What should our marketing plan look like?

If you’re a founder, director or NED on the receiving end of a presentation about the plans for your marketing, you need to be comfortable the right amount of rigour has been applied to its creation.

?I’ll be clear, this article won’t tell you whether your plan is fit for purpose. It will however give you a pointer to the key components it should include, all of which should be tailored to your specific goals, target audience, and available resources. As always, it’s written from a B2B marketing perspective.

?1. Executive Summary

???????A brief overview of your marketing objectives, strategies, and key metrics that will be measured.

???????A summary of how the plan aligns with overall business goals.

?2. Market Research and Analysis

???????Industry Overview: Trends, opportunities, and challenges in the market.

???????Competitor Analysis: Key competitors, their strengths, weaknesses, and market positioning.

???????Customer Analysis: Target customer sectors, firmographics, buying behaviour, preferences, and pain points.

?3. Target Audience/Buyer Personas

???????Detailed profiles of ideal customers – decision makers and influencers - including age, gender, role, location, and purchasing behaviour.

???????Segmentation of customers based on needs, preferences, or challenges.

?4. Marketing Goals and Objectives

???????Clear, measurable goals (e.g., land x number of customers with a value of y, increase website traffic by 20%, generate 100 new leads per month, etc.).

???????Short-term acquisition and long-term brand building objectives aligned with overall business goals.

?5. Unique Value Proposition

???????Definition of what makes you unique in the market based on the value you offer customers.

???????Key differentiators that appeal to your target audience.

?6. Marketing Strategies

???????Brand position: How your will position your brand in the market.

???????Digital Marketing: including for example, SEO, content marketing, social media, email campaigns, and online advertising.

???????Offline Marketing: Events, local advertising, networking, and community engagement etc.

???????Public Relations: Media and influencer outreach, press releases, and partnerships.

?7. Marketing Channels

???????List of specific platforms and methods to be used, such as:

??????????Social media platforms (e.g., LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook)

??????????Search engines (Google Ads, Bing)

??????????Email marketing & CRM tools

??????????Trade shows and networking events

??????????Local directories and referrals.

?8. Content Plan

???????Types of content to create (blogs, videos, infographics, case studies).

???????Content calendar with topics, publishing dates, and distribution channels.

?9. Budget

???????Allocation of funds for various marketing activities (e.g., digital ads, events, tools/software, etc.).

???????Cost estimates for campaigns and expected ROI.

?10. KPIs and Metrics

???????Clear metrics to track success, such as:

??????????Website traffic – increase in direct and brand search traffic (for brand metrics)

??????????Social media engagement

??????????Lead conversion rates

??????????Customer acquisition cost (CAC)

??????????Return on investment (ROI).

?11. Implementation Plan

???????Step-by-step action plan with timelines and responsibilities.

???????Assignment of roles to team members or external partners.

?12. Evaluation and Adjustment

???????Regular review processes to assess campaign performance.

???????Flexibility to adjust strategies based on results and feedback.

?As I said at the top, this article can’t tell you whether your plan is fit for purpose. ?It does however give you a framework to evaluate your plan, to make sure that it maximizes your impact without overextending your resources.