ICE Framework: Unlock Marketing Potential with Focused Initiatives

Marketing strategies and tactics are like hitting a 1,000 moving targets.

There are countless tactics you can consider.

New tools and ideas are regularly being introduced. 

And the buyer’s journey continues to adapt to the ever changing digital landscape. 

What is more, knowing when to do something is just as important as knowing what to do.

After you’ve nailed down your marketing strategy, thinking through the tactical stuff is challenging. 

This is where the ICE Framework comes into play. 

Even though this was a framework originally designed to help product teams prioritize their work, it’s also something that can be used with success to help marketers identify what they should prioritize and when. 

In this post, I’m going to explain how. 

We’ll dig into:

1. What is the ICE Framework?
2. 4 reasons why marketers should use ICE
3. How to do ICE?
4. 1 tips for team leads

Let’s get started!

What exactly is the ICE Framework, you ask?

Well, let me introduce you to a fantastic prioritization strategy that'll make prioritizing your work a breeze. ICE is an acronym that stands for Impact, Confidence, and Ease. This nifty model is all about evaluating your tasks based on these three essential factors.

So, how do you make the most of the ICE Framework? 

It's simple. 

Just assign a numerical value to each task or project, considering its Impact, Confidence, and Ease. This process will help you figure out which tasks should be at the top of your to-do list and which can wait.

Here are generic examples of what I’m talking about:

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To calculate the ICE score, you add the Impact, Confidence, and Ease scores for each task and total the results (there are different ways to do this). The resulting ICE scores will help you prioritize the tasks. In this example, the highest ICE score is for "Implement SEO improvements," so that task should be prioritized first.

We will dig into this more below in terms of prioritizing ideas. 

But before we do that, let’s get into why you should use this in marketing.  

4 reasons why marketers should use the ICE Framework

Here's why you should consider using the ICE Scoring Model in your marketing strategy:

1. Ideation
2. Speed
3. Collaboration
4. Consensus (Buy-in)
   

Firstly, the ICE Framework works wonders for ideation. With this approach, you and your team can swiftly come up with a ton of ideas. Remember, as a marketing leader, it's not about having all the ideas but about finding the best ones to prioritize and execute. And this approach works wonders in unearthing numerous ideas to choose from. 

When it comes to speed, the ICE Framework will be your best friend. With the process I'll outline below, you'll see how it encourages team members to share their thoughts, collaborate, and even merge multiple ideas into one. Sounds awesome, right?

Next up, the model boosts collaboration among your team members like never before. Keeping your team engaged is essential for their happiness at work, and what better way to do that than by asking for their opinions on strategic or tactical plans?

The fourth benefit of the ICE Framework is creating consensus and buy-in among your team members. After your team has contributed ideas, voted on them, and discussed the options, they'll be more likely to support the final decision. This is super important because these ideas will turn into the tasks your team will work on. Giving everyone the chance to share their thoughts and engage with others goes a long way in ensuring they're on board with the work your team is doing. 

Ready to learn how to do this?

Let's go through the process together.

How to Implement the ICE Framework in Your Marketing Strategy

Ready to bring the ICE Framework into your marketing strategy? Follow these simple and engaging steps:

1. Start with a constraint
2. Share an idea and hypothesis
3. Vote on the ideas
4. Discuss
5. Get to work

To make it even easier, here's a free template you can use that follows the breakdown below.

Let's jump in.‍

1. Start with a constraint

Kick off the process by giving your team a constraint to guide their brainstorming. Offer a specific topic, such as:

• "How can we boost our Google CTRs by 20%?" (try using SMART goals)
• "What tactics can we use to increase our prospect base?"
• "What can we do to speed up the sales cycle?"

Constraints are great for creativity. They provide boundaries that help you and your team focus your thoughts on a specific problem or opportunity.‍

2. Share an idea and hypothesis

Next, encourage everyone on the team to share an idea and hypothesis related to the constraint. For instance, if your topic is "How can we increase our leads by 20% in Q2 of 2023?", team members should suggest ideas to achieve that goal—even if it's outside their area of expertise.

After adding their idea to the list, they should also share their hypothesis—why do they believe this idea will work?‍

3. Vote on the ideas

Once everyone has submitted their ideas and hypotheses, it's time to vote! Using the ICE scoring model, have team members rate each idea on a scale of 1 to 10. Higher scores for Impact and Confidence indicate a greater perceived impact and confidence level in the idea. For Ease, a higher score means the idea is believed to be easier to implement.

These scores aren't set in stone and can be discussed further, as you'll see in the next step.

After tallying the votes, get ready for the most exciting part: discussion.

4. Discuss

Before starting the discussion, list all the ideas in descending order based on their total score. This way, you'll focus on the ideas with the highest potential impact.

After running this exercise multiple times, I've noticed that we often combine several ideas into one due to overlap.

There are no strict rules for the discussion. The goal is to give everyone a chance to talk about the top priorities and ask any questions or seek clarification.

Keep the atmosphere light-hearted, and be mindful of how feedback is given (encourage team members to use the "compliment sandwich" approach).

Here’s one thing I’ve discovered during this step:

There’s a good chance several ideas will complement each other. 

When this occurs, combine the ideas together as you take them from this step into implementing them. 

1 Important note for marketing leaders

Remember, at the end of the day, you're the one accountable for your team's work. 

If you find that the idea your team voted on and prioritized isn’t the best option, trust your gut and reasoning. Ultimately, you need to be comfortable signing off on any project you and your team undertake—you're putting your name on the line, so to speak.

If you decide to go against the grain, that's okay. 

Just be prepared to explain your decision-making process to your team.

But here's a word of caution: 

Try not to make overriding your team's choices a habit. 

If you consistently disregard your team members' suggestions, even after going through this collaborative process, you risk rendering the process ineffective and discouraging your team in the long run.

Over to you

Got your list of fantastic ideas?

Now it's time to make them a reality.

Don't forget to check out [insert marketing implementation] blog post on how to turn your brilliant ideas into tangible results.

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