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Vol. I, Issue 1

  

STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSIONS

A strategic plan differs from a business plan in that it provides an opportunity to view the entire business and ensures that key leaders are in agreement on the “big picture.” There are distinct guidelines that should be followed when preparing a strategic planning session.

1. The facilitator

  • If your business has a troubled strategic planning record or has not conducted strategic planning, you should consider hiring someone from outside.
  • Choose a strong leader with time to devote to strategy and policy. An effective facilitator is: patient, a good listener, goal- and process-oriented, organized, flexible/adaptable, observant and a consensus-builder.

2. Length and format

  • Although one day is sufficient for an effective strategic planning meeting, you should consider a day-and-a-half retreat. Include a dinner on the night prior to the retreat, allowing the facilitator to mingle with participants in an informal setting.
  • Format should include icebreakers, presentation and discussion of the main agenda items, and scheduled breaks.
  • Agenda items should include: current situation and analysis, mission and vision, strategic objectives, responsibilities and timelines, tracking/measuring and recommendations for using the plan as a management tool.

3. The inevitable potholes

  • Watch for:  hidden agendas, short-circuiting (jumping to conclusions), lack of prioritization, low energy or irrational exuberance.
  • Develop techniques to stay on agenda. A facilitator can set aside a “parking lot” to record and set aside ideas that are off-topic, so they can be discussed at a later time.

4. Objectives and deliverables

  • Imagine that your business will live in perpetuity.  What do you need to address in the next three-to-five years to set it on the path to success?
  • Ask what can realistically be achieved with the staff and financial resources available.
  • Limit objectives to 10 or fewer.
  • Produce solid deliverables, including a timeline, distinct responsibilities and deadlines for obtaining measurable results.

5. A strategic planning report 

  • Strategic plans are typically rewritten every three-to-five years, but plans should be reviewed annually to assist the organization's elected leadership and staff management in establishing common goals and expectations, and to provide a benchmark for measuring accomplishments.
  • Review the plan as shifts in management or leadership occur, and solicit input from all executives involved.

 

NEW INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS VEHICLES

The Internet is experiencing another unprecedented growth spurt that hasn’t been seen since the late 1990s.  Today, however, advertisers are creating innovative ad revenue models as opposed to forcing traditional models upon Internet sites.

What are these new options and can marketers utilize any of them?  Here’s a brief overview:

MySpace:  News Corp’s MySpace.com is the top social networking site and in July 2006 was the 6th most popular site on the Web*, with more then 98 million profiles. But not all of these profiles are real.  Hollywood studios have carved out promotional deals to create MySpace accounts for fictional characters.  The latest to benefit from this form of promotion?  “Ricky Bobby” from Talladega Nights whose MySpace page boasts 47,000 friends. 

YouTube:  Google’s YouTube.com is a site where brief video clips can be uploaded and live on in perpetuity. Take the Mentos + Diet Coke = YouTube phenomenon.  If you mix Mentos candies and Diet Coke a chemical reaction occurs and an explosive gusher results. Via YouTube that also means a gusher of free publicity as the “science experiment” is one of the most downloaded YouTube clips.  Marketers haven’t quite determined how to harness this somewhat organic publicity, but given YouTube’s enormous popularity (40th most popular site in July 2006*), advertisers are scrambling to recreate the Mentos phenomenon.

Blogging: Many businesses are utilizing Blogs as a way of disseminating information to stakeholders, particularly through a CEO Blog. This is a situation when a CEO keeps a public Blog and posts his or her thoughts on a variety of subjects. John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, keeps one as does Michael Hyatt, President of Thomas Nelson publishers.  But keep in mind that candor and frequency make a Blog successful, so unless your CEO is conversational, a more traditional communications technique may be more effective.

Internet communications vehicles are constantly emerging, ebbing and receding.  The key is to be aware of opportunities and to utilize the appropriate venues for your company’s objectives. 


*Comscore/MediaMetrix

Best regards,

Peter Rush, Chairman & CEO

Visit Our Web site: www.kellencommunications.com 

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