The problem is they leap blindly without having a clear plan of attack: A Marketing Plan.
Strategy first then tactics!
“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” – Sun Tzu
A good marketing plan can help you reach your target audience, boost your customer base, and ultimately, increase your bottom line.
It enables you to focus your resources and plan for your company’s growth.
There are no rigid guidelines for a marketing plan, but common elements include:
- Executive summary and company mission
- Market research and analysis
- Competitive research and analysis
- SWOT analysis – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
- Objectives – SMART marketing goals
- Who your target customers
- What products and services you will offer
- Brand positioning
- Pricing
- How you will reach them
- Marketing calendar
- Marketing budget
- Marketing development workflow
- How you will retain your customers, so they repeatedly buy from you
- Monitoring and evaluation
Your marketing plan will be the roadmap you follow to get unlimited customers and dramatically improve the success of your organization.
To get you going here are nine marketing templates from industry experts:
- How to Make a Small Business Marketing Plan – ThriveHive
- Marketing Plan Generator – Hubspot
- Multichannel Marketing on a $2000 Budget: A Sample Plan – BusinessTown
- Multi-Channel Marketing Workbook – Marketo
- Marketing Quarterly/Yearly Planning Customizable PowerPoint Template – Marketo
- Marketing Plan Template: Exactly What To Include –Forbes.com
- Strategic Marketing Plan – Adobe Digital Marketing Blog
- How to Create a Marketing Plan For Success (+ Marketing Plan Templates) – Venngage
- A One Page Marketing Plan Anyone Can Use – Small Business Trends
For even more on planning, check out:
- How Much Should You Spend on Marketing?
- How to Manage Your Entire Marketing Budget [Free Budget Tracker Templates]
- How To Plan Your Marketing Budget With Six Free Templates
- Content Marketing Planning Templates & Other Awesome Resources
