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October 12, 2007 Chicago--Too
many firms fail to plan, so SwanDog Strategic Marketing, LLC is
offering a free download of its Financial Services Marketing Plan
Template through Nov. 30, 2007 at www.BeyondTheCollateral.com .
“Over
35% of firms fail to develop a written marketing plan,” says Dave
Swanson, Founder and Managing Principal of Swan Dog, citing research
from a recent study co-authored with FRC (Financial Research
Corporation) on financial services marketing. “In fact, only a small percent of the plans we reviewed provided any strategic direction whatsoever. Most
were little more than a hyped-up tactical to-do list. I know marketers
can do better – they just need the tools and guidance.”
The
Marketing Plan template is an easily downloaded, Word document that
takes you step-by-step through the planning and development process. It is
available at www.BeyondTheCollateral.com, a site SwanDog developed as a
companion to the just released financial-services marketing study -- Beyond The Collateral – Unlocking Marketing’s Strategic Potential for Competitive Advantage. Both
the study and the website are designed to provide a comprehensive look
at marketing in the financial services industry today, and provide
direction and insight that empowers marketing in this industry to begin
to take a more strategic leadership-role within their firms.
“Business marketing usually takes the form of sales support”, says Swanson. “But that’s not necessarily the role it should be playing. Marketing needs to earn the right to lead.” SwanDog
believes the first step to earning this leadership is to just start
doing it, and the best way to begin is to develop and distribute a
formal, strategic marketing plan that is: tied to the overall
business strategies and objective, actionable, results focused, and
designed to deliver measurable output. The Marketing Plan template they
are offering is intended to provide the structure for just that.
About the Study
The
comprehensive marketing study combines primary quantitative and
qualitative research of senior executives, distribution and marketing
heads with SwanDog’s experience. SwanDog principals average of over 20
years each as marketing practitioners in the financial industry. In
addition to exploring the current state of marketing and the prospects
for its future, the study offers preliminary benchmarking of marketing
compensation, budgets and organization structures as well as presenting
a roadmap for bringing more strategic focus to firm’s marketing
efforts. More details regarding the study can also be found at www.BeyondTheCollateral.com or at www.frcnet.com
About SwanDog Strategic Marketing
Chicago-based, SwanDog is a strategic consulting and marketing firm founded by investment industry executives. We partner with companies to develop their competitive advantage in the marketplace, by:
- Unlocking their marketing organization’s strategic potential
- Developing products and programs that their customers find meaningful
- Building sustainable differentiation through branding efforts
SwanDog exclusively serves the financial industry, with special expertise in business-to-business marketing.
About FRC
FRC
assists financial services clients across product development,
marketing and distribution and delivers positive, tangible bottom line
results Only FRC can offer this through our unmatched industry
expertise, service and support of experienced thought leaders and
dedicated relationship managers who integrate all the unique forces of
FRC to ensure your most important business goals are achieved. For
twenty years, Financial Research Corporation (FRC) has been the leading
provider of insightful research and strategic consulting services
designed to assist marketing, product development, and strategic
planning professionals in the creation of innovative products and
services. Based
in Boston, FRC is at the forefront of assisting its clients to
comprehend and respond to the rapid changes occurring in the
manufacture and distribution of investment products. More than simply
supplying data, FRC provides actionable recommendations and delivers
highly focused customized solutions that strengthen your competitive
advantage and maximize growth. The
combined power of FRC’s Data Services, Primary Source Market Research
and Customized Client Support, we identify strategic opportunities,
improve distribution effectiveness, and increase your profitability.
Our more than 200 clients include the world's leading asset managers
and distributors. Approximately 90% of the 50 largest fund groups
utilize FRC research as a continual source of insight and strategy to
guide their most critical overall product development, distribution,
and marketing decisions.
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