I am often asked to perform marketing tasks for small businesses that are operating without a marketing plan. In many cases, I’m able to demonstrate how their investment is more effective and efficient when part of a plan. The plan gives you an objective reference as to whether you are on target, it helps you control costs, stay focused, and to make sure that team members are in synch, as you begin to grow.
Perhaps most importantly, the plan helps you to understand what works for you and what does not, so that you can fine-tune your efforts. I believe a marketing plan should be a relatively brief, straightforward and easy to follow guide for your business over a specific period of time.
Here is a template for a generic marketing plan to help your business get moving in 2010.
I. Executive Summary
- Brief summary of goals and overall recommendations (write this last)
II. Business Description
(it’s a good idea to refresh the team on the basics of the business)
- One sentence description of services/products provided
- 30-second commercial
- Points of Difference/Benefits
- Your Unique Positioning Statement
- SWOT analysis outcomes
III. Environmental Scan
- Overview of current market situation (product, pricing, distribution), competition, challenges, trends
- Services required by customers
- Changes in customer demands
- What marketing activities are the most successful currently, what’s not working
- Overview of past year’s performance, ROI, profit margin etc.
IV. Target Market
- Profile of primary and secondary target markets
- Consider geography, industry, size, accessibility, decision-makers, service gaps, underserved markets
- Segment your market by common characteristics
- What’s most important to customers?
- Does your market niche need to be more specific? Broader?
V. Goals
- What do you wish to achieve in your business? Example: Increase sales in a division by a certain percentage
- Be specific about when and what
VI. Marketing Strategies
- Outline marketing programs and strategies to reach each of your goals
VII. Tactics
- Outline the tasks required to implement and monitor each strategy
VIII. Budget
(expenses and revenue forecast)
IX. Evaluation
(when to determine success, how to evaluate, what needs to be changed, etc)
If you don’t already have a marketing plan, this is the year to make it a priority. With our current economy, don’t lose sight of the importance of marketing. It is a proven fact that companies that continue to focus on marketing during down times come out ahead of the competition when things get better.
