaged and were at risk of attrition.
Finding a solution to this sort of problem is something that we thrive on and enjoy at Mind Methods, but this did not mean that it was going to be easy, obvious or absent of confusion and painstaking research and analysis.
As tempting as it is to simply trust our gut feeling and start working on a solution, we are always guided by our robust methodologies and our meticulous process. What that means is that we knew it was not yet time for the solution, but time to roll-up the sleeves, start asking questions, analysing and listening to what customers and our extensive research was telling us.
Below we break down the four fundamental stages that we take clients through in order to better define, understand and solve problems in client engagement. The result is a thorough and well thought out approach to addressing the challenge through a strong marketing communications strategy:
1. Situation Analysis
It is critical, necessary and never straightforward. This where we start, stripping the problem back to its core and gaining an understanding of the key objectives. Here we analyse the target audience and take into account any internal or external research we can get our hands on. We analyse, research and document findings to better understand the problem in its entirety and set the scene for the next stage.
2. Strategy Development
Once the required research and analysis has been conducted it is time to start preparing the strategy. Here we focus on profiling the audience and begin to develop unique and effective strategies to communicate with them individually and as segmented groups. It is critical to cover a wide range of issues including key messages & channels, strategic & tactical plans and recommended solution activities across channels.
3. Solutions Activity
This is essentially a clear and focussed communications plan that will be developed and used to execute the strategy. We believe strongly in taking an integrated approach, so we incorporate a broad range of mediums including Digital & Print Communications, Website, Online Marketing & Social, Events (Internal/External), Advertising (Print, Online, TV, Radio, Outdoor), Public Relations, Sponsorships, Sales & Channel.
4. Results Analysis
Too often an underestimated component, Mind Methods puts a strong emphasis on setting clear and measurable objectives when developing a strategy. From the onset, we know exactly how we will measure the results of the strategy and we set up the required tools and systems to ensure that the review process is clear and simple to execute following the implementation of the strategy. Then we go live, monitoring results and most importantly, tweaking our tactics in response to market feedback and key learnings along the way!