Do you plan your marketing or does your marketing plan you?

It's the last working day of the year and I thought I should say a word about the upcoming marketing year. Let's talk about one element of your tradeshow plan.

When you plan your year's marketing budget, do you simply take last year's plan and add a growth factor?

What about if you erased all $ amounts from your mind (and spreadsheet)

Then go do a quick review overall corporate goals. Review specific marketing strategy. Then put in place a list of specific projects (with measurable results) to meet the strategy. And then price it. What is that number? Higher or lower than before.

Wouldn't it be cool to know specifically that your trade show plan would mean going to three shows in order to launch a product at one and generate sales leads at two others? And that you had a handle on the $ amount to meet those goals.