Let’s start with a definition of a marketing plan, so we are sure that we are talking about the same thing:
- A strategy. “The marketing plan is the future steps of marketing activities and communications aimed at achieving the company’s long-term goals, with the calculation of all costs, risks, and strategies.”
- A result of the in-depth analysis. “A marketing plan is a comprehensive analysis of the current state of the business, aimed at achieving the long-term goals of the company, with calculations of all risks and costs. An annual marketing plan will help you choose the right course to achieve your company’s business goals.”
- Substance + form. “A marketing plan is a step-by-step guide to achieving the short-term and long-term goals of a company or project. Most often, the document contains a set of actions necessary to implement the brand strategy. The marketing plan can be presented in any format convenient for the company, for example, in the form of an Excel spreadsheet, PDF file, Word document, and so on.”
There are different Marketing team planning options, depending on the industry and the goals of your marketing team.
Table of Contents
A Step-by-Step Guide to Help You Get Marketing Strategy Right
Define the goals of your marketing plan
Think in what directions and what exactly you want to do. For example, increase conversions on the site, attract more subscribers on social networks, start an affiliate campaign or increase customer loyalty. Make a list and prioritize to determine the sequence of actions to achieve the desired results.
Analyze the current position of the company
To do this, use the SWOT method (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats). List the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Learn how to write your SWOT analysis correctly. With it, you will see a complete picture of where the company is today and how to improve its competitiveness.
Analyze your target audience
Create a portrait of a potential buyer. The more details it contains, the better. Consider every little detail as it can play a decisive role in targeting and preparing your ad. Read more on how to compose a client profile and where to get data in our blog. Use these questions:
- WHAT. What do you sell? Segment by product/service type
For example we sell clothes for home. There are children’s sets, expensive silk underwear, a large selection of models in primary colors
- WHO. Who are you selling to? Segment by customer type
For example, we sell comfortable cotton home suits for housewives, have separate bed linen for interior designers, and sets for mothers with primary school children.
- WHY. What is your customer’s motivation to make a purchase of your product?
For example, bed linen is brought to provide a basic need for comfort, please a loved one, and reflect your inner world through the outside.
- WHEN. When is your product/service purchased?
For example: bed linen is bought regularly every 3-4 months for no reason, home clothes sets for children every 2-3 months, for the holidays as a gift.
- WHERE. Where is your product/service bought?
For example: in an online store, in a showroom
Analyze your competitors
Who are the competitors, where are they promoting, and where they are weaker than you – special services will help you figure it out. You will see where other companies get traffic from, what requests users are referring to, and what content is popular now. This data will allow you to focus on the most promising channels.
List the tasks
Think about what needs to be done and in what directions, prepare a detailed plan. Set a deadline for each task, and also define KPIs that will help track results.
Make a preliminary budget
This will help keep financial records and control costs at every stage. Write down how much you are willing to allocate for advertising on social networks, on Google, and so on. A preliminary calculation of the budget will allow you to correctly distribute the money and not go into the red.
Establish a circle of responsible persons
Think about who and at what stages will be responsible for completing the assigned tasks. This approach will allow you to delegate responsibilities, increase team efficiency, and speed up the process of achieving the desired results.
Avoid vague goals and objectives
For example, a goal to “drive more traffic to your site” will not help you get ahead. Make it more specific. Define what quality of traffic, how many visitors, leads, which conversion you aim for, when, etc.
Is There a Simpler Way to Write a Marketing Plan?
Yes, of course, there is a simple way. First, suppose you need a marketing plan as a part of your academic project. In that case, you can address a high-quality essay writing service that specializes in Business, Marketing, Finance, and other similar disciplines, such as WriteMyPaperHub.com whose expert writers can do your papers written in a strict accordance with your details. Share your instructions, place the order, define the deadline, and receive a quality written marketing plan that will totally suit your professor’s views and demands. Later, you will be able to use this paper as a sample for many other assignments and even as an example of a marketing plan for a simple start-up. It is like buying a textbook that is actually useful.
Another option, more applicable to the situations when you need a real-life marketing plan and a strategy, but you don’t have time to write, is obviously to hire someone professional to do it. This option has its tricks. That is why we want you to make sure you negotiate with a hired specialist and add these chapters to your contact about the marketing plan:
- Determining the overall goal of the plan;
- Selection of persons responsible for drawing up and maintaining the plan;
- Analysis of the previous and current position of the company in the market;
- Determination of goals and timing of planning;
- Detailed development of actions to achieve goals;
- Detailed budgeting for each item of expenditure;
- Accounting for risks and actions in case of unplanned situations;
- Maintaining and adjusting the plan (how it should be done)
Depending on the size of the business and goals, you can add or remove items. Of course, you can adjust this plan, you can hire different specialists for different steps of this plan, but in the end, this list will define your marketing strategy and, in a big part, your succes affiliate marketing write for us
