Successful marketing doesn’t happen on its own. To get results, you need a written plan. Without one, companies fall prey to trial-and-error or end-to-end marketing. This guarantees companies will spend more time, money and energy than necessary. It may seem obvious, yet only 32% of B2B marketers state they have a documented marketing strategy.

For many marketers, creating the plan itself presents the biggest hurdle. We understand the struggle many companies and individuals experience when putting a marketing plan to paper. To make the process easier, we developed an eight-part marketing plan template that we use ourselves and with our clients. By exploring and incorporating each of these eight elements, you will be able to create a plan best suited for your organizational needs.

Marketing Plan Template

1. Vision and mission. Your vision and mission highlight your organization’s values and form the basis for everything you do. Your vision represents a statement of what success looks like when you achieve it. In one sentence, your mission statement captures the purpose of why you are in business, the essence of what your company considers important, what it aims to achieve and how it proposes to do so.
2. Quantifiable goals. It is not enough to say you want to increase sales, expand brand awareness, or grow market share without identifying specific metrics. Goals need to be measurable – such as the number of new customers you seek, percentage of increased business you want to get from current customers and additional revenue or profit you expect to generate.
3. Strategies for achieving goals. Each quantifiable goal needs a correlating strategy. Strategy is the framework, policy, procedure or game plan that will drive the programs, promotions and activities you will implement. Examples of strategies include articulating your corporate distinction, capitalizing on your brand identity, developing new products or services, planning for product or service enhancements and identifying new marketplaces to enter. Strategy focuses on the “what” while tactics revolve around the “how.”
4. Activities and tactics that support strategies. The activities and tactics that support your strategies should be organized into step-by-step processes. For example, if your goal is to build a social media identity, your strategy may be to utilize Facebook and LinkedIn to build a presence. The singular actions you take on those platforms will make up the tactics you utilize. Tactics include the mix of advertising, direct mail, tradeshow participation, webinars, podcasts, email campaigns and other promotional activities.
5. Budget. A plan without a budget is just a wish and has no basis in reality. After you’ve completed the first four steps in this process, it’s time to fund the plan. Some companies use a percentage of revenue or profit when allocating resources to implement the plan. Other companies set aside a fixed figure based on what the plan involves. If resources are scarce, you might have to go back to the drawing board and determine what is essential and what can be put on hold. The key is to start small and build upward.
6. Schedule. In order to make sure nothing falls through the cracks, create a schedule of marketing programs and activities. A schedule enables you to look ahead, plan for peaks and valleys and capitalize on the opportunities available to you. Since business is fluid and subject to change, an annual calendar helps you make adjustments when necessary.
7. Assignment of responsibilities. Identify the individuals, committees and teams who are responsible for and will spearhead marketing programs and initiatives. When necessary, seek outside support if internal resources go on overload. Maintain regular communication with your team, departments and vendors to ensure goals are met.
8. Defined monitoring/plan evaluation process. Without consistent evaluation, it’s easy to fall prey to end-to-end marketing. Make sure to identify and use metrics to define successes and failures. Continually review initiatives and revise goals, strategies and plans based on new challenges, opportunities and needs. Remember, business conditions and priorities change frequently. That’s why it’s important to adopt a mindset of flexibility and agility as you implement your plan.

Working Together

With this marketing plan template, you have the concepts and framework necessary to craft an effective marketing plan. While it might take some time, it’s well worth the effort. The process of creating a marketing plan builds alignment, engagement and puts everyone on the same page. When everyone works together for a common goal, the likelihood of accomplishment increases exponentially.