When I was in university, I decided to take my first solo road trip from my hometown, Tallahassee, to Orlando, Florida. It was a mere four-ish hours away and I had made the trip many times before. I just wasn’t in the driver’s seat. I also didn’t pay any attention to how we got there (or back). Driving down to Orlando, I had my handy printout of MapQuest directions to get me to Disney World where I was meeting a friend for a day spent at the happiest place on earth. After about 12 hours of exploring 3 parks, it was time for me to head back home. (Yes, I planned a day trip to Disney - as you do when you’re that young and energetic.)

This is when my planning failed me: I didn’t print out directions from Orlando to Tallahassee. And, since I had to go find a gas station before I hit the highway, I ended up quite lost in a not-so-lovely part of town back in the days before smartphones and consumer GPS. I don’t remember how I finally found the highway I needed, but I managed to get there eventually. I also made it back home safely and even went to work the next day, though I did go in late.

Planning starts with knowing your destination

I went to Orlando kind of impulsively. I didn’t have any money (poor college student). I was getting free admission from my friend whose uncle worked for Disney. I thought it was a good idea to drive down and return home in a single day, even after my friend sensibly offered me a couch to sleep on. To this day, I have no idea what my reasons were for going other than just wanting to.

Planning starts with establishing your goals so you can break down the steps it takes to accomplish them. But it’s not as straightforward as simply making a list of things you want to do. There are some questions you’ll want to consider so you start with realistic goals:

• Why do you want to do each of these things?

• Have you considered whether this is the right plan for your target market?

• How do these goals fit into the larger business plan and goals?

• Are the goals you’ve set measurable?

• Do you have the resources to accomplish these goals?

Good questions, aren’t they? It’s tempting to get a great idea, see the goal and jump into action. But taking a step back and seeing the big picture can keep you from moving ahead with something that isn’t going to serve you well in the long term.

Outline the steps to get to your destination

The entire time I drove around Orlando after the parks closed, I wanted to kick myself for not making a better plan. I knew exactly where I wanted to end up but I had no clue what my exact steps were to get started on my way. That can be a paralyzing feeling when you have a big goal you want to achieve. Or you may end up driving in circles, going in every direction that isn’t the right one.

You can avoid this chaos by mapping out your plan so you know exactly where you are and you can more accurately track your progress. And it’s usually easier to start with the end goal and work your way back to the beginning. This process can help you gain further clarity around the resources you’ll need so you can make tweaks as needed.

Don’t forget to think about how you’re going to measure

You’ve set goals, but you need to know before you start how you’re going to measure the effectiveness of your efforts. If you don’t establish the metrics in advance, it can be challenging to get an accurate picture of how your plan has performed. And in marketing, measurement needs to be considered throughout execution to ensure the chosen tactics are set up properly to provide the data you need.

Expect the unexpected and be ready to react

Wouldn’t it be great if things always went to plan? I’ve heard that half of marketing effort should be spent on planning though I’ve never experienced that and I don’t know if it’s actually realistic. Having a plan is important but we can’t get bogged down by the planning process or get so married to the plan that we can’t adapt when it’s required. No plan should ever be etched in stone. That’s a sure way to frustration.

Enjoy the process of doing great work

Doing a day trip for the purpose of spending the day at Disney open to close wasn’t my smartest idea, but it was an adventure I don’t regret. I learned a lot from the experience, particularly the value of having a comprehensive plan that accounts for every step of the journey. Not having a plan could have robbed me of all the enjoyment of the trip, but I managed to figure it out and things worked out. Knowing that it could have gone very differently has been a good motivator for me to avoid the mistake of winging it on the wrong things.

What are your favourite advantages to making a plan?