Several years ago, I met a fellow marketer at one of those deep intellectual Marketing Conferences. Over lunch, the discussion was “What marketing tool can create the most effective marketing strategy for an organisation?”

Specifically, whether to use the 4Ps of marketing mix or a more traditional marketing strategy template. The fellow marketer was all for using the 4Ps and using the 4Ps in isolation. For me, I didn’t feel the 4Ps covered it and missed vital analysis if used on its own. Instead, I believed the 4Ps of marketing should be integrated into any good marketing strategy.

I still think back to this lunchtime discussion and whether other marketers only use the 4Ps (or the extended 8Ps). Is the theory of using the 4Ps over a more traditional marketing strategy all too much, even for marketers? And if this is the case, what about my clients who have limited marketing experience and are confused by the whole jargon – I have seen many glazed eyeballs talking 4Ps, 8Ps and sometimes even the term Marketing Strategy.

In this blog post, I will highlight how the 4Ps of Marketing Mix, and even the extended 8Ps, are integrated into a traditional marketing strategy. Additionally, I will show this by introducing a simplified 5-question marketing strategy model that encompasses these elements, where all bases are covered.

If you don’t care about the theory or the discussion but you want an effective marketing strategy guide to grow your business, skip reading the blog (I won’t be offended) and download the DIY 5 Question Marketing Strategy here.

Ever had a Santa fail? Where the kids see you putting the presents under the Christmas tree?  A Santa fail happened in our house last year and we thought we had done all the necessary planning and preparation.

We had thought of a couple of scenarios in our planning, but did we really put enough deep thought into the entire Santa process?  

I’m sure no-one wants a Santa fail so why didn’t we prepare more?  Why didn’t we really think about what mattered? Our Customers!…and we were blindsided by our little customers: the thinking power of two young Generation Alpha’s.

In many ways our family’s Santa fail is relatable to a small business failing.  A small business can fail for several reasons. One of the top reasons a small business fails is when a business neglects to keep on top of their marketing strategy and their marketing planning.  

As business owners we all want a thriving small business and we know we need to plan to ensure our business and marketing objectives are being met. But how many small business owners have the time to plan – maintaining that strategy focus and momentum – when it all gets a little busy?  I’ll come back to business failure in a minute.

First, our Santa fail, and before I tell you what my Gen Alpha kids did, here is an overview of our planning checklist:

• Presents bought in advance when kids still at school and not on holidays.
• Presents well-hidden and not discovered (despite much hunting).
• Presents moved to several different locations because of the ‘much hunting’.
• Allowing kids to stay up late in the lead up to Christmas Eve so they would be tired and fall asleep easily on the big night.
• Watching Polar Express for the ‘nth time to reinforce the magic of believing.
• Giving kids warm milk to help them fall asleep and stay asleep.
• Prepping milk and cookies for Santa.
• Waiting over an hour after the kids were in bed before making our first move (just in case all those late nights and warm milk didn’t do the trick).
• Not wearing any shoes, in case the shoes made too much noise when walking.
• Lights off.
• Santa 1 moving presents in stages – from hiding spot to Location A.
• Checking with Santa 2 that there was no movement in the house. Check kids were still in bed.
• Santa 1 moving presents from Location A to Location B.
• Checking with Santa 2 that there was still no movement in the house. Yep! Kids were still in bed, breathing heavily and fast asleep.
• Final stage – moving of presents from Location B to under the Christmas tree.
• Santa 1 and Santa 2 drinking milk and eating cookies.

Unfortunately, the kids were one step ahead. They secretly planted their tablets and a laptop in prime locations, hitting the video record button before (VERY willingly) going to bed.  Despite the lights being off when Santa 1 and Santa 2 made their move, there was sufficient evidence to see it wasn’t Santa but rather mum and dad.  Fail 1. 

Our voices were also very distinct.  We had failed to do a jolly “Ho, Ho, Ho” or a “Merry Christmas to all and to all a
goodnight!”  Fail 2!

The kids had done even better planning.  They had done their research and due diligence.  In previous years, the children simply believed.  Little did I realise these little Gen Alpha customers were changing.  The kids were in effect ‘purchasing’ a product/service. In this case it was a Santa service: whereby Santa delivers the presents and places them under the Christmas tree.  They were on a product lifecycle.

With Christmas just around the corner is your marketing plan ready and ramped up for the busy period?  There is plenty of marketing that you need to be thinking about in the lead up to Christmas and if you are super organised your marketing plan was probably prepped months ago. 

But, for many busy small business owners it’s difficult to always be organised and focused on all parts of your business. Often, the marketing strategy and marketing planning get overlooked.  To help you this December here are 11 easy, must do marketing ideas if you have left your Christmas marketing planning a little last minute.