Thread by @LeboLion_SA

Creating a marketing plan in 7 steps.

An easy summary for the busy entrepreneur, business, or student owner.

What is a marketing plan?
A marketing plan details the strategy that a company will use to market its products or services to customers. It’s an integral part of the Overall business plan.

What is the purpose of a marketing plan?
•Helps you set goals
•Gives you understanding of customers
• Helps you optimize the impact of your marketing campaigns/activities
• Gives you clarity in communicating your big ideas & strategy

What does a marketing plan consists of?
1.Short and long term marketing goals
2.A description of your target audience and their persona
3.One of more high level marketing starts and tactics

Different ways to present a marketing plan :
PDF
Presentation
Info graphic
PowerPoint

Don’t be afraid to be creative with how you present your marketing plan. Make it fun or exciting to read

The 7 Steps of a Marketing plan are:

1.Executive summary. This is a quick introduction into the document & your overall marketing plan. This part gets your reader excited about what’s to come

2. Mission & Vision. It’s important to detail your mission, & vision. This shows that you have a bigger picture for the existence and growth of your business.

Create a SWOT analysis. This helps you identify the organisational strengths and weaknesses, while getting a clearer picture of the opportunities & threats that exist in the market.

4.Define your target audience. It’s important to be very clear of who your desired customer is and how your product or service will serve their needs. Use information from your research and product validation testing to identify the right target audience.

5.Create SMART goals.
Your goals need to be SMART; S-Specific
M-Measurable
A-Attainable
R-Realistic
T-Time bound

6.Create a marketing strategy. Your marketing strategy paints a picture/creates a road map of what to do, how to do it, & the channels you’re going to use to execute your strategy.

A great way to make useful strategies is to use diagrams, infographics, charts, timelines, and step by step formats. To make it clear and easy to read and execute.

7.Define marketing budget . How much will it cost to reach your goal?. Planning the financial cost of your marketing plan allows you to have realistic expectations of what your return on investment should be.

A marketing budget allows you to communicate the value of marketing activities to the rest of the organisation/team and quantify marketing activities