Visual Communicationa Planner v.4: the most donwloaded marketing canvas!

1. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com MORE THAN 20,000 DOWNLOADS WWW.VISUALCOMMUNICATIONPLANNER.COM FREE TOOL FREE SLIDES FREE RESOURCES CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN OF THE DIGITAL STRATEGY

2. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com It is said that climbers used to look to the top of the mountain and imagine backwards the path to follow to climb it. The base of a mountain offers multiple departures for different routes. Unless someone has already explored them, you can hardly choose the best or most direct in advance. If, on the other hand, you visualize the zenith clearly, and look towards the base, you realize that only one way, or very few roads, allow you to reach it. From the top of your personal Everest you are able to glimpse the step immediately preceding it. From there, it becomes clear which point comes first. And so on to the bottom of the mountain. Just like water, dropped from the top of the mountain, it finds the best path to descend. Each of your personal or business goals is different from others. As well as every path to reach it, every strategy. It is therefore useless to rely on the journeys made by someone else. But we all have the same goal: the top of the mountain.

3. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com Visual Communication Planner by Gabriele Carboni - Weevo S.r.l. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

4. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com GABRIELE CARBONI Finalist for the Best 2019 Marketing Innovation award at DES 2019 Madrid with the Marketing Distinguo card deck. Defined by GoingGlobal UK: "LEADING EXPERT IN INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIES". Among the 5 major Italian marketing influencers according to Digitalic. Coordinator of the networking project by Philip Kotler in Italy for the Italian Marketing Foundation. The first and only Italian to complete the MIT Sloan Digital Business Strategy Executive Program on Digital Transformation. Co-founder of Weevo S.r.l., an Italian web agency specializing in the international market approach through Social Media. Engaged in Marketing, Communication and Sales, is a Digital Strategic Planner, journalist and Communications Designer. Author of "Strategie web per i mercati esteri" (Digital Strategies for International Markets), Hoepli 2016. Worked as a lecturer for 24Ore Business School, Ninja Academy, Warrantraining and several Italian universities. Co-publisher and columist of Il Giornale delle PMI, the Italian online magazine dedicated to small and medium-sized businesses. www.marketingdistinguo.com

5. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com DISCOVER MORE E-BOOK FREE WITH KINDLE UNLIMITED PODCAST SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNES, SPOTIFY AND PODBEAN CARD DECK ON OF THE THREE BEST 2019 MARKETING INNOVATIONS

6. Plot a path to communication success, analyse the most effective methods and eliminate operational issues and problems along the way. NOT A MARKETING EXPERT?

7. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com Perfect for marketing and communication professionals and non-specialists alike, the Visual Communication Planner allows you to outline and visualise your strategy simply and understandably.

8. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com STRATEGY IS WHAT TO START WITH GOAL KPIs CHANNELS AND ACTVITIES CONTENT MARKETING DISTINGUO PRODUCT OR SERVICE MISSION VISION PURPOSE WWW.VISUALCOMMUNICATIONPLANNER.COM > INVESTMENTS OWNERS DEADLINES

9. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com HOW TO USE IT Outlining your communication strategy has never been easier. 1. Print your copy of the Visual Communication Planner (A4 is suggested). 2. Answer the questions and start creating your visual plan right away. 3. Write your answer inside the element of the VCP.

10. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com THE PROCESS 1. Define the goal to be achieved, the peak of your mountain 2. Climb the mountain starting from the purpose A new set of training videos is available for free on the Youtube channel of Gabriele Carboni: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhlAEHoyELg&list=PLQI_WFdQLyvHjba3T4ejrluziYQI1jTtm

11. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com CONSULTANT S Fill the elements of the Visual Communication Planner with your potential customer. He/she will see the communication strategy taking shape and understand the importance of it. Training your customers with this tool will give them the knowledge they need to make the right decisions on the communication matter. MANAGERS The Visual Communication Planner gives you a better understanding of the communication strategy. It saves time on planning, analysing and evaluating the strategy. Play with your team and define the perfect plan for the company of any size.

12. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com WHEN IT IS USEFUL EXAMINE results and calculate the ROI IDENTIFY and anticipate possible mistakes in current strategies DEFINE the communication plan for a brand, project or specific market FIND any correctives quickly OUTLINE the editorial plan ANALYSE the communication scenario

13. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com GOALS

14. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com • First approach to the market; • search for distributors or retailers; • business partnership research; • commercial follow-up; • customer care; • consolidating position on the market; • consumer involvement; GOALS • sales growth: • increase number of customers; • increase in transaction number per customer; • increase in average purchase value; • expanding contact database; • qualification and segmentation of the contact database. What are the business goals for your target market?

15. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com GOALS VS. METRICS Don’t confuse metrics with goals Some metrics often referred to as goals:  attract more visits to the website / e-commerce / blog, through specific sources;  increase the number of followers or likes on Social Media;  generate share of your posts on social media;  get clicks from advertisements;  increase openings or clicks on newsletters.

16. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com GOALS Set your goal as it is the START of your strategy. It should be: Specific Target related Appreciable and measurable Reachable Talked and agreed with your team

17. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com • Can you measure your market segment? • Is it large enough to make a profit? • Will it remain stable over time? • Are you confident you can reach the right potential customers through the communication channels you’re currently using? • Do potential customers in the same segment want the same kind of product? • Is your market segment diverse enough? Can potential groups of customers access different kinds of products? • Does the market segment respond to marketing stimulation? • Can you create marketing stimulation with marketing activities that ensure a cost- sustainable effect? SEGMENTATION

18. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com • Geographical segmentation – Your communication strategy doesn’t have to be confined to a specific country, you can also target a particular region, city or defined geographical area. This is known as geo-marketing, and is particularly useful for B2C communication. In geo-marketing, geographical data is used to communicate directly with specific demographics. • Demographic segmentation – This segments target markets by age, gender, employment, education or digitisation. When used for B2B communication, it also takes into account the company’s size - more specifically its turnover, number of employees and/or industry. • Behavioural segmentation – Potential customers are divided into groups based on their skills, attitude, awareness and brand loyalty. • Psychographic segmentation – This is evaluated based on the social class, lifestyle, personality, interest and opinions of potential customers. • Cultural segmentation – This kind of segmentation is particularly important for foreign markets as it takes into account cultural origin, religion, behaviour, traditions and colloquial language. Segmenting customers based on culture is becoming increasingly important because of globalisation and migration, and new targets are beginning to request products and services based on their cultural needs. SEGMENTATION

19. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com • Who do you want to buy your product or service? • Who are your competitors communicating with? • Who is influencing your target audience? • Who is affected by your target audience? • Who has the greatest online influence in your industry? • Which industries are connected to your field of reference? • What job positions do the superiors and subordinates of your target profiles traditionally hold in the company? TARGET MARKETS

20. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com TARGET AUDIENCES The audience to which the communication on the web should be addressed. There is a tendency to divide the concept of Target Market from that of Target Audience, because web channels often do not offer a direct correspondence between the two.

21. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com BUYER PERSONAS Buyer Personas are fictitious and generalized representations of your ideal, existing and potential customers. They help you understand them better and facilitate the adaptation of content to the specific needs, behaviors and concerns of different segments. Buyer Personas should be based on market research and statistical analysis gathered from your actual customer base (through surveys, interviews, etc.). Depending on your business, you could have from one or two Buyer Personas to as many as ten or twenty.

23. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com PURPOS E VISION MISSION

24. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com PURPOSE • Why do you do this job? Or why did you start doing it? • What is it that gives you joy and makes you alive? • What are your innate strengths? • In what do you express your greatest value? • How do you measure your life? • What impact would you like to have on the world around you? • Is there a moment in your life when you have understood this? • Is your purpose aligned with your vision or your company's vision?

25. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com VISION • What world is it? How would that be different? • What problem did you solve? • Why do you think that problem needs to be addressed? • Is it a major problem for others too? • Do you really believe your business can solve that problem? • If it's a personal vision, is it in line with your company's vision? • Is it consistent or inconsistent with that of your suppliers? • And with that of your customers?

26. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com MISSION • How do you do your activities to achieve your vision? • Who do you help with your work? • What is the result they get with your help? • How do you help them in practice? • Why do you want to help them?

27. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com PRODUCT OR SERVICE

28. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com • Do you offer a product, a service or a solution? • Are product and service related? How? • Is your product/service ready for the market you have targeted? • What core problem do you solve for your ideal customers? • Is your offer consistent in relation to the market you want to approach? • Do you need to change the product or service to sell to the target you have set and the goal you want to achieve? • Do you have to change the packaging, the labels of your product for the market you have selected? • To achieve the goal, do you have to modify the product in some way? • How is your product or service perceived in terms of target’s culture? PRODUCT OR SERVICE

29. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com MARKETING DISTINGUO

30. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com Why should I buy your product? MARKETING DISTINGUO The Marketing Distinguo is a simple process to answer the most challenging question: “Why should I buy your company’s product rather than your competitor’s?” On the one hand, Positioning refers to the “place” the brand occupies in the consumer’s mind. On the other hand, USP positions the product within a particular market to create the perfect advertising. A glue between these two concepts is essential to simplify the job of the marketing manager and development of a communications strategy.

31. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com MARKETING DISTINGUO On paper, the marketing strategy is easy. You define the target and the elements of the marketing mix: product, price, place, promotion. If the result of the marketing mix is something different from what the competitors propose, then the marketing strategy is successful. It may seem complicated to outline a marketing strategy for a new company. It is even more challenging to determine a plan for a company, a brand, or a group of companies operating for years, and evolving according to the market and the business strategy.

32. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com MARKETING DISTINGUO The miscommunication of the distinctive characteristics denotes a problem at a strategic level. The most apparent symptoms are found precisely in the way we communicate online and offline, through slogans, payoffs but also company brochures or exhibition stands. Terms such as “quality”, “innovation” or “360 ° service” are the most common expression of a lack of awareness. The absence of differentiation affects the words the company uses to communicate, as well as the commercial offer and eventually, sales. The absence of differentiation.

33. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com So, why should I buy your product? MARKETING DISTINGUO If the answer is “my product is the best”, you’re off track. The first step to verify the marketing or communication strategy is to understand what distinguishes the company, the brands, the products from the competitors. The goal is to respond to that question through strengths that offer tangible value to the customer: • the characteristics of the product or service, • of the company, • of the people who work there, • of the industry in which it operates. I call the method that leads to the answer to that question Marketing Distinguo: the unique and distinctive reason to buy a product or a service.

34. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com MARKETING DISTINGUO The Marketing Distinguo is a glue concept between Positioning and Unique Selling Proposition: the unique, distinctive way to sell a product or service and the process used to determine it. In other words, a method that helps you to find the factor which differentiates a specific product from its competition. The Marketing Distinguo is also a simple and effective way of understanding the strengths of your company and taking advantage of them to increase sales. It is the crucial element for a perfect communication strategy.

35. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com POSITIONING How the brand/product should be - or is - perceived by your customers and prospects. USP (UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION) The creative execution of Positioning and Marketing Distinguo in advertising. MARKETING DISTINGUO POSITIONING USP MARKETING DISTINGUO

36. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com “…a process to finally come to the differentiation you need" MARKETING DISTINGUO PROF. PHILIP KOTLER

37. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com What to analyse? MARKETING DISTINGUO What differentiates the company from its competition can belong to the brand, or be different for each product line. The analysis should be done on every market the company work in or wants to, concerning the players operating in the same target. With the Marketing Distinguo method you can answer to the question “Why should I buy your product?” in three simple steps. Discover more with the e-book, free with Kindle Unlimited

38. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com Step 1: check the competitors MARKETING DISTINGUO The first phase concerns the competitors or possibly the peers: it is necessary to draw up the list of companies, brands or products to refer to, on each market.

39. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com Step 2: analyse MARKETING DISTINGUO The second step is already operational: a benchmarking of online presence, websites, social networks and other touchpoints used by the company and defined competitors. Why use the web? Because all companies today communicate through the Internet. Often their slogans, claims and payoffs, and the very structure of their websites, contents and social media approach, express what they consider to be distinctive elements. Buzzwords • innovation/innovative • passion • quality • turnkey solution • precision • tailor-made • knowledge/competence • experience • top/leader/the best • since 19xx • reliability • professionalism • craftmanship • creativity/design • availability • concreteness

40. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com Step 3: define MARKETING DISTINGUO During the third phase, you go down to the concrete, and to do so, I have devised an analogical instrument. A deck of cards that helps in the process of defining Marketing Distinguo, analysing in practice: • the characteristics of the product/service • the characteristics of the company • the characteristics of people • the characteristics of the sector You can apply the Marketing Distinguo method even without the card deck!

41. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com Step 3: without the card deck MARKETING DISTINGUO Characteristic of the product or brand Competitor 1 Competitor 2 Competior 3

43. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com CONTENT S

44. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com CONTENTS TEXT IMAGES ILLUSTRATIONS VIDEOS BROCHURE E-BOOK WHITE PAPER CASE STUDIES

45. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com • What content do you want to use in your communication? • What is the context of your communication? • What tone of voice and style do you want to use in your communication? • What content do you need, and for which channels? • What new content do you need to create? • What existing content needs to be revised? • Do you have an editorial calendar? CONTENTS

46. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com • Do you have editorial guidelines or standards for your content? • What magazines, influencers or blogs inspire you? • Who translates or localises your content? • What are the main concepts or data you want to underline or emphasise? • What concepts don’t you want to use? • How do you plan to present your market supply on the web? • What graphic line do you want to follow? CONTENTS

47. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com The perfect content – website, brochure, video, advertising – should always answer these questions:  Who we are?  What do we do?  To whom we want to sell it?  Why should they buy it? (a.k.a. the Marketing Distinguo) CONTENTS

48. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com CHANNEL S AND ACTIVITIE S

49. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com SOCIAL MEDIA SOCIAL & WEB ADVERTISING NEWSLETTER & DEM CORPORATE BLOG EXTRANET / INTRANET CHANNELS AND ACTIVITIES www WEBSITE

50. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com CHANNELS AND ACTIVITIES • What are the most used web channels from the defined target? • Are there niche channels dedicated to the industry? • What is the actual use of these channels from your target? • Have multiple target segments been identified, so are channels dedicated to these segments? • Which channels can be opened in relation to the defined budget? • Do these channels help you achieve your goals? • What are the direct and indirect costs? • Is there anyone inside the company who can handle them? • What tools are needed to use and measure these channels?

51. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com • What actions do you need to take to achieve your defined goals? • Are your preferred channels already available? Do you need to activate any social profiles or newsletter platform? • What are the characteristics of each channel you want to use? • What content do you need to properly profile your chosen channels? • How many campaigns can you start with your current budget? Which ones will you focus on? • What is your budget for web and social advertising? • What action do you need to take on each channel? • How often do you want to communicate on each channel? • How do you plan to manage your engagement? CHANNELS AND ACTIVITIES

52. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com KPIs

53. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com KPIs • What are the business metrics aligned to the goals? • What are the channel metrics to consider? • Can you measure those metrics? • How often do you analyse traffic? • What tools do you use to analyse the results? • Who will analyse the results? • What to do if goals are not met?

54. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com KPI EXAMPLES • Monthly new prospects/leads • Qualified leads per month • Marketing Qualified Leads • Sales-Accepted Leads • Sales Qualified Leads • Cost per lead • Cost per conversion • Average time of conversion • Retention rate • Churn rate

55. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com CHANNEL METRIC EXAMPLES • Monthly website traffic • Returning vs. new visitors • Visits per channel • Average time on page • Page per visit • Inbound links to website • Traffic from organic search • Advertising Click-Through Rate • Volume of traffic from video content • Traffic from Social Media • Engagement rate • Mentions and comments

56. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com FUNNEL EXAMPLE CHANNEL METRICS TOFU: WEBSITE TRAFFIC FROM SPECIFIC CHANNELS KPIs MOFU: FILLED FORMS BUSINESS GOALS BOFU: SALES

57. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com INVESTMENT S OWNERS DEADLINES

58. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com • Which and how many selected target segments are? • What is the language in which you intend to communicate? • What kind of content do you intend to create? • How many channels are you going to use? • What kind of activity do you intend to do? • What budget can you devote to advertising activities? • How long do individual activities last? INVESTMENTS

59. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com • What are the internal or external resources involved in the activities? • Who cares about channel management? • Who is involved in implementing the identified communication plan? • Who will follow Social Media discussions, or newsletters answers? • Who will manage obtained contacts? INVESTMENTS

60. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com • Who are the stakeholders involved in this element of the strategy? • Who is the internal or external reference to the company? OWNERS

61. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com • What is the time frame to carry out this element of the strategy? • What is the deadline? • What are the expected times and deadlines to achieve the goal? DEADLINES

62. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com GABRIELE CARBONI Finalist for the Best 2019 Marketing Innovation award at DES 2019 Madrid with the Marketing Distinguo card deck. Defined by GoingGlobal UK: "LEADING EXPERT IN INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIES". Among the 5 major Italian marketing influencers according to Digitalic. Coordinator of the networking project by Philip Kotler in Italy for the Italian Marketing Foundation. The first and only Italian to complete the MIT Sloan Digital Business Strategy Executive Program on Digital Transformation. Co-founder of Weevo S.r.l., an Italian web agency specializing in the international market approach through Social Media. Engaged in Marketing, Communication and Sales, is a Digital Strategic Planner, journalist and Communications Designer. Author of "Strategie web per i mercati esteri" (Digital Strategies for International Markets), Hoepli 2016. Worked as a lecturer for 24Ore Business School, Ninja Academy, Warrantraining and several Italian universities. Co-publisher and columist of Il Giornale delle PMI, the Italian online magazine dedicated to small and medium-sized businesses. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com Gabriele@Weevo.it

63. www.visualcommunicationplanner.com www.marketingdistinguo.com • Twitter: @gabbariele • Websites: • http://www.visualcommunicationplanner.com • http://www.marketingdistinguo.com • E-mail: gabriele@weevo.it The Visual Communication Planner is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/.