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Planning Makes PerfectBy Kim T. Gordon Question: I’m the owner of a computer software design company and need to update our marketing plan. Where can I get examples of some good marketing plans and/or programs? Answer: It's a great idea to update your marketing plan annually, then review and adjust it quarterly. And if you don’t have a written plan, it’s vital to put your ideas and programs on paper, or they may fall through the cracks in your busy schedule. A solid plan should consolidate all the required information within an easy-to-follow structure. If the plan is for your in-house use, you can be quite brief and rely on bulleted sections, but if it’s for review by a bank or investors, you should include as much detail as possible to make your case. Over the years, I've developed an effective format with five concise sections. 1. Situation Analysis Begin your plan with a realistic overview of your competition and how you'll position against them. Outline the challenges you face, then describe the benefits that set your company apart. 2. Target Audience List each primary and secondary target audience followed by a description of each. If you're marketing to consumers, include a target audience profile based on their demographics such as age, gender, household income and where they live. For a b2b plan, describe your targeted business categories and the qualifying criteria for prospects in each. 3. Goals Make a list of your marketing goals and assign a completion deadline to each one. It's vital to make them quantifiable. For example, it will be easier to measure your success if your goal is to, "Gain three retail accounts by September 30th," instead of to "win new retail accounts." 4. Strategies and Tactics This is the heart of your plan. Define each of your marketing strategies and outline precisely which activities you plan to undertake and the tools you'll produce to achieve your goals. How will you use advertising, direct mail, public relations or the Web to reach your target audiences? What types of brochures and sales tools will you create and in what quantities? Describe your tactics and attach media and production schedules with completion dates. 5. Budget With your tactics fully outlined, you can now determine the costs to execute each one. If the tactics you've selected are too costly, you can easily re-evaluate them and look for more affordable ways to reach your goals. You’ll find a complete chapter on creating your own marketing plan in Bringing Home the Business. To see other marketing plan formats, visit the site of Palo Alto Software (www.palo--alto.com) to view sample plans created with their program Marketing Plan Pro. Get In-depth Coaching on this Topic>>Kim T. Gordon's columns and articles are read by more than 3 million small-business owners each month. She is a small-business expert and the author of four books, including Maximum Marketing, Minimum Dollars: The Top 50 Ways to Grow Your Small Business. Copyrighted material. May not be reproduced in whole or part without expressed permission from the author. |
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