Creating a marketing plan

Successful marketing starts with a good marketing plan. Larger companies tend to have extensive marketing teams that can create a good plan for them. The larger the company, the bigger the marketing plan will be. A smaller company can have a small marketing plan, usually 12 pages or less. Every marketing meeting, the marketing plan should be reviewed to make sure everyone is staying current with it. If you have a smaller company, you may only need to refer to the marketing plan monthly or even quarterly.

Every marketing plan needs to have a section for you to add in your sales reports. This section will allow you to track your progress to make sure your marketing plan is really working. To create a marketing plan, start with the goals of the company and decide on how you can help to achieve them. The marketing plan should cover one full year with a section of the plan dedicated to covering 2-4 years. Since staff members leave, markets change, and your customers change, the main part of the marketing plan should cover the first year.

Marketing plans cannot be created overnight; they take time and a lot of patience to create. Normally the marketing director is in charge of the bulk section of the marketing plan and the marketing team will help to fill in the blanks. It is also important to talk to other areas of the company that could be impacted by your marketing plan, like the manufacturing department, finance department, and sales department. If you anticipate the marketing plan to be extremely successful, you will need to arrange for more supplies to be shipped in and you must have the cash-flow in order to pay for those supplies.

When you talk to the different departments, they will be able to tell you if your goals are realistic and attainable. The other positive aspect you will gain from speaking to other departments is their ability to help you with un-realized areas of your marketing plan. If you have a small company, you will definitely need the input from other people in the company to help you create a well-rounded marketing plan.

Depending upon the way your company operates, you should plan to start the marketing plan at the beginning of the fiscal year or the beginning of the calendar year.

Companies normally keep their marketing plans within the company so that their competitors cannot see what they are planning to do. Although this is a smart decision, it can be hard to keep tabs on all your employees to make sure they are being truthful and not sharing the marketing plan with your competitors.

As you create the marketing plan, keep the mission or vision statement of the company in your mind. Normally the mission or vision statement will tell you what your business is about and what you need to achieve through marketing. This also helps to get the entire company on-board with your marketing plan.
A good marketing plan will include some of the following items:

• Charts that show your sales progression over the last year


• A goal and how you plan to achieve that goal


• A plan on how to involve everyone at the company and how this plan is exciting for them


• Instructions on how to implement the plan, especially if you lose valuable employees at your company


• What to do if your marketing plan fails (a back-up plan)


• Financial reports


• The big picture

With a little time and patience, you can create a great marketing plan for your company. Just remember, without a plan, your company will not be very successful. It is like trying to go on a vacation to a new place without a map, you may find your destination, but it will take a lot longer to get there.