Create a Marketing Plan that Sells

Most businesspeople agree that good planning is essential for success. Even so, it’s surprising how many companies don’t create a thorough plan to generate and manage their customers.

A marketing plan is a detailed roadmap that outlines all your marketing strategies, tactics, activities, costs and projected results over a period of time. The plan keeps your entire team focused on specific goals – it’s a critical resource for your entire company.

A good marketing plan typically includes:

• Financial goals
• Positioning strategy
• Brand strategy
• Product/service overview
• Detailed goals by product, distribution channel &/or customer segment
• Sales plan
• Major marketing campaigns
• Detailed budget
• Dates to review progress

It takes time to develop a solid plan, but it’s important because it ties all of your activities to tangible goals. It’s also a great opportunity to focus on the future, generate new ideas, and inspire your team. Even a simple plan is better than none, but when you invest more effort upfront, you’ll have a better roadmap toward your goals.