The benefits of having a marketing plan

Every company no matter the size should have a marketing plan. While large companies may have binders full of marketing ideas, small businesses can have an outline of their marketing strategies. By no matter the size of your company having a marketing plan provides you with several major benefits. Here are a few of the benefits of having a marketing plan-

• It becomes a rallying point-Your marketing plan gives your entire company something to rally behind. You especially want your employees to feel confident that the captain of the vessel has the charts in order, knows how to run the ship, and has a port of destination in mind. There are too many businesses that undervalue the impact of a "marketing plan" on their own people. You want to be the boss who wants all employees to feel part of a team that is engaged in an exciting and complicated joint endeavor. Keep in mind that if you want your employees to feel committed to your business, it's important to share with them your vision of where the company, is headed in the years to come. While people don't always understand financial projections, they can get excited about a well-written and well-thought-out marketing plan. You may want to consider releasing your marketing plan (perhaps in an abridged version), throughout the company. Remember that your employees will appreciate being involved.
• It becomes a chart to success. We all know that plans are imperfect things, but before you simply assume that it is a waste of time, remember this without a plan, you can be doomed.The bottom line is that if you don't plan, you're doomed, and an inaccurate plan is far better than no plan at all. It's important to remember that it's a little better to be off your original goal than to have no goal in mind at all. The point of having a plan, (marketing or any other kind), is after all, to get somewhere, and without a marketing plan, you'll wander aimlessly, sometimes hitting your target but more often than not floundering in a vast of competitors.
• It becomes the company operational instructions-Running a business can be complicated and your marketing plan (if it is well-written), can become the company operational instructions. Your marketing plan is a step-by-step guide for your company's success. It can be more important than a vision statement, because a good marketing plan will have concrete goals and steps to get there.To put together a good marketing plan, you have to assess your company from top to bottom, and make sure all the pieces are working together in the best way. You need to ask yourself what do you want to do with this enterprise you call the company in the coming year? You should consider your marketing plan a to-do list on a grand scale, and make sure that it assigns specific tasks for the year.
• It serves as a written record-Do not over look the importance of this benefit. Good business managers don't allow their financial people to keep their numbers in their heads, and it should be no different with marketing. Your written marketing plan lays out your game plan. If employees leave, if new employees arrive, if memories falter, if events bring pressure to alter the givens, the information in the written marketing plan stays intact to remind you of what you have agreed on. It becomes crucial for companies to have a written record of their marketing plan, since there are too many variables that can shift a business from day to day.