Viper Marketing & Communications Group

If All Else Fails Then Just SOSTAC

Author: Neil Wilkins

Neil learnt his marketing with the likes of Orange, NatWest, BP Castrol and Ordnance Survey and now helps individuals and businesses to communicate more effectively. He trains and mentors marketers on professional Chartered Institute of Marketing qualifications through to post-graduate level.

S for situation
O for objectives
S for strategy
T for tactics
A for actions and 
C for control

Many people simply don't get started on strategic planning or indeed any planning at all because they feel it's either too daunting or they don't know where to start.

SOSTAC is a simple yet effective checklist to get you going. It really isn't 'rocket science':

Situation - assess the opportunities and your organisations strengths but watch out for competitor threats and address your weaknesses

Objectives - you need them because without them in the short and long term you'll not be able to measure how you are doing or where you are going

Strategy - what will your world look like when you get there and what value are you trying to give to your customers

Tactics - what are you going to do today to set you off and what's in your plan for tomorrow

Actions - who do you need to help you and how much will it cost. Check you are monitoring your return on your investment

Control - if you don't measure and control it day in day out then nobody will, so devote time and energy to keep you focused and on track

Once you get into it you may find it's not as easy as this in reality and at which point people like us can step in and help you out, providing a clarity of what your customers are looking for from you, identifying which types of customers are going to be most profitable and the best fit for you and ultimately helping you to deliver day to day.

First things first though. You need to recognise that you need a plan. Once you do that you have made your first step on an exciting and profitable journey.

- Posted on Thursday 22 Apr 2010 at 14:55 by Neil Wilkins

Tags: marketing plan (4), planning (31), strategy (27)