How to Write a

Marketing Plan

Table of Contents
Marketing Plan
Chapter
I Executive Summary
II Business Review
III Marketing Strategy and Objectives
IV Environmental Analysis
V Marketing Executions and Cbtrol
VI Financial

The Marketing Plan is

a highly detailed, heavily
researched and, hopefully,
well written report that
many inside and possibly
outside the organization
will evaluate.

In many respects, the Marketing

Plan is the most important
document
produced
by
marketers as it not only helps to
justify what has occurred in the
past, but is critical for explaining
where a company intends to go
in the future.

The Marketing Plan is

widely used by both large
corporate
marketing
departments and also by small
startup companies.
It is particularly
important for marketers who
seek funding for new projects
or to expand existing products
or services.

Essentials of A Marketing
Plan
1.
forces the marketing personnel to look
internally in order to fully understand the results
of past marketing decisions.
2.
forces the marketing personnel to look
externally in order to fully understand the
market in which they operate.
3.
sets future goals and provides direction for
future marketing efforts that everyone within
the organization should understand and support.
4.
is a key component in obtaining funding to
pursue new initiatives.

The Marketing Plan is generally undertaken for one of

the following reasons:

1.
Needed as part of the yearly planning
process within the marketing functional
area
2. Needed for a specialized strategy to
introduce something new, such as new
product planning, entering new markets,
or
3. Trying a new strategy to fix an existing
problem.
4. Is a component within an overall
business plan, such as a new business
proposal to the financial community.

A marketing plan is an essential

marketing tool for every small business. Use
the guide on the following pages to answer
these 10 questions

1.
Marketing Strategy: How will your
marketing plan support your business
goals?
2.
Mission Statement: What are you
trying to accomplish, and why?
3.
Target Market: Who are you trying to
reach with your marketing activities?
4.
Competitive Analysis: Who are you
up against, and where do you rank?
5.
Unique Selling Proposition: What
makes your business unique?

A marketing plan is an essential

marketing tool for every small business. Use
the guide on the following pages to answer
these 10 questions

Pricing Strategy: What will you charge,

and why?
7. Promotional Plan: How will you reach
your target market?
8.
Marketing Budget: How much money
will you spend, and on what?
9.
Action List: What tasks do you need to
complete to reach your marketing goals?
10. Metrics: How are you implementing, and
where can you improve?
6.

What is An Executive Summary

An executive summary previews the main

points of an in-depth report; it is written for
nontechnical people who don't have time to
read the main report. The executive report
contains enough information for a reader to
get familiarized with what is discussed in
the full report without having to read it.
Here is how you write an executive report.

business report exceeding four pages. Write the

summary after you write the main report, and
make sure it is no more than one-tenth the
length of the main report.
2 List the main points the summary will cover in
the same order they appear in the main report.
3 Write a simple declarative sentence for each of
the main
points.
4 Add supporting or explanatory sentences as
needed,
avoiding unnecessary
technical material and jargon.

5 Read the summary slowly and critically,

making sure it conveys your purpose,
message and key recommendations. You
want readers to be able to skim the
summary without missing the point of the
main report.
6 Check for errors of style, spelling, grammar
and
punctuation. Ask a fellow writer to
proofread and edit the document.
7 Ask a nontechnical person -- -- to read the
document. If it confuses or bores them, the
summary probably will have the same
effect on other nontechnical readers.

Business Review
Also called Historical Background, this
important section answers the question Where
are we now? And leads to the marketing plan
itself. To be able to interpret and plan the future
effectively, a marketer must not only have
foresight in spotting future opportunities but also
evaluate his past performance, especially the last
12 months. Note, however , a trend can be
observed by comparing historical data in both
company and industry data.

In writing the business review ,

readers are cautioned not to be
overwhelmed with the amount of data
needed if the business review and
marketing plan are being prepared for
the first time. They should start with
whatever data is available and update
them little by little over time.

Contents of the business

review.
1.
2.

3.
4.

5.

Corporate mission
Historical sale, market shares, profit and key
activities, including that of competing brands
whenever available
Total market and segment size
Total market and segment growth rates/
trends
Understanding the consumer ( an update)
Who buys? What was bought? When was it
bought? How was it bought? And why was it
bought? And etc..

Marketing Objectives and Strategies

Marketing objectives should lead to sales. (If
not, you need to set different marketing
objectives.)
They should:
-Be clear in ofering business
performance
management & information.
-Be measurable, and have a stated
time
frame for achievement.

Examples of marketing objectives follow:

Increase product awareness among the target

audience by 30 percent in one year.
Inform target audience about features and
benefits of our product and its competitive
advantage, leading to a 10 percent increase in
sales in one year.
Decrease or remove potential customers'
resistance to buying our product, leading to a 20
percent increase in sales that are closed in six
months or less.

The marketing strategy

section of your plan outlines
your game plan to achieve
your marketing objectives. It
is, essentially, the heart of the
marketing plan. The marketing
strategy section should
include information about:

Product - your product(s)and services

Price - what you will charge customers
for products and services
Promotion - how you will promote or
create awareness of your product in the
marketplace
Place (distribution) - how you will bring
your product(s) together with your
customers

Product Description
A product can be a physical item, a service,
or an idea.
Describe in detail your products or services
in terms of the features and benefits they
offer customers.
Describe what you need to have or do to
provide your product or service (how it's
produced).

Pricing
List the price of your products and describe
your pricing strategy. List price ranges for
product lines. For example, if your product
is a line of cosmetics, include information in
this strategy section about your lipsticks
"ranging in price from P5.00 to P15.00 per
item" rather than a detailed product price
list. (You should, however, consider
including a detailed price list in the
Supporting Documents section.)

Promotion Plan
A promotion plan
describes the tools or
tactics used to
accomplish your
marketing objectives.

If your marketing
objective is to:

Then tools or tactics

might be:
Advertise in baby care or
motherhood magazines.
Create awareness of
baby care products Distribute product samples to
among mothers of
obstetricians.
newborns.
Offer free baby care seminars
to expectant mothers.
Increase sales of
potato chips to
teens.

Distribute free samples or

discount coupons at high
school football games.
Sponsor an event attended by
teens.

Placement (Sales and Distribution)

In this section, describe
how your products and customers "meet" or
come together through sales and distribution.
Describe your sales philosophies and
methods. Do you employ an aggressive sales
method for a large number of quick sales, or
a relaxed method where the emphasis is on
having customers feel comfortable to come
back another time even if they don't buy
now? Do you use contract sales people or
employees? Explain your approach to sales
issues.

Describe your distribution system. (Where

will your product be placed so customers
have access to it?) A few points about
distribution to address in your marketing
plan are:
1. Is the exchange of the product made in a
store? Through the mail? Through a direct
sales representative?
2. What are your production and inventory
capacities? (How quickly can you make
products and how many can you store?)

3.
Are there cyclical fluctuations or
seasonal demands for your products? For
example, if you produce Christmas
decorations, how will you manage peak
production and sales periods as well as slow
periods?
4.
Do you sell to individuals or to resellers? Your company may use more than
one method. For example, you may sell
directly to customers who place large orders
but also sell to customers who buy small
quantities of your product through retail
outlets.

Preparing A Marketing
Environmental Analysis
Marketing environmental analysis
helps a business understand external
forces
that
can
affect
it.
The
environment, or external forces, are
often factors that a business cannot
control, yet it is important to be aware of
environmental concerns when preparing
a marketing plan or introducing a new
product to the market.

The most common method

for
preparing
a
marketing
environmental analysis is to
conduct a PESTLE analysis, which
stands for Political, Economic,
Social, Technological, Legal and
Environmental, all areas affecting
a business

Instructions in preparing a
marketing environmental analysis
Identify the purpose for conducting a
PESTLE analysis. Your organization may
be introducing a new product or service
to the market, entering a new market
with an existing product, creating a
strategic marketing plan, or analyzing
environmental factors that have caused
a recent decline in sales. Know your goal
so that you can focus your efforts.

Instructions in preparing a
marketing environmental analysis
Investigate political factors that
would impact your subject. There may be
pending legislation that would affect how
you can market your products, cutbacks
in government spending that would
impact your cash flow, or political factors
within your own organization, such as
majority stockholders being against a
new idea.

Instructions in preparing a
marketing environmental analysis
3
Research economic factors that may affect
you. Poor economic conditions may mean that
your target consumer has cut back on spending,
and won't be willing to pay as much for your
products. There may be tax implications for
starting a certain type of business, or tax
incentives for introducing an environmentally
friendly product.

Instructions in preparing a
marketing environmental analysis
4
Identify social factors that could influence
your subject. Consumer opinions, trends and
buying patterns, the brand image of your
company and ethnic or religious views are all
potential social factors.

Instructions in preparing a
marketing environmental analysis

5.
Discuss technology and its impact on
your business or product. Whether you are
introducing new technology to the market
or you will need technology to conduct
business, technology is an important issue
to consider. Examine available technology,
competition and Internet implications

Instructions in preparing a
marketing environmental analysis
6.
Examine the legal implications of
conducting business, introducing this product,
or entering this market. You may be taking on
additional liability by entering a youth market,
for example, and may need to carry additional
insurance to cover potential lawsuits.
Legislation can also be a part of legal
implications.

Instructions in preparing a
marketing environmental analysis

7.
Review the environmental impacts of
your plan. If you are introducing a product
that is environmentally friendly, it may open
doors to additional markets. If your product
is harmful to the environment, you will have
additional legal concerns to address

Instructions in preparing a
marketing environmental analysis
8.
Review each factor and rate its
importance. Determine the level of impact it
could potentially have on your marketing plan,
and whether the impact will be positive or
negative. Address any negative impacts with
high importance prior to launching your idea or
product, or develop a plan for overcoming
them.