How to write a marketing plan- marketing

There’s no question that most entrepreneurs thrive on action. But as the Roman philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero so aptly put it: “Before beginning, plan carefully.” Careful planning is precisely the goal you should have in mind when crafting a marketing plan for your company’s products or services.

“A marketing plan is good for focusing your energy towards the right actions that will deliver on what you want to accomplish,” says Deb Roberts, CEO of Synapse Marketing Solutions based in Denver. “The whole idea of doing one is to try and understand your customers and take action towards delivering your product or service to them.”

And there’s no need to over-think it, Roberts says. For small businesses, it’s best to think of a marketing plan as a way to tell a concise story that covers all the key points of your strategy going forward. So keep it brief: The best plans can be told in 15 pages or fewer.

Before you begin, it could be helpful to establish three items:

A completion date: A deadline you set in advance for when you want to complete your first draft of the plan. It’s important to remember that establishing an effective plan will be an iterative process. You can count on your plan changing.

The responsible parties: Establish your team’s roles and responsibility. In other words, make sure you identify who is doing what and when they need it completed.

Your budget: When it comes to putting together a marketing strategy, it’s critical to establish ahead of time how much do you have to spend, as that can have a major impact on the strategies you decide to implement.

Once you have these items in hand, you’re ready to put your plan together.