Marketing Nutrition (4 of 5): Carb Loading
Did you see that episode of the Office when Michael is loading up on fettuccine alfredo in preparation for a marathon? Because, you know, he wants to have the stored up energy to make it through the whole race? Ya... that's what Marketing Carb Loading looks like.
During the planning phase of any large initiative: employee comm rollout, branding, campaign, or sales... There is a tendency to overestimate what your team can and will actually do. In-and-of-itself, this isn't a bad thing. It's good to get all the ideas in, and see what you could do. But, when it reaches the project plan, is presented to executive leadership, and becomes an expectation - then you have a problem. You may find yourself puking and miserable halfway through the rollout.
So, where does this show up, how can you avoid it and what do you do if you start cramping?
You'll see it in two places: The original project plan that gets mapped out and about 30% into the process, when things start popping up that weren't originally planned.
Things that sound good at the beginning often get dressed up as wish items that the organization may have never done before, has no ability to support and doesn't have clear visibility and metrics for success. You're doomed. DOOMED!
The scope creep is the other issue. In the moment, decisions often lead to a "we need it" discussion that isn't real. It bloats the project, overloads the original budget and bandwidth of the team. You won't really see this until you reach the final miles of your activity. Then it becomes difficult to finish strongly.
So that do you do? If we do nothing out of fear and never stretch, we won't grow. There are some things you can do to avoid the puking scene...
Prepare, prepare, prepare... That means thinking and talking with your team, evaluating what will stretch it without breaking, and consider what the day-to-day will look like. Change imposes challenges, and any big initiative is going to have change aspects. And preparing isn't just timelines and spreadsheets. It's an honest assessment of available skills and ability to scale.
Address scope creep with bandwidth creep. It's going to happen. There is no way to truly avoid it, but go into it braced for the changes in the plan. How will you scale without disruption?
Say no. Don't load up the plan with unsustainable or off-strategy tactics. If things are proposed, focus sharply on the strategic initiative and see if it fits. Don't shove it in simply because a department wants it. Is it a need? Will it deliver results? Can the organization support it.
Don't bloat it... Seriously. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Be prudent and honest. It is so easy to want something on day 1 that becomes your albatross on day 90, particularly when promises have been made to leadership.
Push for a fast-follow. Honestly? sometimes this is your saving grace. "Yes, we think your 65 sales sheets are critical, but how about we publish them the following month?" There are easy answers to avoiding the bloat. "Yes, and..." is your friend.
Marketing Carb Loading is awful, it ends poorly, and no one will enjoy it. Worst of all, you won't make it to the end of the race! Eat healthy. Train and prepare. If you feel communications bloat, it's probably going to be a problem.