Today’s guest post is by James Ellis.

It’s strange something said by Mike Tyson would have such legs, but his quote, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face” really seems to resonate with people

Marketers especially.

You see marketers, who traffic in things called marketing plans, are surprisingly averse to planning for that knock-out moment when they get punched in the face.

For example, what happens when that social media plan gets up-ended when someone (or a lot of someones) decides to use that social platform to poke holes in the brand’s image? (Paging Motrin Moms, BP Public Relations Twitter accounts, or rogue Domino’s Pizza employees.)

Worse, what happens when that meticulously considered plan just doesn’t work? What happens when no one shows up? When no one comments? When no one shares or likes or follows? (more…)