Write a decision brief first
State what the business wants to change and why. Examples might include supporting an existing dealer network, preparing a product launch or improving the quality of specification enquiries. These are illustrative objectives; the right choice depends on the business.
Describe the audience and the action sought. A broad ambition to increase awareness becomes more useful when the team can say whose awareness matters and what should happen next.
Sequence the foundations and activity
An illustrative sequence is to clarify the proposition and evidence first, prepare the sales and partner materials next, then coordinate campaigns and follow-up. Work may overlap, but launching before materials and ownership are ready adds avoidable friction.
The existing Strategy Blueprint and six-month roadmap on this website show how audiences, messages and channels connect. The roadmap is illustrative, not a fixed timetable promised for every engagement.
Give every activity an owner and dependency
Record the activity, intended audience, message, owner, approval requirement, budget assumption and next customer action. Include delivery dependencies such as product availability, photography, technical sign-off or an event deadline.
A campaign should lead somewhere useful: a relevant product page, sample route, meeting or sales conversation. Agree who will respond before generating enquiries.
Decide how the plan will change
Review results against the objective, separating activity measures from commercial progression. Coverage and clicks can help explain what happened, but they do not establish revenue attribution on their own.
Use the review to stop, continue or adjust activity. Keep a record of the decision and its reason so the next month’s plan reflects learning. EF Consulting’s strategy service includes discovery and a six-month plan, with the depth agreed to the brief.
Context and further reading
Prepared by EF Consulting from the service scope and planning approach described on this website.
Brand and Marketing Strategy: scope and approach →Triangle: the content strategy in context →