Business Bits - Marketing Plan

Topic- Writing Marketing Plans for Small Businesses


So I've talked a bit about marketing; pre-marketing planning, organizing your base, & setting up Google Analytics to monitor just how & if our strategies are working out.  Now that we've got that under our belt, let's look at writing an an actual marketing plan. This is something I've wanted to do for awhile & hope to complete one sometime this month. I found excellent resources at Inc.com and Entreprenuer.com

{Image from P.S. Paper Goods}

Steps to Creating A Marketing Plan (condensed from Inc.com article):

1. Set Your Objectives : grow your business? add more customers? increase number of repeat customers? establish your brand?

2.Do Your Research:get to know who your customers are, could be, and what they want.

3. Define the Strategies you Need: How will you accomplish your objectives?

4. Outline your Tactics: write it out, includes examples & methods

5. Build in Measurement for Each Tactic: {this is where google analytics or other stat programs are helpful!} identify time periods & quantifiable methods of checking (i.e. 20% more visitors by the end of June 2010)

6. Develop the Plan and Stick to It: Use your plan & refer back to when making decisions

7. Implement the Plan – and Stay Flexible: Make a point to review your plan & change if necessarily- are goals not being met? exceeded drastically? tactics not feeling like the fit your core values?


Good luck friends! Love to hear any marketing plan tips or stories...