🎁 Now That’s What I Call Strategic Planning, 2025 Edition.

Hi there 👋,

Welcome to Human Scale! On this side, we’re real startup marketing folks (not AI-generated at all!) rolling up our sleeves daily to help founders grow their user base and impact.

We took November off from publishing because, you know… (🗑️ 🔥😭). But we’re back this December, eyes firmly set on 2025.

There’s a framework I’d been using internally for a while, and I recently made it client-facing—and let me tell you, the feedback has been 🙌. We use it as a work-scoping document, but it’s based on one I created back in my in-house days to craft holistic marketing strategies. Sometimes slides just don’t get to the point fast enough, which is why I lean on spreadsheets in these moments.

This framework ensures we don’t completely lose the plot during planning. Every input is grounded in guiding principles and brand pillars, so anyone working on or referencing the doc knows exactly where we’re rooted. This structure serves our favorite things: CLARITY and CONSISTENCY. The work we do has a reason, a purpose—and that purpose is directly tied to why the organization exists.

Challenge, Current Status & Opportunity (your summary)

This top section is where you define what you’re solving for. In the context of 2025 planning, this means identifying your core exploration for the year. For example, you might focus on growing your customer base. This section also prompts you to define upfront what obstacles you anticipate—what you’ll need to overcome or better understand.

Guiding Principles (what guides the work)

How do you approach your work? For organizations, this can tie back to team values. If you’re framing this as an individual contributor or service provider, think of this as a summary of your core values (e.g., “listen to understand” or “disagree and commit”).

Pillars / Brand Pillars (what shapes the work)

Define what makes your brand, service, or product unique. Strong brand pillars should inform the work you do. If your existing pillars aren’t actionable, refine them so they serve as guidance while retaining their original spirit and intent.

Objectives / Aligning Tactics (the work)

OK, now we’re getting into the nitty-gritty! Start with your leading objective, then break it down into the tactics that will help you achieve it.

What We’d Like To Learn (insights through the work)

This final section helps you identify key things you don’t know yet but could learn from this work. Think high-level, like: Why aren’t we retaining target users for more than three months?

Happy Planning 👍

Until next time,

GOC