Over the last 15 years, we have engaged hundreds of clients—and taught thousands of others through seminars and conference presentations—the process of developing Marketing Action Plans (MAPs). They are exactly what they say they are—a master plan for prioritizing and then building trust with the target audiences that will lead your destination management organization to success. However, to determine if you are succeeding in your efforts, you must define what “success” is for your organization. Fortunately, there is a formula we use for building what we call the “Success Statement.” This process involves defining:

• What you will achieve—this needs to be measurable (think overall % increase in occupancy).
• When you will achieve it—this is generally 2 to as many as 5 years out.
• Where you are today—this also needs to be a measurable standard that corresponds to your desired achievement (in this example, think current occupancy).
• What you will do to achieve it—consider your deliverables and programs of work.
• Who you will achieve it with—your primary target audience/s.
• How you will achieve it—determine your resources. Do you have the team to execute or do you need additional support?

Note that 5 out of 6 of the statements in this formula contain “achieve” because success is something we must strive for.

Keep in mind that, just like one of the fundamental rules of developing a MAP, everything included in your Success Statement should be some combination of two things: Realistic AND Aspirational.

Realistic = it is pretty much already happening or, with sufficient effort and available budget, it is possible.

Aspirational = we want it to happen and we agree that it is not currently happening or not happening the way it should.

Realistic AND Aspirational is an important metric to use as a measurement as you develop your Success Statement and corresponding elements of your MAP. If it’s only realistic, you are probably already achieving it. If it’s too aspirational, you likely could never achieve it.

Developing a Success Statement and MAP for your organization, or even for a section or division of your organization, should not be an exercise to set you up for failure. It’s an exercise in developing a plan that will lead your organization to your next desired point on the “success continuum.”

Why should Marketing Action Plans (MAPs), including your Success Statement, be reviewed and updated at least once a year? MAPs are often "adjusted" based on a variety of factors, including market conditions (i.e., economic downturn to the Travel & Tourism industry due to a global pandemic, damage to your destination due to a natural disaster, etc.); a new strategic partner or staff hire/departure that has the potential to accelerate or decelerate your marketing efforts; an acquisition or disposition that affects a portion or all of your organization; if you are considering a rebrand; organizational and strategic direction changes implemented by your board of directors; etc.

Marketing Action Plans are developed to be the master plan for prioritizing and then building trust with the target audiences that will influence your success. If you would like to get started on your organization's MAP development process, you will find free resources here. If you would like help with your MAP, we have several levels of MAP development services that we can provide. If you have any additional questions, please reach out to us.