Without a compass it is impossible to travel to unknown areas. The same is true for companies trying to overcome market challenges without a marketing plan. And yet: according to Search Engine Journal, 50% of small and medium business owners are not business owners.

Business Plan Executive Summary Example & Template

We get it – creating a marketing plan can be quite a challenge, especially if you’re starting from scratch. What should be there? What is not important?

Your marketing plan depends on the size and type of your business. Look at examples of companies in the same field or of the same size and type, they should be North Star.

However, you can always find great frameworks to apply to your marketing plan regardless of industry. You need to adapt the approach to your business and keep building from there.

A marketing plan can vary from a few pages to a road map that covers all aspects of the business. To determine scope, you need to ask yourself: What is the purpose of my marketing plan?

What Is A Marketing Plan? Types And How To Write One

For some companies, it describes a certain marketing strategy and certain actions. For others, it sets standards for evaluating results. There are also companies that attract investors, so they need a comprehensive marketing plan that describes the future of the company.

Keeping your goal in mind is the best way to determine what should be included in your marketing plan.

The marketing plan you create should answer the questions: Who are my target customers? How can I reach them? How do I store them? And this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Every business is unique, so think about what fits your goals and target customers, rather than blindly following a pattern.

How To Write A Business Plan Outline

To help you incorporate important considerations, we’ve broken down the key elements of a marketing plan and highlighted key approaches and best practices with numerous examples. Think of these elements as steps towards your goal.

First things first: you need to start creating your marketing plan. This section includes background information about your business and an overview of what you have done, what you want to do and how you plan to achieve it.

The purpose of a summary is not to provide detailed information, but to create a situation and grab the readers’ attention. All of the summary sections are a high-level view of the information you’ll develop later in your marketing plan. Although this is the first part of the marketing plan, it is usually written last.

Here’s a great example from Palo Alto Software. The summary of this sample marketing plan for an organic bakery is short and simple. At this point, you want to give readers context and set expectations.

Hotshot Trucking Business Plan Template

A mission statement is a sentence that describes your company’s goals and philosophy. This action-oriented statement tells customers the purpose of your company.

The modern customer is more valuable than the price itself. According to Stackla, 86% of consumers consider authenticity important when deciding which brands to support.

The outdoor clothing and equipment brand Patagonia is dedicated to protecting the environment. And that’s more than words. In addition to sustainable and recyclable products, the brand donates 1% of sales to environmental protection and restoration.

When writing your assignment, state your business ethics. This is not a wrong sentence. This is the core of your business. The best way to approach this is to ask yourself why you are in business and what problem are you solving?

Business Proposal Sample For Restaurant

You cannot have an effective marketing plan without clear goals. They show the direction your business is going. When deciding on your marketing goals, you should follow the SMART framework – set goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based.

Setting marketing goals requires defining expected results so you can measure performance and take action as needed. In defining your goals, you should answer the following questions:

In this example, event planning company MPlans sets SMART goals that can be easily measured and tracked.

Realizing your company’s full potential requires a clear picture of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats you face. SWOT analysis allows you to identify all internal and external factors that affect the success of your company.

Research Plan Templates

Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors that you can influence to a certain extent, while opportunities and threats are external factors that arise from the environment that surrounds your business.

However, knowing your company’s business conditions gives you insight into your marketing plan and decisions about your company as a whole.

Here is an example of a SWOT analysis for a perennial farm growing a variety of medicinal plants. Although it produces high-quality plants and has business development and horticultural expertise, it faces a lack of funding and threats from homogenous farms. However, growing market opportunities and customer needs depend on a long-term relationship with a botanical vendor.

Based on the information in the SWOT matrix, you can determine the next steps and the best way to achieve your goals.

Business Consulting Business Plan

The next step is thorough market research. This section should include an industry overview, define buyer personas, create a competitive analysis, and conduct customer surveys and interviews.

Start by analyzing your market. Keeping your finger on the pulse of the industry helps you understand needs and opportunities.

Next, you need to decide on your target audience. If your product is good for everyone, that means it’s good for no one. A targeted audience leads to targeted marketing and higher conversions.

Although every customer is unique, you can create personalized customer profiles that share common characteristics with your target audience. Here you need to identify information such as demographics, location, interests, purchase intent and anything else that relates to your target audience.

Conducting A Market Analysis For Your Small Business

In this Cyberclick example, you can see all the important information used during the research, objectives, pain points, research methods and tools, and how the company is able to meet the needs of customers.

Competitive analysis is an important part of market research. Monitoring your competitors will give you an overview of their strategy and allow you to prepare accordingly.

Not sure what competitive analysis is? Here are examples of the elements you need to differentiate yourself from the competition.

Another important segment of market research is mapping the customer’s journey from first contact to purchase. The best way to gather information is to conduct a survey or interview with customers.

Business Plan Template

Explore the sources and channels your target audience uses during research, analyze their stages at each stage of the buyer’s journey and understand what motivates them to buy.

Now that you’ve laid the groundwork, it’s time to dive deeper into defining your strategy. If you sell a product, you must determine the marketing mix using the 4Ps: product, price, place, and promotion.

Service-oriented entrepreneurs must recognize the 8Ps of marketing: product, price, place, promotion, people, process, physical evidence, and performance.

Let’s take a look at Warby Parker’s marketing strategy. The direct-to-consumer eyewear company started with a simple goal: to solve the problem of expensive glasses.

Sales Plan & Sales Strategy Templates [word & Excel]

From custom cellulose acetate to ultra-lightweight titanium, Warby Parker uses premium materials for its frames. Glasses and lenses range from about $95 to $295, which is usually less than the competition.

Although Warby Parker started its online business in 2010, it opened its first store in 2013. Today, it has more than a hundred brick-and-mortar stores.

Its strategy is heavily based on PR, user-generated content and a mobile app packed with user-friendly features like virtual framing with augmented reality.

Creating a marketing budget can be difficult – especially for small businesses. However, you must allocate sufficient resources to implement the projects outlined in your marketing plan.

Free Business Plan Template [updated For 2022]

A marketing budget should cover all the different areas of marketing – from brand and creative to product marketing, digital content, events and more.

While you may have separate plans for each segment, you can create individual budgets and determine your overall marketing spend using this Master Marketing Budget template from HubSpot.

To give you an idea of what a complete marketing plan looks like, we’re sharing seven more examples and templates that will give you a step-by-step overview of the essential elements of an effective marketing plan.

Baton Rouge markets itself as the “True Louisiana Experience,” helping to rekindle local passion and enthusiasm. From a detailed SWOT analysis to a well-defined target audience, you can look back on your marketing plan.

Sample Business Plan Template

In this high-level overview of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions marketing strategy and the 2021 admissions cycle, the University of Illinois develops a detailed marketing plan. One thing that is different about this marketing plan is the approach to defining goals, tactics and performance indicators for each segment.

The HubSpot template includes sections for the business summary, business initiatives, target market, market strategy, budget, marketing channels, and other important aspects of the marketing plan.

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Market Research Template For Business Plan