Essay on Stages in a Marketing Plan

Marketing is the action or business of promoting and selling goods or services. A person who works in advocating for the good or service is called a marketer (Meerman, 2011). The main and most valuable purpose of marketing is to create awareness of a good or service to increase its sale. A customer is the most valuable business asset so marketing is mainly aimed at attraction of customers. It is therefore important for any organization to have a marketing plan. There are very many advantages of marketing in a growing an established business organization. Marketing helps the organization management to identify the different needs of the consumers. This is because a marketing plan should involve direct consultation with customers to know their

The purpose of this article is to analyze and explore the characteristics of the marketing plan. Firstly, it will identify the role and nature of marketing plan. Secondly, it will outlines the structure of the marketing plan. Moreover, the paper will determines the each elements in the marketing plan and the linkage between these elements. Additionally, the two misconceptions will be examined. Last, it will conclude the marketing plan is indispensable to the organizations.

A well-developed marketing plan is an essential blueprint for a business to attain the prime financial support and consumer base it requires in order for it to develop and grow. A marketing plan’s detailed structure allows manager’s to define the business’ marketing strategies in clear and in-depth formats that feature a precise roadmap to future growth and expansion. A first class and properly structured marketing plan will guide the entire organization’s marketing actions and keep them focused and dedicated toward achieving the company 's overall goals and strategies.

In order to the success of a marketing process, planning is vital to give purpose and direction to all the business’s activities.

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Marketing planning is a systematic process involving the assessment of marketing opportunities and resources, the determination of marketing objectives and the development of a plan for implementation and control.’ Dibb and Simkin, Marketing: Concepts and Strategies, 2001

Firstly, some commonly used terms and their definitions will be introduced in this report in order to provide some basic knowledge and understandings of the principles and studies about marketing strategy planning.

In the process of creating a marketing strategy it must consider many factors. Of those many factors, some are more important than others. Because each strategy must address some unique considerations, it is not reasonable to identify 'every' important

Strategic marketing plan is the process for moving the organization forward to achieve its marketing goals. No one can predict the future but formulating a strategic marketing plan, the organizations will be able to change better directions. For example making a business plan for the next three years, to be able to get there the company should create a company’s roadmap and vision. A good strategic plan achieves the following.

Due to immense technological advancements and globalization of businesses all over the world, everything seems to change dramatically including marketing planning function within a company. These two factors among others have forced companies to adopt more flexible marketing strategies in order for them to gain a competitive advantage. Zinkhan & Pereira (1994) note that marketing planning is a sub-set of strategic planning within a company is integral to the success or failure of the company.

In this research project I will be mainly looking at the marketing strategy plan and do a thorough search on this topic. The project will have 6 sub-sections. Namely, the review of literature, methodology, processing of findings, conclusion, reference list and the appendix. Helping me to answer the question ‘What make a good marketing strategy plan?’ is the feedback on the questionnaires that I will compile and send out to companies. The questionnaires will be derived from the literature review.

The purpose of marketing planning and its principal focus are the identification and creation of competitive advantage. Marketing planning is the planned application of marketing resources to achieve marketing objectives.

Marketing planning can be done through biweekly meetings in which the marketing strategic plan is set. It helps to provide a framework to consider the future, appraising the various options and developing strategies to meet their objectives. Without planning both strategic and operational activities would be uncoordinated and lack in focus.

Westwood, J., 2002, The Marketing Plan: A step-by-step Guide. 3rd ed., London, Kogan Page Limited, p

In marketing, the business model a firm chose can be one of the ways that reflects the process of value-creating into the market. It defined the physical elements of the enterprise and the procedure about taking apart in the marketplace and market shares acquisition. Strategy and tactics are the two key components of the business model. Philip Kotler(2001) said that, “marketing plan plays an important role in the course of strategic planning, which is the basis for all marketing strategies and decisions.” In words, marketing plan is the key strategy of products or brands and there are two kinds of it. On the one hand, strategic marketing plan depicts the total business goal and strategies with a basement of the current market atmosphere and analyses of possible opportunities. On the other hand, followed the strategic marketing plan, tactical marketing plan formulates a series of specific activities like brand building, incentives and communication.