I have vivid memories of annual safety day as an elementary school kid. The entire student body waited outside in anticipation as a gigantic red fire truck would pull up, lights flashing and sirens blaring. It was all our teachers could do to get us inside the auditorium for the official presentation.
Stop, Drop, and Roll was always on the agenda. The faculty would be called up on stage to demonstrate, and then we’d all practice. Today, new techniques are taught.
In marketing and communications planning, the “roll out” remains vital to ensuring you’re not “putting out fires” at the last minute. I’m the first to recognize that a roll out can be tedious to develop. Depending upon the size of the campaign, and its significance, it takes time to think through messaging, tools, and timing. You may need to have a large team involved, and they don’t always agree.
However, just as the hoses on a fire truck are carefully aligned, a roll out plan allows everyone involved to clearly identify goals, objectives, and actionables. It also defines responsibilities and provides a unified direction. When put together early, extra time can be built in to allow for “emergencies.”
Like firefighters who utilize detailed operations and procedures, consider roll outs for your clients as a critical resource to ensure you don’t get burned.
Categories: Consequence