How to Create a Marketing Plan

Reaching the right customers could be the difference between a thriving business and a failed venture – and it all starts with a business marketing plan.

An effective marketing plan is a blueprint for how a business presents itself to the public. It identifies target audiences, outlines advertising plans and social media strategies and establishes budgets and metrics for success. When business owners want to minimize risk and convert potential clients into loyal customers, they often turn to a marketing plan.

No matter how it's ultimately organized, your marketing plan should be a straightforward, easily understood company document. It should provide a clear direction for your marketing efforts for the coming year, as well as an incisive look into your company for all readers. By outlining your public-facing strategies in one place, you can more effectively manage resources and keep teams focused on the tasks at hand. Here are some other benefits a marketing plan provides:

The Benefits of a Detailed Marketing Plan

A Rallying Point

Sharing with employees your vision of where the company is headed can foster unity and commitment. People don't always understand financial projections, but they can get excited about a well-written and well-thought-out marketing plan. Consider releasing your marketing plan — perhaps in an abridged version — companywide. Circulate it with some fanfare and generate excitement for the work to come.

Chart to Success

If you don't plan, you're unlikely to succeed, and an inaccurate business plan is far better than no plan at all. Long-term plans give employees a compass, providing them direction in their day-to-day work. If employees leave or you make a new hire, the written marketing plan will remain intact and keep your team en route to your long-term business goals.

Top-Level Reflection

In the daily grind of competitive business, it's hard to turn your attention to the big picture, especially those parts that aren't directly related to the daily operations. Writing your marketing plan is an ideal time to do this high-level thinking. Some companies send their top marketing employees away to a retreat; smaller entities may go to the home of an executive or founder. Block out significant time to strategically map where your company is headed.

The 4 Ingredients of a Successful Marketing Plan

What components make up a good marketing plan? Specifics may vary depending on your industry and type of business, but here are some universal benefits a marketing plan provides:

1. A Clearly Defined Target Market

Defining your target market allows your company to hone its focus and maximize sales and overall growth. Consider the example of children and toys. Even though parents ultimately have the final say on whether a toy is purchased, a child plays a significant role in persuasion. Therefore, a toy company might identify children as the target audience. Use market research to analyze your target audience in fine detail — demographics, consumer routines and needs, lifestyles, desires — then test your findings and validate demand.

2. A Strategy for Where to Advertise

This is one of the most important facets of your entire marketing plan: where you will promote your product or service. You must be aware of your target customers' needs and expectations so you can reach them where they are — watching TV, scrolling Instagram, listening to the radio, physically walking through a store. Rather than focusing on all possible marketing channels, focus on the right distribution channels to maximize the growth of your business. For instance, a sporting brand might advertise on ESPN, and a fashion company in Vogue. But think outside traditional media like TV and print advertising. There's also email marketing, SEO, niche social platforms and communities, chatbots, webinars, seminars and guerilla marketing.

3. Goals and Procedures

Strategic marketing plans should list the company's goals and procedures. These goals help justify the resources in production, distribution and marketing, and the procedures help convert those objectives into reality. For example, a company wanting to reach younger audiences (the goal) might outline ways of using social media marketing (the procedure) to do so. It's essential that these marketing goals and procedures are clear and concise so employees can execute them.

4. A Budget

While most business owners are aware that establishing a marketing budget is key to a business's survival, following the budget set forth is even more important. Some business owners invest aggressively in expensive media ads, commercials or billboards with the hopes of competing with larger counterparts. A bold decision like this can actually harm the company more than help. It's much wiser to maintain a more conservative marketing budget that's spread out over time.

How a Marketing Plan Comes Together

Before you begin writing your annual marketing plan, you need to pull together the necessary information and data. This includes financial reports, sales figures, demographics and market data, and you should have an answer for questions like: What is the dollar size of your market? What is your sales and distribution setup? What key competitors exist in this marketplace?

The following steps can help you begin creating a dynamic and comprehensive marketing plan:

Define the Market Situation

The "market situation" section of your strategic plan should contain an accurate and data-driven description of the current state of the marketplace. This is no place for hunches. Also consider how your products or services compare to those of your competitors. Is there a significant market opportunity no one is currently exploiting? Define both threats and opportunities for your business — and look outside your company for this information. Talk to local business reporters, reach out to a professional association, read a trade journal or dig into research.

Set Specific Objectives

How do you set a quantifiable goal? Start with your past. Review sales numbers, your company's growth over the years in different markets, the size of typical new customers and how new products have fared. Keep your objectives challenging but achievable: Maybe your company's sales declined 11% over the past year. Set a goal to increase sales by 4% this year and 8% next year. Your objectives should be simple, concrete, measurable, ambitious and achievable.

Choose Your Tactics

Once you've defined your objectives, focus on the practical: How will you achieve this goal? Take each objective and lay out the steps you must take to reach it. These should be concrete steps that employees can easily understand and implement. Let's say your accounting firm wants six new clients in the next town over, with $75,000 of billed time. Your tactics might include opening a physical branch, hiring local staff, sending direct-mail ads, speaking with a local business publication or hosting an open house. Every tactic should contribute to your company's larger objective.

Set Up Controls

Business activity always costs money, and your detailed plan needs to allocate budgets for all marketing activities planned – but before you start spending money, you should have controls in place so you can make changes as you go. Consider scheduling a quarterly check-in meeting, where you and your employees can discuss what's working and what's not, as well as a budget status. All your marketing efforts will benefit from the classic feedback loop: act, observe, adjust, act again.

Write an Executive Summary

On a single page, use key financial figures to sum up the contents of your marketing plan. Use bullet points, short sentences and bold type for major points, and stay focused on the big picture. What are the few essential takeaways? This summary gives readers a concise description of what your company plans to do in the coming year.

The Best Tools and Apps to Build Your Marketing Plan

Now that you've written your marketing plan, you need to stay on top of it. Whether your company has 10 employees or 10,000, implementing your marketing plan requires constant vigilance and tracking – that's where software can help.

The market is flush with apps and programs that help create, organize and implement projects, so you can spend more time focused on the daily needs of your business. Consider using these programs to help build and execute your future plans:

HubSpot

If you want an enterprise software that does it all, HubSpot might be right for your organization. The platform includes features for email marketing and search engine optimization, tracking deals, customer support tickets, analyzing sales and content management. With everything in one place, you can easily convert business insights into customer leads and final sales.

Google Analytics

If there's a data point you want to know, odds are Google Analytics tracks it: how consumers reach you, demographics, content performance, average engagement time and more. As you create your digital marketing plan, pick a few data points for your site and pay special attention to them. For example, if you're trying to reach an untapped audience, focus on how many new users reach your content. With this information in hand, you can more effectively change strategies or shift resources to maximize growth.

ClipUp

You can keep all your projects, tasks, workflows and to-dos in one place with ClipUp, a streamlined project management software. ClipUp lets you check in on projects and track progress on your marketing plan. You can create and assign tasks, prioritize projects, set due dates, chat with teammates, edit documents and manage calendars. Whether your team works in person or remotely, ClipUp encourages collaboration and keeps everyone on the same page.

Marketo

Another all-in-one platform, Marketo helps businesses manage leads, A/B test emails, build campaigns and measure marketing objectives. Marketo is owned by Adobe, so users can easily integrate other elements from the Adobe Creative Suite, including graphic design and photo editing.

Canva

Content is the cornerstone of your marketing plan, and Canva is a one-stop shop for all things visual content. The platform is easy to use and its stock elements and illustrations allow anyone (not just professional designers) to put together dynamic marketing materials. Canva also allows collaboration, so colleagues can share work easily.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp puts all the elements of email marketing in one place — allowing businesses to create campaigns, compile address lists, send newsletters, track open and click-through rates and break down audience demographics into buyer persona templates. Knowing who opens your emails is valuable intel, and Mailchimp helps you reach these consumers with precision.

Using Social Media In Your Growth Marketing Plan

These days, a social media marketing plan is perhaps the essential means for sharing the message and identity of your brand. You can use it in a variety of ways — paying for ads on platforms, creating a brand presence with your own posts, interacting with consumers to build good will. Here are some tips on how to effectively use social media campaigns in your content marketing plan:

1. Know your platform

Before you start posting, gain an understanding of the individual platforms. Inspirational content marketing efforts will likely play best on Instagram and Pinterest, while a humorous post might gain traction on X, (formerly Twitter). A platform like X lends itself to more outside-the-box marketing tactics, like the fast food chain Wendy's famously roasting users and competitors.

2. Understand your audience

You must know your target audience in order to create effective marketing strategies. Knowing where to find your audience is part of that, and demographics are essential: TikTok skews younger, and Facebook leans older. By identifying your target audience, you can identify the best social platform to reach them. Platforms also often provide analytics for businesses, so you can better understand your followers' demographics.

3. Engage with your audience

A social media calendar can be more than a bullhorn for your company's message. Make it a two-way street: Interact with followers and respond to people who tag the company in posts or comments. A 2020 study asked respondents what goes into a successful social media presence for brands, and more than half noted audience engagement. The study also found that when consumers follow a brand on social media, 75% of them reported an increase in spending with that company.

4. Use visuals

Social posts with visuals, such as images, videos or gifs, tend to perform better than those without, largely due to the algorithms. Since videos keep users engaged longer than text or images, platforms like X and Instagram are more likely to nudge users toward these types of content. But don't abandon your standards just to post videos – your content strategy still needs to be high quality if you want to reach the greatest number of possible consumers.

5. Promote your accounts

Potential customers and clients should have no trouble finding your company's handle on various social platforms. Promote these accounts on your website, email signature and across other social media marketing channels to increase your followers and engagement. Use the same handle across platforms to maintain a consistent brand presence and identity.

6. Measure your results

Sites like X and Instagram provide a host of analytics for brands using paid ads. Measure your results and determine what content pillars are resonating with your audience. For organic posts, track how many views, shares, likes and comments they get. Remember that a busy (and positive) comment section can be better than a flood of likes – engagement is everything.

How to Brainstorm Great Content for a Marketing Plan

Once you've got the ingredients for your marketing plan, it's time to decide what to say — and how. Your creative content initiatives and marketing materials should capture the attention of consumers and provide value, communicating a clear, cohesive brand message and urging them to take the next step with you.

Brainstorming is an essential step in figuring out what your messaging should be. If you're part of a collaborative marketing team, try brainstorming sessions with the whole group and follow these seven steps:

1. Set aside 30 to 60 minutes at a time that you're mentally sharp

You're the host, so choose when works best for you. Your positive energy will bring a sense of levity and collaboration to the meeting, and the time frame won't feel overwhelming to employees. Sixty minutes is long enough to get into a flow of ideas, but short enough that the meeting won't feel never-ending.

2. Choose a quiet, comfortable place where you won't be disturbed

This is essential to eliminating outside distractions and keeping the team focused. Don't host brainstorming sessions in public places, like a coffee shop or coworking space. Find a physical space where everyone can feel comfortable sharing ideas.

3. Provide everyone with a notepad and a pen so each of you can jot things down

Ideas from colleagues can spur your own ideas, perhaps before you have a chance to speak up. Each participant should have their own materials to take notes and jot down questions or ideas.

4. Set the rules at the beginning

Perhaps the most important rule: No judgment, scowls or head shaking. Do not tolerate derision or insults. Guests should be encouraged to expand on ideas if there's confusion – the goal is to freely explore new and innovative ideas. In some cases, what seems like a distraction can actually lead to the most creative ideas.

5. Record — and transcribe — the brainstorm session

Use your smartphone to record the audio of your meeting – and be sure to inform participants that they are being recorded. When the session is over, send the recording to a transcription service like Descript or Otter.ai to get it transcribed quickly. Send a copy of the transcript to all participants, and ask them to review and highlight any ideas that stand out. Ask for feedback or votes on the best ideas.

6. Eliminate all distractions

Put your phone on "do not disturb" or airplane mode, and hunker down. Everyone should arrive focused and ready to pitch ideas.

7. Empower every participant

At the start of the meeting — or even beforehand — make a point of emphasizing the value of every person and idea. Don't let anyone monopolize the conversation. Since going from person to person might inhibit flow, it's usually advisable to let the eager ones speak first, then ask the quieter people if they have anything to add. Each participant should be empowered to bring up as many ideas as they can.

Steps for Effective Solo Brainstorming

Sometimes, you need to come up with ideas on your own, without any help. Take the following steps, and you'll be surprised how fast the ideas come flowing:

Move your body beforehand

Prior to the brainstorming session, do something physical for five to 10 minutes that encourages deep breathing and blood flow. You could take a brisk walk, do some yoga poses, jumping jacks or even burpees. Moving gets your blood pumping and can make you more alert and creative.

Set a timer

Block out 30 minutes (or longer) for coming up with new ideas. Within that time frame, everything should revolve around brainstorming. Everything else can wait.

When the timer dings, make a decision: Pause or keep going

If you're on a roll and still coming up with creative ideas, why stop? Keep brainstorming — and set another timer, maybe for 15 minutes, maybe for another 30. If you've hit a creative block, that's OK, too. Make a document of all your ideas, highlight your favorites, and set yourself up for more creative brainstorming on another day.

Time to Build Your Marketing Plan

Creating a marketing plan will take time, but it's exciting to set measurable goals, think strategically about your company's identity and position it for success. Whether you own an accounting firm or a hardware franchise, your marketing plan will serve as an instruction guide for growth. Keep your target audience top of mind, and encourage collaboration in the planning stages. Soon, you'll be executing your own creative marketing campaigns as your business grows

How to Create an Effective Marketing Plan From defining your audience to brainstorming content, here's everything you need to know about building a successful marketing plan for your business.