August 2010: Start the Process Now!

A very successful client and good friend (thanks Jan!) once told me, “There are no unrealistic goals, just unrealistic timelines.” If you think about the goals you set in business and life, I’m sure you can recall a number of milestones that took longer to achieve than you initially anticipated.

That’s because understanding how long things take – especially when multiple individuals are involved in a given project or program – can be a tricky business. When it comes to communicating your brand, an understanding of timing is key to successful and profitable marketing program execution.

The most commonly heard expression from prospective customers, especially as Q4 nears, is “We want to get started in January.” That’s all well and good, but if you truly want to launch an initiative in January 2011, the time to start preparing for that initiative is right now. Why? Because a well-executed initiative – whether marketing or any other – requires planning, coordination, scheduling, and organization in order to be successful. This is especially true when the task at hand involves brand development, brand redevelopment or repositioning, and the desired goal is a January 2011 rollout.

While we’ve expedited the brand development process for small and mid-sized businesses through our Brand Leadership Solution™, the process still takes time to complete.

If your company is facing any of the following scenarios, take a look at our example “Timeline to Launch” to help you with making time now so that you don’t run out of time later.

It’s January 2011, and your company is:

• Celebrating a historic milestone (10, 25, 50, or 100 year anniversary); The brand needs to be refined, repositioned or reenergized to appeal to the rising generation of customers.
• Exhibiting at a major industry tradeshow early in the year that will set the stage for new business development activity throughout the new year.
• Anticipating Q1-2 as a peak buying season that will ensure a profitable 2011.
• Debuting a new product or service, with a rollout planned for the start of the year.
• In the process of merging with or acquiring another company, with a tentative announcement planned for early 2011.
• Expecting a potential lull in business activity at the start of the year, and wants to offset that with new business activity.
• Benefiting from a “once-in-a-lifetime” media opportunity (think Oprah, CNN, WSJ), where the brand image must be improved to fully leverage the additional exposure.
• Tired of hearing sales team complaints about how much the company’s marketing sucks.

Timeline to Launch

September 2010 – Brand Discovery

October 2010 – Brand Identity Building

November 2010 – Brand Communications Planning

December 2010 – Initial Brand Debut Preparation

January 2011 – Brand Debut

February 2011 – Post Brand Debut Follow Up

March 2011 and On – Sustained Brand Communications

Are you ready to launch your brand? Take a look at our Brand Leadership Solution™ and see how Delia Associates can help develop your brand.

About The Author

We specialize in b2b, supporting the clients who are the "The Brands Behind the Brands." These are the supply chain partners of brands, either in Tier 1 or Tier 2 positions, who drive value through the delivery of goods, services and technologies. We enjoy blogging about all things related to Branding, Marketing, Inbound, Tradeshows, etc... And we're always happy to talk about any ideas you may have that might Get You To Your NEXT!