Developing Marketing Strategies with Mind Maps

Digital strategist and founder of Anwert, Thomas Dori, shares his detailed framework for building marketing strategies using MindNode mind maps. Drawing from his background in software engineering and experience in global agencies, Thomas walks through a comprehensive strategy process—from audience analysis to content creation and campaign planning. He illustrates how mind maps serve both as collaborative thinking tools and documentation assets throughout the marketing lifecycle. Key Themes & Topics: [00:03:15] From Software to Strategy Thomas shares his career journey and how he came to use mind mapping, particularly through early work with MindNode. [00:05:57] The Role of Mind Maps in Strategy Consulting Mind maps are used as live checklists and collaboration tools during workshops to guide structured discussions. [00:07:01] Product & Value Proposition Analysis Covers USPs, emotional vs. functional benefits, Blue Ocean Strategy elements, product experience, and packaging. [00:08:42] Price & Brand Strategy Considerations Explores pricing tactics, discounts, perceptions, tone of voice, typography, colour schemes, and personality traits. [00:12:26] Resources & Capabilities Assessing internal capabilities, content readiness, time allocation, and the need for external support. [00:14:05] Strategic Fit & Business Goals Aligning marketing strategy with company mission, vision, and realistic business objectives. [00:15:04] Audience Segmentation & Personas Demographics, interests, buying behaviour, savviness, and decision-making impact on message prioritisation. [00:16:57] Customer Journey Mapping Using phase-based journeys (from awareness to decision and beyond) to define touchpoints, needs, and message placement. [00:20:59] Market, Competitor & Environmental Analysis How to differentiate based on existing players, gaps, voice, appearance, and emerging market or regulatory trends. [00:23:54] Using Mind Maps + Tools Beyond Mapping What happens inside and outside the map—surveys, SEO research, branding via Pinterest, and Excel for numeric analysis. [00:26:51] Strategy Synthesis & Idea Generation Spotting overlooked audiences or differentiators during workshop sessions, turning insight into direction. [00:27:50] Planning with Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) Adapting OKRs with “lead measures” to create actionable key activities tied to strategic goals. [00:30:51] Execution Planning & Team Assignments Defining roles, responsibilities, and scheduling to ensure strategy turns into action—not wishful thinking. [00:31:58] Full Channel and Content Map Overview Mind map shows a matrix of owned, paid, earned, and shared media — with formats, timing, and message categories. [00:35:10] Content Strategy & Community Engagement Building out topic ideas, formats (beyond just text), curated content, humour, SEO, and long/short-tail keywords. [00:39:05] The Human Element: Community & Interaction Thomas stresses the importance of interaction over one-way communication—engagement is a strategic asset. [00:40:53] Measurement & Optimization The difference between lead and lag measures; ensuring marketing actions tie back to measurable business goals. Audience Q&A Highlights – Whether clients see the mind map live during workshops (yes, but simplified to avoid overload) – Handling client reactions to the level of detail and when to hold back – Sharing editable maps with clients to continue collaboration post-workshop – Why mind maps are ideal for structure and overview, but not always the right tool for branding or execution – Where mapping fits best in the ideation and structuring stages, and where other tools (e.g. dashboards, Pinterest) take over – Dealing with disagreements or different views from clients — and when to test assumptions through interviews or surveys – Adapting communication depending on whether the product/market is new or established – Presenting to non-marketing stakeholders: Thomas still uses mind maps but starts with PowerPoint for structure – Whether mind maps are used post-planning — mainly in the early stages, less so during daily execution – Why mind maps excel in managing complexity: layering, focus mode, collapsing detail, and iterative use