Marketing Plan templates Start the discussion!

What is a Marketing Plan?

A marketing plan is a document put together to outline the company’s marketing strategy for a certain period, say for example the coming year. Your marketing plan should tell you who your customers are, where they are, how to reach them, and how to retain them. It generally includes a wide range of things because not only do potential customers need to be analysed, but also product/service, current environment, opportunities, trends, budgets, competition, and goals. Essentially, a marketing plan will help your business to establish how sales will be made.

Why is it important?

Marketing plans need to be designed, regularly consulted and adapted, and adhered to so that your business can stay on track and focused on marketing activities. It will thus help guide you throughout the year and help to build your business.

Marketing plans are increasingly important when it comes to competition. Without a marketing plan, your business runs the risk of constantly adapting and changing its plans in order to compete, therefore always being one step behind. To be innovative means to be one step ahead of the game, and a well-thought out and thorough marketing plan can help you grasp and maintain position.

Marketing Plan Templates & Advice

Businesses often go wrong with marketing plans. If a marketing plan is not strong, it will not be followed, and your marketing activities will not be structured or successful. Therefore, it is a good idea to have a marketing plan template to keep your thoughts and ideas structured and focused on your objectives. In the majority of cases, this is driving sales. Not only, will a marketing template prevent your thoughts going off track, it will also make you and your team more aware and focused on the plan when it is actually being carried out.

After reading the plan your marketing team should know what they’re doing, why, and the end goal. We have gathered some marketing plan templates and step-by-step methods below to aid the marketing plan process.

If you’d like more advice on what a marketing plan is, how it should be used, or what should be included, try these links:

• Australian Gov Website - Why Do I need a Business Plan?

• The Balance - Why do I need a Marketing Plan?

• Business Know How - The Marketing Plan