Search:

	Industry Categories
	Culture & Art Home Family & Garden Online Shopping People & Society Automobile & Automotive News & Media Jobs & Careers Computers & Networking Drink & Food Science & Space Academics & Education Policies & Law Finance & Banking Companies & Business Children Property & Estate Hotels & Travel Relationship & Lifestyle Self Enhancement Recreation Online & Indoor Games Adventure & Sports Medical Care Health & Hygiene

Main › Companies & Business › Business Practices

Top 7 Tips For Writing Your Marketing Plan

Author: Bobette Kyle

A lot of people are at a loss when it comes to deciding how to approach the marketing plan process and how to stay within time and budget constraints. To make for a less stressful marketing plan process, keep these 7 tips in mind:

Think Strategy First

An overall marketing strategy drives many decisions. If you first identify general goals, choosing appropriate marketing programs for a small business plan becomes much easier.

Decide Format

Putting together a general outline and deciding how you will publish the plan can help you better visualize steps you need to take. Examples are (a) a full, detailed report including Executive Summary, the plan itself, and back-up data, (b) a single summary sheet, or (c) something in between. Size and structure of the small business can help determine the scope of the plan.

Set Aside Time

A good, strategic marketing plan requires a certain amount of analysis. Early stages in the process go smoother with minimal interruptions. Make it easier for those working on the plan to concentrate by setting aside "closed" time during early planning stages. In a busy, small business environment, this can be accomplished by working during off hours or putting aside a short time - 30 minutes to an hour - each day.

Brainstorm

New, creative ideas flow more freely when people are not inhibited by preconceptions. Hold a brainstorming session, with two rules: (a) there are no bad ideas and (b) everyones ideas carry equal weight.

Shorten The List

Implementation suffers severely when there is an overload of marketing projects, especially in small businesses with a small or one-person marketing department.. The list of potential projects generated in the brainstorming session can be shortened by concentrating on those likely to be the most profitable and those that take advantage of the companys internal strengths.

Make The Plan Flexible

Business does not operate in a vacuum, so your plan neednt exist in one. For example, the business environment may change during the year or additional marketing opportunities may arise. Building in flexibility to adjust throughout the year can avoid the pitfall of continuing down an unproductive path.

Have Measurements In Place

Knowing if and how well a program works can help you identify opportunities for improvement. In your marketing plan or in back-up documents, set explicit goals and measurements.

Author Bio:

Bobette Kyle

Bobette Kyle draws upon 12+ years of Marketing/Executive experience, Marketing MBA, and online marketing research in her writing. Bobette is proprietor of the Web Site Marketing Plan Network, www.WebSiteMarketingPlan.com, and author of the marketing plan and Web promotion book "How Much For Just the Spider? Strategic Website Marketing For Small Budget Business," http://www.HowMuchForSpider.com/TOC.htm .

You can also reach this article by using: business process management, business process management tools, bpm

Preparing to Negotiate Strategically

Why Your Clients Are Buying from Someone Else (and What You Can Do About It)

Encouraging Affiliates to Promote Your Products

Teleclasses: Your New Innovative Way to Learn

Turning Sales Techniques Into Sales Success!

When Business Drops Off, Always Look Here

Benchmarking and Best Practice - Utilization Rates

Bullying and the Not for Profit Organisation

Do It Yourself Search Engine Optimization Works!

Steps in Using the Critical Incident Technique

Top 10 Ways to Maximize Your Approachability

After reading and researching thousands of books, articles and other resources on communication, fir ... - Scott Ginsberg

Marketing Mind vs Emotion

The research and field results prove that there are three factors that pull people to respond to a p ... - Daniel Wadleigh

Partnering: Where Can You Find Good Partners?

Partnering is best done through client referrals. If you are a generalist, try to find deeply niched ... - Joshua Feinberg

Top 7 Tips For Writing Your Marketing Plan

Think Strategy First

Decide Format

Set Aside Time

Brainstorm

Shorten The List

Make The Plan Flexible

Have Measurements In Place

Bobette Kyle

Related Articles

Top 10 Ways to Maximize Your Approachability

Marketing Mind vs Emotion

Partnering: Where Can You Find Good Partners?

Increasing the ROI on Your Networking

TQM Implementation Project Part 6a - The Improve Phase, How To Do It

Do Not Wait Too Long To Follow The (New) Trend

The Art Of Cold Calling

The Top 10 Bald-Faced Lies In Home-Based Business Training and Education (Part 1)