There have been a lot of stories in the news lately about companies that have suffered due to poor planning. We’ve heard too many times about a brand new cell phone prone to battery fires, a popular company that makes a messy social media blunder, or a big chain forced to close stores because they expanded too quickly. No company is too big or too small to make such huge mistakes. And many times, these problems could have been avoided if the companies had taken the time to plan properly.
At BCI Media Services, we know how important it is to keep your company focused on its goals, and proper planning can help you meet those goals in a number of ways.
Time Management
A good business manager should have a plan for how to make the most efficient use of employees’ time. This should include day-to-day operations as well as long-term schedules for products. In the case of the cell phone company, for instance, there should have been a clear timetable for development that included a lengthy testing phase. Shortchanging the research phase led to the release of faulty products.
Team Building
Proper planning should also help coordinate all of the different departments within a company into one cohesive team. Each employee should understand how their work fits into the big picture. This can be done by clearly communicating the company’s short-term and long-term goals and taking time with each department to explain how their work helps to achieve those goals. Many social media blunders could have been prevented if the online marketing team had understood the company’s brand and how important it was to further the brand through their online presence by maintaining a consistent and professional social media voice.
Resource Management
Planning will also help organize and allocate a company’s resources efficiently. Instead of expanding as quickly as possible, a good business manager will instead plan a series of careful moves to ensure that it does not outgrow its own potential for success. Every new store within a chain, for example, should be carefully evaluated to make sure both the company and the community can support the new location.
Whether you’re running a huge corporation or a small family business, make sure that you have a solid plan for keeping your company focused on your goals. And if you need help with planning your digital marketing strategies, or any of our other media services, get to know the BCI Media Services team today.