Marketing Plan Sample Outline

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There are a variety of styles and formats used for marketing plans. The following section headings will help you organize your plan. The content of the plan is much more important than rigid adherence to a specific format. I. Executive Summary

The Executive Summary highlights the main goals and recommendations of the marketing plan. It should also briefly address budget requirements and how success will be measured. II. Business Overview

This section is sometime referred to as the Situation nalysis segment. In a typical marketing plan! it contains relevant background on the market! product! pricing! and distribution situations as well as on competitors. Information "enters can describe their business in these terms as well. ssuming the planning process takes place at the end of a fiscal year! this section may be a recap of the business for the past #$ months. "onsider describing your customer base! services required by your customers! and environmental factors affecting your operation. %es! Information "enters have competition. &ow has the Internet affected your business' re other departments loading content for their use' Include any hard or anecdotal data on ()I available to you! as well as information on the Information "enter*s impact on the business. Some marketing plan templates include the S+)T ,Strengths! +eaknesses! )pportunities! Threats- nalysis in this segment. )thers insert a separate segment devoted to the S+)T nalysis. In the light of the business situation .ust described! you must now reflect on strengths and weaknesses of your operation! as well as opportunities and threats to be dealt with in the coming year. III. Target Market

&ow well do you know your target market' &ow well do you understand their information needs' "an you articulate what your customers and potential customers need as opposed to what you offer' re there groups to whom you should be /selling0 who are not now /buying0 your services' re there ways to segment your market so that you can offer highly specialized products and services to various groups! reflecting their business priorities' +hat kind of
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products should be offered to a broad base of users' nswering these questions will help you define your target market. IV. G als

+hat do you want to achieve' The goal statement,s- should be challenging and yet! attainable. Is it important to increase the number of departments served' +hich departments' 1o you intend to provide more training programs' Sample goal statements might read2 #. Establish relationship with 3egal and (egulatory 1epartments in first quarter. $. (educe staff time spent on call4in! ad hoc requests for help with Internet searching

V.

Marketing Strategies

&ere strategies and programs are outlined which will help us reach the goals outlined above. 5or the two goals suggested previously! strategies might read as follows2 #. 6rovide daily news delivery for all persons in 3egal and (egulatory 1epartments on trial basis for $ weeks as first step in increasing business with these departments. $. Increase the number of Internet training sessions by #78 over the course of the year. VI. Implementati n Tactics

Tasks required to implement and monitor each strategy are listed in this section. +ith each task! the person responsible for the task! and a completion target date are indicated. &aving a plan of action with specific tasks ensures that the details are clear and that specific persons are accountable. 5or example2 #. 1aily news delivery trial for 3egal 9 (egulatory 1epartments Task a1escription :eet with 1epartment 1irectors to promote plan! including budget implications for departments following trial.
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:eet with vendor to set up trial. +ork with vendor and designates from each department to define profiles. Schedule meeting with all members of both departments to pro4mote trial? sell concept of customization following $4week trial. 3aunch trial. Schedule mid4trial meeting for feedback and refinements. ssess trial results. 3aunch customized news delivery to groups. (eview on quarterly basis.

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$. Increase the number of Internet training sessions by #78 over the course of the year. 6erson "ompletio Task 1escription (esponsi n 1ate ble (eview most frequent requests for help with Internet # aand deter4mine appropriate applications for classes. 1.&. ;#< b"ontact "onsultant to design course on government 1.&. #;$7 sites (eview course proposed by consultant and set #; ctargets for testing. :.3.! 1.&. @7 dTrial run of course with Information "enter staff. 1.&. $;$7 eSchedule and promote course for organization 1.&. @;# f(eview and modify! if needed! based on evaluations. 1.&.! @;#< "ons.

VII.

Bu!get

&ow much will the activities defined above cost' "an you provide a revenue forecast' Explain the assumptions on which the forecast is based and consider various ,best case! worst case- scenarios. Since many Information "enters now operate as cost centers! if not profit centers! this component of the plan is extremely important. VIII. Evaluati n " #esults

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+hat are the success criteria' &ow will you measure success of the plan' Dy monitoring progress! you can .udge the success of the marketing plan. If some of the strategies are not working out! try to determine why. Is the strategy flawed' Is there a problem with implementation or timing' &ow can you refocus and move on'

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