Writing, developing and implementing an effective and successful Marketing Plan begins with a sound market and industry analysis and finishes with a Marketing Strategy and Marketing Programs, ready for implementation. The marketing plan should not be developed and implemented independently; rather, the marketing plan is more effective if developed with your Business Plan products and services section and lastly implemented with your company’s strategic and sales plan. In this article I provide an overview of what an effective marketing plan contains and how to successfully build that marketing strategy and plan.
For more help and resources with the marketing and business planning of your company, please visit: Comprehensive Business Plan.
Industry Analysis
The place to start is analyzing your Industry: its current state; who the major participants are; changes in the industry; opportunities, economic modeling forecasts; and examining who else may participate the industry. With that consummated, move on toward determining how distribution works in your industry and how technology affects its distribution systems.
Market Segments
After your analysis on the Industry tier is complete, it is time to differentiate your concentre to analyzing and defining your Market Segments. Determinants of Market Segments are Demographics, Geographic’s, Customer Needs, Buying Patterns, Psychographics and so forth. Once your Market Segments are defined and analyzed, then for each of the Market Segments, explain how the Market Needs lead these identified groups to buy your products and services.
A good Tip when analyzing and explaining Market Needs: Define your Products and Services’ Offerings in terms of Target Market Needs; focus not on what you have to sell but more significantly, on the buyer needs you satisfy. Determine why customers buy from you and organise that strategy behind your Market Segmentation. In my role as Business Turnaround Specialist, I always encourage our clients to focus on what market segments will be the most profitable for their company and the specific reasons why.
Target Markets
Having determined your market segmentation strategy, it much easier to derive your Target Markets. It is important to determine what market groups are the most vital and important to your enterprise, including what Market Niches to target. It is vitally important to narrow done and finely define your target customers’ characteristics and needs. Determine what target market groups are more advantageous and potentially profitable than others.
Market Trends and Growth
The next step in the Marketing Plan Process is to analyze Market Trends from a Strategic point of view. Look at Market Trends as a way to get ahead of the market direction, knowing with a probability of certainty where it is going before hand. Having attained the nature and direction of Market Trends, you can now adeptly and realistically project your Market Growth and specific Growth Rates. Your Growth Rate Projections should paint in detail the relationship between your potential customers, sales, revenues and ultimately, profits. Now you will be able to establish a realistic projection of Return on Equity and Return on Investment, as well as, identify the finances needed to finance and sustain this growth from an internally generated source (i.e. Cash Flow) and an externally generated source(s) (i.e. Lenders, Venture Capital, Investors, etc).
The Competition
With Market Trends and Growth rates determined, it is time to explain the Nature of your Competition, why customers choose one supplier over the other and why customers will buy from your company alternatively of these competitors. Provide a detailed competitive summary of your Products and Services’ Variables, ranking them in comparability to your Competition (example variables: Pricing, Sales, Trends, Positioning Clarity, Quality, Value, Reputation, Packaging, Advertising, Customer Service, Target Market Focus, Innovation, Brand Awareness and so forth).With this Competitive Analysis on a Product and Service Variable level completed, determine your Top Five Competitive Strengths and Weaknesses, as well as, identifying your top Competitive Gap Threats.
Competitive Gaps and Edge
Having established your Competitive Gap Threats, you can now develop a detailed Analysis of your Competitors. You must show how you can bridge over your Competitive Gaps, clearly display you can effectively compete, and what areas your business is better than the Competition. It is important at this juncture to illustrate how Competitively Positioned your Company will be in the Market. Specifically, what is your Positioning Strategy and what your areas of specialisation and customization? With your Company’s Competitive Positioning Strategy clearly defined and established, you can clearly explain your Company’s Competitive Edge. Competitive Edge is sustainable value which can be maintained and developed over time.
Marketing Strategy
Two parts remain in the Marketing Plan: the Marketing Programs and Marketing Strategy. These two vital parts are very closely linked conjointly as the marketing program is the implementation platform of the marketing strategies.
Remember that the term “marketing” is defined as the broad effort to generate sales leads on a larger scale basis and it entices customers to look and consider a company’s products and services. Some important components to consider include products and services, unique company aspects, positioning, and attracting and maintaining a certain market.
This is further developed in the core components of the Marketing Strategy…
– Positioning Statements: Strategic Focus on the most important Target Markets; the Market’s most important Needs; and how your Products and Services meet those Needs. State the Main Competition; how your Products and Services are better.
– Pricing Strategy: Provide a Price Breakdown of your Products and Services and relate your Pricing Determinants and Strategy to your overall Marketing Strategy. Consider things like: What your Products and Services cost you to produce and sell; what your Margins will be; Discount Policies & Strategies; Dealer and Distributor Margins; Recouping R & D costs; Possibility of Pricing Wars; Critical Supply and Demand factors; How Pricing will change over time, etc.
– Promotion Strategy: This component of your Marketing Strategy will answer how you spread the word about your Company to future Customers, and how you will Promote your Products and Services. Elements to consider: Advertising, Public Relations, Trade Shows, Events, Direct Mail, Internet Strategies, Seminars, Sales Literature, Expected Response Rates, Promotion Costs, Name identification, Brand Loyalty, Advertising Budgets, Incentives; Advertising Message, Theme and Vehicles; Customer Communications and so forth. It is important to determine the Marketable Differences in your Products and Services over your Competition.
– Distribution Strategy: How will you / who will distribute your Products and Services? What is Unique in your Distribution Strategy compared to the Competition? What are your Distribution Strengths? Types and numbers of Sales People? Sales People Compensation Structure? Sales Territories? These are some of the questions you should be asking while developing your Marketing Strategy’s Distribution System.
Your Marketing Strategy should conclude with determining the Changes over the next three to five years which would impact most on your Marketing Strategies. What potential changes can harm your market and bring advantage in your market? How can you devise for these changes? A Marketing Strategy is never stagnant; it is always developing and adjusting to Market Conditions, Trends and Changes.
Marketing Programs
The last Section of your Marketing Plan deals with your Marketing Programs. Areas to consider include:
– Defining Marketing Programs
– How the Marketing Strategy will be implemented
– Identify specific Marketing Plans
– State Market Gaps and how they will be met
– How performance of your Marketing Programs will be measured and quantified
– How your Target Markets relate
– How you will capture Markets others are competing for
The Marketing Programs put your Marketing Strategy into action, bringing “life” to your Marketing Plan.
About The Guest Blog Author
Frank Goley is a Business Plan Consultant for ABC Business Consulting. He is an expert in business planning, marketing, strategic planning, business turnarounds, online marketing and search engine optimization (SEO). Frank has written over 150 Business Success Articles and E-Books. He is author of a Business Plan Book and writes the Business Success Blog. Frank really enjoys helping companies to start, grow, turnaround and succeed!
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