Implement a Marketing Plan

Once you are confident you have a thorough, comprehensive marketing plan for your business, you can take steps to implement the actions outlined in the plan.

Your marketing is more likely to succeed if you have adequate resources and expertise to implement it. If you or your team don't know how to implement your business's marketing plan, seek direction and advice from marketing experts and invest in building your staff's skills.

Communicate with your staff.

The more you involve your staff in your marketing plan, the more they will invest themselves in it. Your team needs to have total confidence in the information and actions outlined in its marketing plan.

Communicate the plan to your team as much as possible, and make sure they have an opportunity to contribute to it. In particular:

• make sure they understand how the marketing plan fits within your business's goals, objectives, priorities and policies.
• discuss whether your staff have the skills and aptitude to implement your marketing plan.
• give them opportunities to develop their marketing skills and mentor your staff if they are enthusiastic.
• consider whether you need to recruit marketing staff.

Know your end goal.

Don't lose sight of your unique selling proposition. It is what sets you apart from your competition, and helps keep your marketing focused and effective.

Monitor your progress.

You should treat your marketing plan as a living document that you continually revise. Revisit your marketing plan at least once every quarter. Develop a set of questions that help the review process such as:

• Are you on target?
• Have your tactics been too ambitious?
• Is your budget on track?
• Are any of your tactics not working on your customers?

Develop contingency plans

Recognise that not all of your plans will work. Marketing is a creative process that grows and changes. You may need to develop contingency plans, extend your time frames, add a new step into your actions, or refine your marketing objectives.