How to Write a Marketing Plan

Marketing Plan: Along with a business plan, a good marketing plan gives the employer a better chance of success.

Parts of a marketing plan:

* Introduction

* Objectives

* The synthesis of different media used

* Media Schedule

* Ways in which advertising is integrated

* Advertising budget

* Conclusion

Introduction: The introduction is a brief summary of the entire marketing plan. Important to list are your main objectives and the various media that will be used and why each will succeed.

Example:

In order to reach our target market, we plan to implement a plan integrated marketing communications (IMC). An IMC plan will help us increase the market share of 4% within six months of the product, to reach a target goal of 100 units sold to date of issue and increase sales by 10% in the first quarter after the release of the product . The promotional items that you want to use are equipped with television, internet, magazines and billboards.

Objectives: The objectives are objectives that the marketing plan will help to achieve.

The best goals involve S.M.A.R.T. objectives.

Specific objectives are listed the exact numbers that you want to hit. Also list the time you expect to do so within

Measurable goals allow you to track your progress to see if they are on track or not. For the purpose of being measurable, it must be able to answer, "How, how, and how do I know when I met my goal?"

Achievable targets are those that the company is actually able to meet with the resources available. If you're the only person selling the product, the company has a limit on the amount of product can be sold.

Realistic goals are ones that can actually be done, but must also be difficult. It might be nice to have a sales target of 1,000,000 units in the first quarter, but depending on the size of your company, this may be unattainable.

Timely objectives have a certain period of time when they must be completed. Having a deadline helps to be focused on one goal and also gives an estimate on how the company is doing in relation to its objectives.

Medias used: There are many types of media vehicles to get your message. Everyone must be listed with the reasoning why he was chosen and the time interval to be used. Back up arguments with facts that can be found on your target market doing research. Speak with confidence and replace words like "hope" with "will".

Some of the vehicles most common means of communication are as follows:

* Internet Advertising

* Website

* Radio

* Newspaper

* The Magazines

* The Billboards

* Public relations (Your company is having an anniversary or some other important event? Let the local newspaper knows, the stories often take for businesses.)

Media planning: Here is where you list the amount of time that the average per vehicle will be used. Pay close attention to the time that may affect your business. Is your product or service seasonal? A snow plow business may only want to advertise right before and during the snowfall.

Budgetary considerations also affect the amount of time to use a particular support.

A timeline chart is a good idea for a visual representation of the program all means. This can easily be accomplished on a spreadsheet like Microsoft Excel.

As advertising is integrated: integrated advertising means that all the different types of advertising are similar in appearance and look no matter what media is used. The logo is a good way to accomplish this. If a logo is used, should appear on every type of support, be it a website, posters, uniforms, etc.

A color theme is also a good way to integrate your ads.

The look and feel of each advertisement should be similar, this will help everyone work together to send a message to the target audience. This also aids in memory, as receivers of the message to hear and see a similar message.

Advertising budget: This section lists all the costs of getting your message. The costs should be allocated for each media vehicle. The best way to view these numbers are running a spreadsheet for ease of reading and a more professional look.

Some types of media will give discounts if you sign up for a period longer than advertising. This may not be the best choice for a new company on a limited budget. Although more long-term economic, new businesses often need money immediately. Also, being stuck in a long contract may limit the funds that are needed in the future.

Prepare a budget for each quarter and adjusted by raising or lowering money allocated for the media that provide different results. (The time average of the hourly chart to help determine when each type of media with a coordinated increase in sales compared to the sales numbers.)

Conclusion: This final section is a summary of the entire marketing plan. To outline the reasons for which it was used every type of media. Leave the reader with a sense that the plan is well thought out and not just wishful thinking as everything is backed up with facts and data ....