Marketing Kanban 103, The Marketing Calendar

The next step I use in developing a Marketing Kanban is to develop a Marketing Calendar. The quickest way to learn about an organization’s marketing is simply create a visual Marketing Calendar. Look at how we do it:

When you think about your present marketing efficiencies, does your thoughts wander this direction:

It’s not working, it’s that simple. You are assigning responsibilities, deadlines and tasks, but it is just a headache to keep up. The most apparent problem: tasks are not getting handed off well or at the wrong time to others. Another problem may be, everyone’s priorities seem all mixed up, and one or two people or departments seem to be a enormous bottleneck.

If you are going to start creating a Value Stream, you have to first identify the tactics that you are presently using. This is made up of the events, advertising, social media efforts and other marketing related tools. It seems like such a simple step but in actuality you are creating your current state map. It would be terrible to start anything without knowing where you are at. Don’t you think?  

P.S. That Calendar sure looks like a Kanban Board!

Related Posts:
Marketing Kanban 102, Work in Process
Marketing Kanban 101
What is your Present State?
The Death of the Marketing Calendar – Part1
Why would you use Value Stream Mapping?