How to write a planning proposal clearly and logically?

Many of my friends and colleagues have told me that when they are writing proposals, they often fall into a dilemma of disorganized thinking and cannot write a few words after opening the PPT for a long time, which leads to low work efficiency and greatly undermines their confidence and motivation.

Some friends will blame it on lack of inspiration or bad state, but I think the criteria for judging whether a planner is good or not are:

It is definitely not about relying on those fleeting inspirations and uncontrollable personal conditions, but being able to stably output solutions at any time.

In order to help everyone get rid of the trouble of having no ideas when writing proposals, I communicated and discussed with several senior marketing planners, summarized the methods of writing proposals in recent years, and extracted a universal routine of the conception framework, which can be roughly divided into seven steps:

Many friends have given feedback that they hope to be able to introduce this method in more depth with specific practical cases so that it can be better digested, understood and applied.

Therefore, I borrowed a digital marketing plan for Z Insurance Brand that I wrote before, and wrote an upgraded article. Based on the original text and combined with this plan, I further explained the methodology of writing the plan in detail.

01. Step 1: Understand needs and goals and decide on the general direction

Any plan exists to "solve problems" or "produce effects", so before formally writing the plan, a very important step is to communicate with the party proposing the requirements repeatedly to find out what the requirements and goals of this plan are.

The need for marketing plans usually includes brand diagnosis and positioning? Market research? New product launch promotion? Boost sales? Increase visibility? Competitive analysis? Consumer insights? User operation? Advertising strategy and creativity? Media placement plan? etc.

Only when the needs and goals are very clear can we find the dimensions for the solution concept and ensure that the general direction is not wrong.

Z Brand Practice Step 1: Find out the project background of Z Brand, as well as the needs and goals of marketing communication

Background description of the project: A consumer health plan launched by Z Insurance Brand - encouraging consumers to exercise more and get more rewards. The program has now undergone a major upgrade, setting up a series of health challenges to win multiple health benefits, allowing exercise to bring more health value to consumers!

Marketing needs and goals: Through social communication and interactive fission, establish the differentiated image of brand Z as a "sports advocate" and innovative insurance concept. Let consumers form a healthy perception of Brand Z, have a strong sense of identity with the concept, and ultimately guide consumers to join the program.

02Step 2 : Organize and collect information and get familiar with the project

After having a general direction, in order to become familiar with the overall situation of the project, you need to organize and collect a lot of information.

For example, when making a brand positioning plan, the information usually required includes:

Introduction to the brand and products, the overall market environment and trends, competitors' brands and products, competitors' advertising, consumer attributes and behaviors, consumer perception of the brand (which may not be readily available and may need to be obtained through research), etc.

Websites that collect reports include 199IT, iResearch, Penguin Think Tank, Analysys, etc.; websites that collect marketing cases include Shuying.com, AdChina, Meihua.com, Socialbeta, etc.; of course, Baidu, Zhihu, WeChat, etc. are also very good platforms for collecting information. Of course, searching for keywords is a very sophisticated art.

Although organizing and collecting information is a rather laborious and boring task, only by organizing the information well and digesting it thoroughly can you provide sufficient ammunition support for the subsequent output of ideas.

Z Brand Practice Step 2: Ask the client to provide as much information as possible on the brand, project status, communication resources, etc., and collect a large amount of information on the crowd, competitors, fission marketing, etc.

The information provided by the customer includes: a detailed introduction to the health plan, a profile of the target population of Brand Z, and the marketing resources that Brand Z can provide (such as spokespersons, a large number of salesmen, company self-media, etc.)

Additional information collected includes: the target population’s living conditions, health concerns, exercise status, etc., similar plans, marketing activities and advertising communications of competing brands, effective fission marketing methods, and mainstream fission marketing positions.

1) The information of health plans and competing products helps us to accurately extract the core advantages of the plan;

2) Through the target population portrait and other population data, we can formulate appropriate communication strategies, interaction strategies and media combinations based on the analysis of the social attributes, interests, behaviors and lifestyles of the population;

3) Competitive product information and fission marketing information help us see the overall competitive landscape and marketing strategies, so as to build a more suitable and effective marketing model.

(Marketing method information)

(Crowd Movement Data)

03Step 3 : Research and investigate to find clues

Some information is available for immediate use, such as brand and product introductions, market environment and trends, etc.

However, most of the information requires further research and analysis to find valuable clues; or further investigation is required to draw the conclusions we need.

For example, when we get advertising information about a competitor, we have to study its advertising strategy. What are the advantages and disadvantages of advertising? For example, once you get consumer data, you need to further use quantitative and qualitative methods such as questionnaires and focus groups based on known basic consumer attributes to gain insight into the real reasons behind consumer purchasing behavior.

Research and investigation work is extremely challenging for planners. Usually only experienced planners can quickly discover valuable clues. Of course, as long as junior planners ask more questions, learn more and think more, they will also gain a lot in this process.

Z Brand Practice Step 3: Research various materials, discover the value points of Z Brand to attract users, and develop a marketing strategy to detonate the spread

After studying the Z brand health plan and population data, it was found that: Z brand consumers believe that exercise not only allows them to maintain a healthy body, but also brings a higher dimension of excitement and value to their lives, including continuous self-improvement, self-discipline, courage and confidence, stress relief, and a better understanding of themselves.

After carefully studying the brands that are good at fission and analyzing the fission marketing materials, we concluded that the essence of fission marketing is to use benefits to leverage users' social relationships and achieve fission communication among users.

The most effective platform for brands to engage in fission marketing is mini-programs, which rely on the WeChat entrance to obtain traffic dividends, build the marketing scenarios required by the brand, and have a natural advantage in WeChat sharing.

04Step 4 : Extract core topics and establish propositions

Generally speaking, the three preliminary tasks of "understanding needs, organizing information, researching and investigating" may take up half of our time, but we have not yet officially entered the stage of proposal writing.

Why does it take so much time and effort up front? It is to accurately extract the core issues of the entire plan and strike a fatal blow!

It is just like when a doctor examines a patient. He will first ask the patient to do some tests and ask about his physical symptoms. Only after a clear diagnosis can he prescribe the right medicine and give a reasonable treatment plan.

Charles Gidelin, a management consultant for General Motors in the United States, proposed a famous Gidelin's Law: If you state the problem clearly, you are halfway through solving it. This shows that in any work, identifying the core issue is a very critical part.

Z Brand Practice Step 4: Core Issue - Consumers do not have a strong sense of identity with the plan, the current number of users is not large enough to form a social effect

To complete the three-dimensional marketing of the Z brand health plan in breadth and depth, we need to focus on completing four things - "refining communication concepts and slogans, packaging creativity and content, planning effective fission mechanism gameplay, and selecting appropriate seed users and communication channels."

The planning of the communication part of the program will revolve around the above four core propositions.

05Step 5 : Propose methods and models to solve problems

Now that we have diagnosed the problem, what solutions are available to solve it?

Usually, both the first-party enterprise and the second-party agency have some mature methodologies to solve marketing problems:

For example, Ogilvy’s “360 Brand Compass”, Roland Berger’s “PROFIL Consumer Value Model”, Leo Burnett’s “Humankind Brand Model”, JWT’s “Total Branding” are all authoritative methodologies in the marketing and advertising circles.

The more methodologies you master, and the more you integrate and use them in combination, the higher the quality of problem solving will be.

This is why in martial arts novels, if a martial artist has learned a lot of kung fu, the standard for measuring whether he can truly become a martial arts master is not how many moves he has remembered, but how many he has forgotten.

Because the process of forgetting is the process of understanding and integration. Only when you understand and apply it flexibly can you truly master it. The same principle applies to work.

Through work and study over the years, I have accumulated some marketing models, thinking models and doing things models. These models are stored in my mind, and when I encounter specific problems, I will call out the corresponding models to solve the problems.

The accumulation of these models mainly relies on three means:

1) Learn some classic and useful models and put them into practice.

2) Improve other people’s models based on your own understanding.

3) Think hard during practice and summarize some models.

Z Brand Practice Step 5: Marketing Model of Z Brand Health Plan - 3W+H

Let’s sort out the problems that the plan needs to solve: What kind of content should be created to arouse recognition and discussion? What brand tone should be maintained in communication? How to achieve low cost and high dissemination effect? Where to find seed users, and what channels to use to boost voice?

We used the most practical and common "3W+H" model to develop a complete communication strategy. Based on such a large framework, we can quickly and clearly list the things that need to be done in the entire communication work.

Who said to whom: First- and second-tier cities, high-end white-collar workers, middle and senior corporate managers, have high disposable incomes.

What: Spread the slogan "Go for More Possibilities", as well as social posters, videos, soft articles, etc.

Where to say: Z brand agent, KOL in sports/life/health, WeChat Moments advertising.

How to say: Develop an interactive and fission mini program based on the rule of "walking to win rewards".

06Step 6 : Integrate resources from various departments and improve content

Completing a plan involves a lot of professional knowledge and skills. No matter how awesome and versatile a planner is, it is impossible for one person or one team to take on all the work in the plan.

At this time, you have to take on the role of project owner to coordinate the human resources of other relevant departments to jointly improve the overall plan.

For example, communication slogans, TVC scripts, event ideas, etc. need to be completed by copywriters; main KV, event demos, TVC storyboards, etc. need to be completed by designers; media strategies, media combinations, and media effect estimates need to be completed by media; online interactive activity gameplay needs to be confirmed with technology whether it can be achieved; new media communication content, communication activities, etc. need to be assisted by new media operations.

Z Brand Practice Step 6: A total of six departments assisted in the completion of the plan

In this plan for brand Z, six departments are involved. Some tasks can be completed independently by each department, while some work requires everyone to gather together in meetings and brainstorm.

The copywriter mainly produces slogans, TVC scripts and material copy; the design produces visual DEMOs such as KV, posters, TVC storyboards, mini-program interfaces, etc.; the media provides quotations for the circle of friends, recommendations and quotations from KOLs; technology helps confirm whether the link of the entire fission activity is feasible; new media operations write self-media graphic content and PR manuscripts. Account is used to control whether there is any deviation between the overall direction and customer requirements.

07Step 7 : Sort out the logic and story line and express it clearly

After all the plan contents are completed, we still have to think about how to make our views easier to accept and understand?

This requires us to sort out the logic of the overall plan and package the story line of the plan. This is also an indispensable step to make a plan sublimated. It is not enough to just figure it out by yourself. Only when your ideas are successfully understood by others can it be considered a high-quality plan.

1. Sort out the logic of the plan

Inexperienced PPTers can easily fall into a misunderstanding: talking about whatever comes to mind. As a result, the audience has no idea what you want to express and your mind is also in a mess.

The best way to avoid this kind of messy thinking is to master some logical thinking methods, such as PDCA principle, 5W2H principle, SWOT analysis theory, time anchor sequence, etc.

Making PPT is ultimately a matter of thinking ability. You must think clearly about what kind of logic to use so that others can follow your thoughts and the information can be easily received by others. I recommend everyone to read "The Pyramid Principle", which can cultivate the logic of thinking, expression and problem solving. I believe you will gain a lot after reading it.

Z Brand Practice 7.1: Clear solution structure and narrative logic

After all the content was produced, we carefully sorted out the structure of the plan to avoid logical confusion and jumping thoughts. The following is the structure and narrative logic of the Z brand plan:

Review customer needs - analyze Brand Z and competing products - gain insight into target groups - extract core concepts - develop marketing models - plan marketing rhythm - plan marketing execution - budget and effect estimates.

2. Packaging storyline is important

Making PPT is also an art of storytelling. When you use stories to package and narrate the same thing, it will definitely make people remember it better than simply explaining some concepts or professional knowledge.

Once when we were sharing at the company, our team transformed ourselves into animated characters from the movie "Zootopia" based on the abilities and characteristics of each member, and then explained our PPT in the voice of the corresponding animated characters. In the end, we turned a very professional and boring sharing session into a novel and interesting storytelling session.

When Jack Ma was a university teacher, there were basically no students skipping classes, and even many students from other majors came to audit his classes on their own initiative. Luo Yonghao was a star teacher at New Oriental back then. His classes were crazily sought after by students, and he eventually became a generation of Internet celebrity after his lecture videos were uploaded to the Internet.

Both experts have one thing in common when giving lectures, which is that they like to turn what they are saying into stories.

Z Brand Practice 7.2: Using Real and Emotional Stories

In order to add some spice to the plan to enhance the audience's sense of involvement, let the audience truly feel the inner voice of the target group, and to avoid the plan appearing to be full of brain-burning deductions and boring theories.

When presenting the consumer insights part, we also included some real words and real photos from the consumer research process into the PPT, which instantly filled the entire plan with a heartwarming sense of reality and humanity.

In short, write a few independent plans according to this idea, and these routines will be internalized by you.

A seemingly simple framework actually contains a lot of thoughts!

Author: Laopao OG

Source: Mumu Laozei

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