What is 5W1H? How to apply it in your marketing strategy

5W1H is a formula used in many fields, including marketing, and especially when building marketing strategy. So What is 5W1H? How do you use 5W1H to build a marketing strategy? This article from Mona Media will help you understand the formula and apply it to a sound marketing strategy.

What is 5W1H?

5W1H is a formula whose name is short for five English words

• 5W: What – When – Where – Why – Who
• 1H: How

It is a well-known technique because it is simple, easy to understand and extremely practical.

The formula is widely used in many situations, especially in business. Strategists and business managers who use the 5W1H formula get a clear picture of how customers behave with a product or service, pin down the problem exactly and find the right way to solve it.

Learn more about What is the 7Ps of marketing? Applying the 7P marketing mix in practice

Why is the 5W1H model important?

5W1H matters because it helps you define goals, scope and timing clearly, speeds up decision-making and makes things easier to remember.

The model is still seen as an important tool for planning and carrying out a marketing strategy. You will see the role of 5W1H more clearly below.

Define purpose and scope clearly

The 5W1H model with its six questions

• What: What is happening, or what is being discussed?
• When: When does it happen, or when did it happen?
• Where: Where is it happening, or what place does it affect?
• Why: How can the problem be solved or the situation handled?
• Who: Who is involved in the situation or problem?
• How: How can the problem be solved or the situation handled?

Each question answers one specific part of the problem. From the answers you can define the goal and the scope of the problem, then solve each part to reach a complete result.

Speed up decision-making

Decisions often take hours, days, even months or years. Without a clear way of thinking, you get swamped by a long list of issues and don't know how to deal with them.

With the 5W1H question model, you get a better overview of what needs handling. Decisions become simpler and faster, and the time to reach a final decision gets shorter, so the work is handled quickly and well.

Remember things better

Research shows the human brain remembers images better than words and numbers.

With 5W1H you can use blocks to build the set of questions. The top of each block holds the letter for one of the six questions, and the bottom holds the answer to that question.

To make it more lively, you can give each block a different color. Bright colors work best: they catch the eye and help memory.

Advantages of the 5W1H method in marketing

The 5W1H method in Marketing gives you a clearer direction and specific steps toward success for your business. With a clear plan, a business runs into fewer unexpected problems and cuts costs effectively.

These are the features that made 5W1H a popular method in marketing, and for marketers in particular:

Simplicity

5W1H stands for six questions, built from simple question words that are common, easy to understand, easy to remember and easy to use.

Answering all of the questions helps you solve the problem and avoid gaps.

Versatility

Besides marketing, 5W1H is used for many other purposes, such as:

• Designing a workflow
• Solving problems
• Identifying target customers and planning
• Analyzing the content of a piece of work, and more

A systematic and complete view

Answering all six questions lets you see the problem from the big picture down to the details, so you solve it quickly and with less risk.

Researching What is a brief? 7 elements of a brief that is right the first time

What the 5W1H model means in marketing

In marketing, 5W1H helps marketers understand the problem, know exactly the timing, the place and the target audience, and so find the most effective way to reach them.

• A solid marketing plan or strategy is built on the six 5W1H questions.
• Marketers get an overview of the whole campaign and a suitable approach for each stage.
• Based on specific analysis data, marketers choose a direction that is sound, sustainable and effective at the lowest cost.
• Analyzing methodically with 5W1H also lets you anticipate problems and risks that may come up, so you can prepare backup plans in time and limit damage while running the campaign.

Using 5W1H to build a marketing strategy

Like the sales formula AIDA, 5W1H is also an effective formula for a business's marketing campaigns. Each word has a specific meaning. To get good results, you need to understand all six questions.

What

The first W stands for What.

For the “What” question, you need to be clear about the product or service your business wants the target customers to know. The description should stress the product's features, uses and how to use it.

To answer this question, you need to be clear on the following:

• What is it?
• What issue needs to be addressed?
• What are the specific features of the product or service?

See more: What is the product's positioning? 5 steps to position a product in the market

When

Once you know what you are applying the formula to, you need to be clear about the timing of the work.

For example:

• When is the right time to launch the product or service?
• When do you reach the target audience best?
• How long does the event last?
• When will the program continue?
• How long do the results of the product, service or program last?

Where

After settling the timing, you need to be clear about the place and the setting. The place is not limited, and it can be offline or online.

To get it right, you need to answer questions like these:

• Where does the product or service come from?
• Where is it made?
• Where is the right place to distribute it?
• Group potential customers Where is your audience concentrated?
• Where does the program take place?

Why

The fourth W is Why. Here you need to answer why you do the work, why there and why that way.

Some example questions:

• Why should people use your product or service?
• Why target this group of customers?
• Why is your product or service preferred over your competitors', and so on?

Once you answer these questions, you have a suitable plan of action for success.

Who (Ai?)

For the Who question, you need to answer questions about people. For example:

• Who is the main audience you are aiming at?
• Who is reaching your product or service?
• Who likes and who dislikes your product or service?
• Who makes the product or service?
• Who distributes it and who is responsible when problems arise?

How

The last letter, H for How, covers how something works, how it is used or how a campaign is run.

For this part, explain things simply and clearly, and stress what is unique about the product so people choose it.

Here you need to answer these questions:

• How do we reach customers?
• How do we get the product or service to a large number of customers?
• How do we handle risks most skillfully?
• How do we cut costs effectively?

If you apply the 5W1H rule fully, you will solve the problem and find the right solution, and quickly.

5W1H is not only used in marketing. It also helps with many other jobs, such as SEO web, writing SEO-friendly articles, improving article conversion, and more.

You can also promote your business with professional marketing videos. No need to worry: MONA Media has a solution with TVC production services for your business, for company reviews or for product introductions, with a polished crew. CONTACT US for detailed advice and a quote for our service plans.

Example: 5W1H in an SEO/marketing strategy for a specific industry

Here is a concrete example to show how the 5W1H formula works in marketing.

Campaign topic: SEO for the Vape/Pod industry

What

• What exactly do you sell? (Vapes, pods, vape e-liquid, vape and pod parts, and so on)
• What products are being sold on the market?
• Which products do Vietnamese customers like most?

When

• When is the best time to start SEO?
• When does the campaign start, and what stages does it have?
• How long until each stage shows results?
• How long will each task take?

Where

• Where are the target customers for Vape/Pod concentrated?
• Where is marketing most effective, and which search engines are most popular for SEO?
• Where do Vape/Pod products sell best?
• Where are your competitors concentrating?

Why

• Why should customers use your vape/pod products? (the standout features of the product or service)
• Why choose SEO over other channels?

Who (Ai?)

• Who are the target customers for vape/pod products in Vietnam? (Young people, vape and pod enthusiasts, smokers who want to quit gradually, and so on)
• Who are your direct and indirect customers?
• Who are your direct and indirect competitors?

How

• How do you reach your customers effectively on Google?
• How do you get to the top?
• How do you get customers interested in your content and products?
• How do you grow your brand's reach, scale and recognition?
• How do you turn target customers into real customers?
• How do you keep customers for the longest time?
• How do you drive conversions on the website and in articles?
• Is there a way to do it differently from your competitors?

Those are some thoughts from Mona Media about the model What is 5W1H? Using 5W1H to build a marketing strategy. We hope this article helps you understand the formula and apply it to a specific marketing strategy with strong results.

Applying the 5W1H model to a marketing strategy helps your work deliver results quickly. In practice, though, a solid, clear strategic plan that performs well takes deep, careful data analysis and a good understanding of the environment, industry, business, competitors, product and target customers.

If you don't have the time, or a highly skilled marketing team to build a proper marketing strategy, and want it completely free when you use SEO services, our marketing team can help. We are proud to be an agency leading in SEO for websites in Vietnam, with more than 300+ projects successful projects that helped clients grow revenue. Contact us for SEO strategy consulting tailored to your business.

You can also read more about MONA's SEO and marketing strategy to understand it better.

If you also need advice on marketing, business website design service, brand building or infrastructure solutions, contact MONA Media for immediate support.

For any information, please contact MONA at:

• Address: 1073/23 Cach Mang Thang Tam, Ward 7, Tan Binh, Ho Chi Minh City

• Email: info@mona-media.com

• Hotline: 1900 636 648