A Marketing Plan is a written document that details the actions necessary to achieve a specified marketing objective(s). It can be for a product or service, a brand, or a product line. It can cover one year (referred to as an annual marketing plan), or cover up to 5 years. A marketing plan may be part of an overall business plan. In general terms, it must:
- describe and explain the current situation
- specify the expected results (objectives)
- identify the resources that will be needed (including financing, time, and skills)
- describe the actions that will need to be taken to achieve the objective(s)
- devise a method of monitoring results and adjusting the plan where necessary
There are many formats for marketing plans and every company does it a little different, but the outline that follows is a very complete format. Using this format will produce a 30 to 40 page plan. Many companies prefer an abridged format that would yield a 10 to 20 page plan.
- Title page
- Executive Summary
- Current Situation - Macroenvironment
- economy
- government
- legal
- technology
- ecological
- sociocultural
- supply chain
- Current Situation - Market Analysis
- market definition
- market size
- market segmentation
- industry structure and strategic groupings
- Porter 5 forces analysis
- competition and market share
- competitors' strengths and weaknesses
- market trends
- Current Situation - Consumer Analysis
- nature of the buying decision
- participants
- demographics
- psychographics
- buyer motivation and expectations
- loyalty segments
- Current Situation - Internal
- company resources
- financial
- people
- time
- skills
- objectives
- mission statement and vision statement
- corporate objectives
- financial objective
- marketing objectives
- long term objectives
- corporate culture
- company resources
- Summary of Situation Analysis
- external threats
- external opportunities
- internal strengths
- internal weaknesses
- key success factors in the industry
- our sustainable competitive advantage
- Marketing research
- information requirements
- research methodology
- research results
- Marketing Strategy - Product
- product mix
- product strengths and weaknesses
- perceptual mapping
- product life cycle management and new product development
- Brand name, brand image, and brand equity
- the augmented product
- product portfolio analysis
- B.C.G. Analysis
- contribution margin analysis
- G.E. Multi Factoral analysis
- Quality Function Deployment
- Marketing Strategy - Market share objectives
- by products,
- by customer segments,
- by geographical markets
- Marketing Strategy - Price
- pricing objectives
- pricing method (eg.: cost plus, demand based, or competitor indexing)
- pricing strategy (eg.: skimming, or penetration)
- discounts and allowances
- price elasticity and customer sensitivity
- price zoning
- break even analysis at various prices
- Marketing Strategy - Promotion
- promotional goals
- promotional mix
- advertising reach, frequency, flights, theme, and media
- sales force requirements, techniques, and management
- sales promotion
- publicity and public relations
- electronic promotion (eg.: Web, or telephone)
- Marketing Strategy - Distribution
- geographical coverage
- distribution channels
- physical distribution and logistics
- electronic distribution
- Implementation
- personnel requirements
- assign responsibilities
- give incentives
- training on selling methods
- financial requirements
- management information systems requirements
- month-by-month agenda
- pert or critical path analysis
- monitoring results and benchmarks
- adjustment mechanism
- contingencies (What if's)
- personnel requirements
- Financial Summary
- assumptions
- pro-forma monthly income statement
- contribution margin analysis
- breakeven analysis
- Monte Carlo analysis
- Appendix
- pictures and specifications of the new product
- results from research already completed
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