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Today we’re talking about why your marketing plan has flaws and how the best marketers turn these broken plans into revenue engines in just 3 steps - without spending more.

Let's be honest – if marketing plans were people, most would be wearing cement shoes at the bottom of a river.

Not because they're bad plans, but because they're haunted by three invisible killers that turn even the most brilliant strategies into expensive paperweights.

And no, I'm not talking about small teams, budget constraints or lack of creativity. Those are just convenient excuses we use when our plans fail.

The real culprits are much sneakier, and they're probably lurking in your marketing plan right now.

1. Align sales & marketing with company priorities

Here’s my approach. Start with your company's pain points, not your marketing goals. I call this pain-point to profit mapping. 

Instead of saying "We need more social media engagement" (yawn), ask "What keeps our CEO up at night?" If it's market share loss in the southeast region, suddenly your Instagram reels strategy seems a bit off-target, doesn't it?

2. Stop recycling old budgets

Why? Because it focuses on justifying expenses rather than maximizing impact.

Let's instead try opportunity-cost budgeting. For every dollar you spend, ask: "If I had to bet my job on this investment, would I?" 

I’ve personally slashed print media budgets by 80% and reinvested in targeted ABM campaigns or even cut that one expensive trade show that “we just have to go to every year”. Scary? Yes. Result? The pipeline grows.

3. Stop tracking worthless metrics

For every metric you track, ask "So what?" three times:

Example 1:

1. "Our email open rates increased by 20%" → "So what?"

2. "It means more people are engaging with our emails" → "So what?"

3. “Engaged readers are more likely to click through to our website.” —> “So what?”

4. "Increased website visits from engaged readers lead to higher conversions into paying customers" → That's the business impact.

Example 2:

1. "More people are seeing our content" → "So what?"

2. “More people are interested in our product.” —> “So what?”

3. “These leads could turn into potential customers.” —> “So what?”

4. “If they convert, our revenue will increase.” —> That's the business impact. 

Example 3:

1. "Our social media followers grew 50%.” → "So what?"

2. “More people are following our brand on social media.” —> '“So what?”

3. “They might be seeing more of our posts and engaging with our content.” —> “So what?”

4. “Our engagement rates might increase.” —> This example stops short of a clear business impact. The growth in followers is nice, but if it doesn't connect to conversions, sales, or another business goal, it might be a vanity metric.

If you can't reach a clear business outcome by the third “So what?” — it’s a sign that the metric may not be as valuable as it seems.

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Your 3-step solution - align, budget, and measure what matters

Here's your new three-step validation process:

1. Map every initiative to a company pain point

2. Apply opportunity-cost budgeting

3. Run it through the "So What" framework

No initiative survives without clearing all three hurdles. Harsh? Maybe. Effective? Absolutely.

Your marketing plan doesn't need more budget, better creative, or fancier tools. 

It needs clarity, focus, and ruthless prioritization. 

Start treating your marketing plan like your company's life depends on it – because it probably does.

⏭️ Your next steps

• Identify your company's top three pain points

• Audit your current plan against these three gaps

• Run your metrics through the "So What" framework

• Be prepared for some uncomfortable conversations

A good marketing plan shouldn't feel comfortable. If it does, you're probably doing it wrong.

Until next time, keep swimming against the current!