A marketing plan is more than a simple list of advertising or promotional activities. Also, it is not the same as a business plan. A business plan (which typically includes a marketing section) is more extensive and is often created by someone seeking financing for a new business.

So, what is a marketing plan? The analysis you complete for your plan will help you understand how you compare to the competition. This is important information. If you don't know your current position, how do you know your marketing is heading in the right direction?

Your plan helps you determine specific marketing actions you should take. It helps you build a marketing roadmap to guide you, and your employees, throughout the year. With everything on paper, you can plug in costs and project marketing expenses for the year. A plan prevents you from spending more on marketing than your budget can handle.

Having a plan keeps you on track. It’s easy to bow to high pressure sales people pitching advertising not right for your company. When you stick to a plan, you avoid decisions on a “whim.”

Following a marketing plan ensures your marketing is consistent, not sporadic. Busy workdays turn into busy weeks and months. It’s easy to forget about marketing. Your plan will help build recognition and top-of-mind awareness for your business, by keeping you in the public eye.

Five Quick Tips:

• Complete your plan by the end of the fiscal year, so you are fully prepared to begin marketing the beginning of the following year. You should still be flexible and change the plan throughout the year if needed.
• Know your target audience and the best way to reach them. As a small business, you don’t have the resources to do everything. Narrow your plan down to marketing that reaches your audience. If you don’t know what that is, ask your current customers. Do they read newspaper ads? What radio station do they listen to?
• Know your Unique Selling Proposition or USP. All of your marketing should revolve around your USP, so take time figuring out what it is. This is one of your first steps in writing a marketing plan. What sets your product or service apart from your competition? Is it cheaper, more personalized or more convenient? Take this feature, think of the benefit to the user and develop a memorable message or tag line from it. Use this message in all advertising.
• Create a marketing calendar as part of your plan. If you have employees, assign tasks and note who is responsible on your calendar. Check your marketing calendar at the end of each month. Stay on track with what you need to do for the following and coming months.
• Repeat what works. Once you've built a plan, you don’t have to start from scratch each year. If an ad brought in business, repeat it. If direct mail didn’t, look at changing your approach or eliminating it. The key is to track your efforts, so you know what works and what doesn't. Just keep in mind, that some marketing efforts like public relations activities, won’t show measurable results right away.

Go Beyond the Basics