Five Steps To Creating a Marketing Plan Outline and Writing the Plan
by Bobette Kyle

Review: Marketing Plan Pro 11.0 powered by Duct Tape Marketing

As you complete these five steps, you will simultaneously solidify your outline and complete the research necessary to write the plan from that outline. The five steps are:

1.Gather and Analyze Information
2.Verbalize Your Main Challenge(s)
3.Develop Your Objective(s)
4.Create Strategies
5.Choose Marketing Programs

Step 1: Gather and analyze information.

You will need information about your company, competitors, customers, and other industry players. This includes all you know and can research in your industry with respect to products, promotions, pricing structures, distribution channels and federal regulations. Don't forget to research Internet marketing techniques and Websites. From this information, you can complete a Porter 5 Forces analysis and SWOT as well as identify your target market, or "perfect customers".

Step 2: Verbalize your main challenge(s).

Write down the main marketing related challenges you want to overcome for each brand or product, with respect to your customers. Think in terms of unfilled customer opportunities and the 4 p's of marketing. You may even want to write your challenges down in question form - "How do we _____________?" and keep them in front of you when developing your marketing plan outline and completing the write up. Refer to these main challenges often and your marketing plan will answer the question "How do I address these challenges?"

Step 3: Develop your objective(s).

The objective addresses the "big picture" and ― in broad, general terms ― answers the question "How will I overcome my main marketing challenge(s)?" Think in quantifiable and measurable terms (grow by x%, launch new product line with Y items by November, move into the southern market with a z% market share, etc.)

Step 4: Create strategies.

Strategies support your objective, defining the general approaches you will take to meet your objective. For example, strategies for moving into a new region could include 1) establishing relationships with suppliers (distribution), 2) choosing the correct product mix to meet customer needs in that area (pricing and product), and 3) launching a multi-pronged campaign to include advertising, online promotions, and direct mail (promotion).

Step 5: Choose marketing programs (tactics).

The programs are where the action takes place ― these are the things you will do to bring your strategies to life. Marketing programs to support strategy 3 in the above example (launching a multi-pronged campaign to include advertising, online promotions, and direct mail) could include 1) a geographically-targeted pay per click campaign, 2) a series of postcards sent to those in the target zip codes, and 3) Website-only coupons, advertised on the postcards and other media in the region (radio, TV, newspapers, billboards, etc.).

Use the information and insight you gain from completing these five steps to solidify and expand upon your outline.

The Write Up

Once you have a marketing plan outline developed, expand upon the topics in a write-up. You can find some suggestions in "Your Marketing Plan Write Up."

After the initial plan is developed, treat it as a work in progress. Tweak and adjust as needed in response to changing conditions. Many companies update marketing and business plans annually when developing budgets for the coming year. Whether you are a one-person shop or part of a good-sized company, having a marketing plan can help your business prosper.