Need to work out a marketing strategy for 2021? Enter new markets? Attract a new target audience? Adjust the positioning? See the company's strengths and weaknesses? Analyze your competitors? See the marketing tools working? See if you are moving in the right direction?

One solution may be to hold a strategic marketing session

The strategic marketing session is a group work aimed at joint development of strategic decisions of the company with the participation of key managers, top managers, marketing, and sales department.

The result of a strategic marketing session can be:

1. A unified vision of the company's development and marketing direction
2. Developed solutions and action plans to increase market share, attract and retain customers, increase brand awareness, bring new brands and products to the market, etc.
3. New ideas and alternative strategies for marketing, positioning, mission, values, and target audience.

The strategy session can be attended by 5 to 25 people, it can be held for both managers and top managers, as well as for the marketing and sales department, or all together.

1. Goal-setting.

• Analysis and formation of the company's mission, product, service
• Defining the brand's place in the brand architecture of a company or organization
• The definition of the desired state of the brand (quality, life cycle, competitive advantages)
• Formulation of the measured parameters of the brand (KPI)
• Setting goals by sales geography, segments, and price range

2. Planning project.

• Analysis of available resources (financial, human, knowledge, etc.)
• The definition of CSRs (center for strategic responsibility)
• Defining project deadlines
• Identification of other conditions or limiting factors that may affect the progress/timing of the project

3. Analysis of the current state of the brand (only for existing brands).

• Brand awareness of the target audience
• Brand knowledge of the target audience
• Attitude to the brand of the target audience
• The level of brand loyalty
• Determining whether the current brand status matches the desired one

4. Market analysis

• General overview of the market (current state, market conditions, trends)
• Competitor analysis (assortment, target audience, positioning, promotion methods, pricing)
• Analysis of current and potential target audience (characteristics, preferences). Consumer behavior models. Creating a map of the core audience and its additional segments.
• Sales markets (demand, share, dynamics).

5. Formulation of the brand platform

• Mission, positioning, emotional and rational advantages
• Brand identity: values, associations, image, archetype
• Brand attributes (name, logo/trademark, character or hero, font, packaging, etc.)

6. Brand management strategy

• Development of rules for creating marketing materials and description of procedures for brand management).
• The definition of the persons responsible for the brand development (brand's guardian)
• The development of an action plan to promote the brand (integrated marketing communications)
• Develop a plan and procedures for brand monitoring and performance evaluation

7. Brand promotion — integrated marketing communications

• Customer journey map
• Advertising communication
• Comprehensive loyalty programs

8. Brand monitoring and performance evaluation

• Brand measurement monitoring (KPI)
• Comparing the current state of the brand with the desired one
• Correction of strategy or tactics

9. Develop the optimal solution for creating/updating the brand and achieving the planned indicators. Preliminary assessment of the project payback period (if necessary).

Sales system

• Analysis of the current sales department
• Analysis of the distribution/ coverage system (principles of distribution of areas of responsibility)
• Analysis of sales support (service competitive advantages, stages of interaction with the client, information support)
• Analysis of internal factors that slow down the achievement of planned indicators.
• Identify opportunities to anticipate additional costs
• Development of recommendations for building a sales support system as a tool for creating a positive experience of interaction with the company and brand