How to Develop a Marketing Plan that Will Add Value to Your Business
Studies show that companies with a marketing plan in place are more likely to be successful in their marketing efforts. One study showed that businesses that plan grow 30% faster. According to another study, 71% of fast-growing companies have plans. Those companies create budgets, set sales goals, and document marketing & sales strategies.
A solid marketing plan will help you generate leads, build awareness with your target audience, develop relationships with your customers, and ultimately boost profitability.
Your marketing plan also serves as a blueprint that helps to build energy, morale & accountability throughout the organization. It’s a strategic tool that helps to
…show more content…
Learn more about defining your target market.
• SWOT Analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats. A firm understanding of your businesses strengths, weaknesses, etc. as well as those of your competition, provides you with better direction for positioning your company and knowing which opportunities you are in a strong position to leverage. Check out this simple SWOT analysis sample.
• Develop S.M.A.R.T. Goals. As you establish objectives for your marketing plan, use the S.M.A.R.T. acronym as a reminder that all objectives should Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound. HubSpot offers a free template for setting S.M.A.R.T. goals.
• Formulate supporting strategies and tactics. This is where a lot of your earlier work will come into play. Understanding your audience, knowing which opportunities you’re in the best position to take advantage of and which tools will be best for reaching your audience are all part of creating strategies that will help you reach your goals. It’s important to stay in tune with customer buying habits and marketing trends so that you have the insights necessary to put the right strategies into place. For example, according to Gartner, properly executed inbound marketing tactics are 10 times more effective for lead conversion compared to more traditional outbound methods. In addition to a plethora of evidence confirming the ROI of inbound marketing methodologies,
A successful marketing campaign needs a lot of planning up front, a very granular plan, down to the details can help eliminate any surprises along the way and ensure a smooth campaign and increase the chances of achieving your goals.
In The Marketing Plan Handbook, Chernev gives a simplified approach to writing marketing plans. It outlines the basic principles of writing a marketing plan and it puts emphasis on marketing as a value-management process. It incorporates the relevant aspects of the business, such as the financial, operational, technological and organizational aspects. Chernev states that marketing plans do not have to be lengthy but should contain need-to-know information and not so much nice-to-know information which is not directly related to the decision at hand and is rarely actionable. He breaks down the marketing plan in eight parts: executive summary, situation analysis, goal, strategy,
A marketing plan is interracial to the success of any business. Regardless of size or what you’re trying to sell it’s going to the back bone of profitability. There are many different aspects that go into making a market plan including: market
The marketing department needs a solid and sustainable business plan to serve its clients while functioning as a business unit that offers fair pricing and timely service.
To market properly a product a company must first figure out whom that target market is. Knowing what age, sex, lifestyle, and working class to market the product is the information required. A company must also understand how to market that product to the buyers and the consumers of its product. A buyer does not have to be the consumer and sometimes both are the same it depends on the product and the target market. Knowing, who the company competitors are, how, and where they sell their products is a key for properly promoting a product. Understanding where to find this information and what to do with this information is a key marketing tool that will make the promotion of a product
The marketing plan is essential to keep the sales of a product continually growing. Just how essential is a marketing plan? Let 's take a look at a plan gone wrong.
A successful marketing strategy plan is fit with the appropriate context, whether it is measured successfully is depends on the companies. Strategies have two essential characteristics, they are made in advance of the action to which they apply, and they are
Successful marketing requires money, but it also requires a great deal of preparation. Without a solid marketing plan, you are not prepared to make decisions that ensure that you are spending your budgeted funds appropriately, wisely and effectively. A strong plan will include at least the following:
A good marketing plan is nothing but the blueprint for marketing products and services, and step-by-step guidance to deliver marketing strategies for the business (Brassington et al, 2012). This is a true, detailed document that sets perfect, true and measurable functions.
For example achieve 4% profit by the end of 2006 Businesses need to have aims and objectives in order to have a direction to follow and gain the best they can out of their business. Objectives of a business need to be SMART, this means: * Specific…They need to relate
An effective marketing plan is one of the most important steps in introducing a new product or service. It is an essential tool in preparing executives, employees, and partners of the company in understanding the strategy to entering the market place with success. Having a solid marketing plan will not only ensure that the company is sticking to the schedule, but that the marketing resources are being disbursed wisely and appropriately (U.S. Small Business Administration). Some of the main objectives of an effective marketing plan include knowing and understanding the customer’s needs, ensuring the businesses strategy is in line with meeting those needs, developing a mission statement and strategy around meeting those needs, utilizing advertising activities that lead to successful interactions with customers, and having effective communication between the customers and the organization (Tanner & Raymond, 2012). The objectives of the marketing plan are met through several elements that summarize the goals, describe the offering, address the market, formulate the strategy, and determine a budget (Tanner & Raymond, 2012).
The marketing plan bonds with the overall financial and business plan. This plan contents a strategy for success, and breaks it down into coherent, actionable components that will aid The Sub Shop to implement marketing activities to obtain a return on investment. The following areas will help explain, how the company organise differentiation from the competition, and define the strategy that will drive its business forward.
Putting together a marketing plan is often labor intensive and essential to the success of the business, subsequently, often many departments will contribute in their field of expertise.
The plan could explain the market specifically, goods specific and/or covering the whole companies accomplishments that are in the market in favor of. In the position of the product and/or service be part of the company’s approach to valuation that the marketing plan will be successful. The company and the marketing agency can test the data to attended that the marketing gaining the goal attended for the product and/or service. In achieving a practical marketing plan the
After considering all the above factors a marketing plan is going to be prepared to enhance their sales and to provide better quality than their competitors.