Marketing Frameworks: POEM, Customer Journey, & Planning

Essential Marketing Frameworks and Strategy Models

1. The POEM Framework: Paid, Owned, and Earned Media

POEM helps marketers plan and evaluate how they reach audiences across various channels.

• Paid Media: Channels you pay for (e.g., ads, sponsored posts).
  • Visibility
  • Targeting
  • Scalable Reach
• Owned Media: Channels you control (e.g., website, blog, social media profiles).
  • Brand Consistency
  • Build Relationships
  • Collect Audience Data
• Earned Media: Organic exposure (e.g., public relations, shares, mentions, word-of-mouth).
  • Trust and Credibility
  • Amplify Reach

2. Understanding the Customer Journey

The Customer Journey represents the complete experience an audience member has with a brand, typically moving through these stages:

1. Awareness
2. Consideration
3. Purchase
4. Use
5. Retention
6. Loyalty
7. Advocacy

Key Benefits:

• Improves the overall customer experience.
• Builds long-term loyalty.
• Identifies service or communication gaps.
• Aligns marketing and customer service efforts.

3. Branded Content Strategy

Branded content involves brands creating valuable and engaging material specifically designed to attract and retain an audience.

Primary Goal: To build a strong emotional connection and ultimately drive business results.

Benefits of Branded Content:

• Increases brand awareness.
• Builds trust and loyalty.
• Boosts audience engagement.
• Leads to better conversion rates.
• Achieves market differentiation.

Example: Spotify Wrapped.

Developing a Robust Communication Plan Methodology

A structured roadmap for internal and external communication, designed to meet specific organizational objectives.

The 13 Phases of Communication Planning

1. Context and Situation Analysis

   Conduct a thorough internal and external analysis of the organization and its current standing.

2. Environment and Market Analysis

   Study the current market landscape, industry trends, and key competitors.

3. Internal Analysis and SWOT Preparation

   Detect and analyze internal strengths and weaknesses, and external opportunities and threats (SWOT).

4. POEM Analysis (Media Experience)

   Analyze the organization's current experience and performance across Paid, Owned, and Earned media channels.

   POEM Channel Examples:

   • Online: Paid (Ads, Influencers), Owned (Website, Blog, Social Media), Earned (SEO, Reviews, Shares).
   • Offline: Paid (Advertisements, Events, Sponsorships), Owned (Events, Brochures, Point-of-Sale materials), Earned (Press coverage, Media mentions).

5. Final SWOT Synthesis

   Collect and synthesize all data to clearly identify internal strengths/weaknesses and external opportunities/threats, informing strategic decisions.

6. Defining Clear Objectives

   Define objectives clearly and specifically, utilizing insights from the internal and external analysis. Example: Increase Instagram followers by 15% or improve brand visibility in key demographics.

7. Identifying the Target Audience

   Thoroughly understand the audience, including demographics (age, gender, income), habits, and preferred channels. Effectiveness depends heavily on adapting the tone, message, and channel selection to this audience.

8. Message Development and Positioning

   Develop a clear, concise message adapted specifically to the target audience and chosen channels. Ensure the tone and language are appropriate and consistent with brand positioning.

9. Resource Allocation and Budgeting

   Identify all available resources (economic, human resources, technology) and plan their strategic allocation and budget distribution.

10. Channel Selection Strategy

    Choose the most effective offline (TV, radio, print, public relations) and online channels (website, blog, social media, email newsletters) to reach the target audience.

11. Action Plan Development

    Define specific actions that are directly linked to achieving the stated objectives. Example: Daily social media posts, targeted advertising campaigns for product promotion.

12. Calendar and Timeline Setting

    Establish a detailed calendar and timeline for the execution of all defined actions.

13. Evaluation and Contingency Planning

    Monitor results continuously, evaluate performance against objectives, and adjust strategies as needed. Develop a contingency plan (Plan B) to implement if initial objectives are not met.