Marketing Plan

A marketing plan is a written set of statements for efficiently moving those things

to the user. The plan is a blueprint and a picture of your success.

When you make a good marketing plan, you enjoy several important benefits. First, and perhaps most important, you get a higher result on investment. You make your dollar work harder towards towards building increased sales and profits than that same dollar would work if it were invested without a plan. Second, you can cut waste. Third, you build efficiency because you know what to do next. Fourth, you unify your team. All become involved and participate as part of the program. Fifth, you minimize risk, mistakes and failures. Finally, you improve your company's progress and prestige - as well as your own. You build a feeling of confidence and personal support among your managers, bankers and owners (and even among your suppliers, and dealer network.)

In summary a good plan begins with a look at the situation. Then a check on company resources: time, money and staff, skills, contacts, dealers, customers, reputation, equipment, supplies and services. Then you set the objectives of the company. Then list your tactical action steps for product and service, price, package, premium, promotion, package,  personnel selling, physical distribution and publicity and advertising. Finally, you set up a budget plan and time schedule.

Our purpose here is to cover those items in rapid and practical manner, so that you can put them to work. We will review the situation, resources, objectives and tactics.

A simple outline will help you quickly see the whole thing in miniature.

Title page
Executive summary page
Situation facts
Company resources
Objectives/ Goals
Tactics/ Strategy
  Product or service
  Price
  Package
  Premium
  Promotion
  Personal Selling
  Physical distribution
  Publicity and advertising

Budget plan
Test market plan
Schedule Plan
Export and market plan
Exhibits or supporting detail

The purpose of the plan is to generate efficient , profitable action. It is a set of usable, practical instructions, designed to ensure that resources are properly applied.

Length. Market plans can run from one brief summary page to over a hundred. But the ideal, for a stand alone document, is twenty to fifty pages. If the plan is part of the total strategic plan of the company then a two to four page marketing section may be adequate. Large volumes of supporting documents can be attached as exhibits or under a separate cover. These seldom need to be part of the action plan.

Style. The plan should be short, practical, to the point, and workmanlike. Include appropriate pertinent facts, brief goal statements and action steps for tactics and strategy. Your plan should not be flowery, legalistic, prosy or wordy. It should be clear well worded, but remember that  it is not a piece of literature.

Marketing Plan Format

N.B. This is a short version of a marketing plan. A good and comprehensive plan where everything is covered will be much more longer.