Guide to your first marketing plan

[linkB2B]

Here is a structure that will fit for most, if not all, marketing plans:
Vision
By definition a vision must be visionary. It is about the "what" not the "why" or the "how". It should be over at least a five year horizon and is concerned with the big picture about where the business wants to be. It should be brief one short sentence will do.
Mission
The mission is about the "why" the reason the business exists. It should inform all stakeholders in the business employees, shareholders and customers exactly what the purpose of the business is.
Target Audiences
Sometimes referred to as stakeholders but basically all of the groups of individuals that the business reacts with or wants to react with in the future. The different audiences should be clearly defined in terms of their size, socio-economic profile, geographic location and purchasing behaviour (if appropriate).
Objectives
Objectives often get confused with strategies. Objectives are the "what"; strategies are the "how". Objectives should contain precise statements of intent in terms of the business growth and profits that will accrue as a result of the marketing plan being implemented. The SMART method of writing objectives is a good discipline to adopt: Specific; Measurable; Achievable; Realistic; Timebound.
Strategies
There can be any number of strategies to support the objectives but ideally there should be no more than five or six. The strategies will define what broad actions are going to be taken to achieve the objectives. It is useful to allocate the strategies to each particular target audience.
Product Pricing
What price will the consumer pay for the product(s) or service(s)? What is the sales margin?
Product Distribution
Where will the consumer buy the product(s) or service(s)?
Promotional Plan
This is where the nuts and bolts of the plan are outlined. The promotional plan cannot stand alone; it has to be borne out of the marketing plan to enable it to have its proper context. The promotional tools that are
deployed will depend on the nature of the target audiences, the objectives and the strategies. However, it is likely that some or all of the following may be considered: Advertising; Direct Marketing (including online); Public Relations; Sales Promotions; Merchandising; Internal Communications.
Customer Market Research
In larger businesses customer research will exist but it may be spread amongst various disciplines and locations within the business. If there is a market research specialist employed in the business then it is his or her job to a) collate all of the customer data and research that exists and b) instigate new research, where appropriate.
Promotions Tracking or Marketing Research
The other key function of research is to track the effectiveness of the marketing/promotional activity. Again, this is probably best dealt with in partnership with a specialist. The Market Research Society can assist in this area.
Budget
The budget is either set in advance by the business and the plan works within its constraints or the budget is borne out of the plan. The latter course is the most effective as it allows the marketing function to propose what is really needed financially to realise the vision and objectives of the business. However, in reality, the marketing plan, more often than not, has to work within the financial constraints imposed on it by the business as whole

[Rigmonkey]

I lost a big chunk of my day yesterday sat in a hastily arranged webinar and picked up some great information regarding marketing. I want to do a longer post when I have the time but the wonderful young lady holding the meeting introduced me to her own version of 'Warm Calling' and it looked really, really effective. I intend to try her system out during December and if it works well, I'll add to this thread in the New Year.

[Garenius]

Thank you for the useful tips, I will definitely take this into account when making my new marketing plan.

[Jake The Ripper]

hey this smells really fishy. i clicked your link and it says...

Business Strategies International assists small and medium sized companies realise their growth potential through insightful analysis and corporate advisory activities. We are uniquely positioned to work with high potential companies because we understand the issues and offer practical solutions. Contact us today to find out how we can make your business grow!

... so woulnd't that mean you are good at marketing plans.

what's going on here?

[OnefortheMoney]

Backlink generation, Jake. You've seen the rant. Now meet the evidence.

Take a look at that website. It's not bad, is it? Read the news items. Highly informative. Think of the value this poster could have here. Come on, Garenius! You've got enough background to help make this place into the PR9 site it deserves to be! A marketer wanting to learn about marketing is like a fish wanting to be taught how to breathe underwater!