6 Tips for Creating a Successful Marketing Plan

Writing and implementing a marketing plan is essential for the success of any business. There are many resources available that define the basic elements of a marketing plan such as those provided by SCORE  and the SBA so this article does not attempt to review these elements. Rather, the author seeks to outline 6 tips for creating a successful marketing plan and impress upon the reader the importance of taking the time to plan and monitor your marketing efforts.

I am sure we can all think of a time when we screwed up by failing to plan ahead. I can think of countless examples in my life, most in the distant past, of course, when I realized that a little bit of planning ahead would have saved me a lot of time and aggravation. How many of you, for example, have not taken the time to get complete destination addresses or directions, failed to confirm appointments, or realized that a deadline is drawing near/or has come and gone for something you should have done?

One graphic example of this failure to plan is in the movie Alice in Wonderland when Alice asks for directions from the Cheshire Cat and does not know where she is going; the Cheshire Cat tells Alice that if she doesn’t know where she is going, it really doesn't matter which way she goes.

Unfortunately, in the world of marketing, failing to plan can result in missed opportunities, lack of employee motivation and strategic direction, ultimately resulting in lost profit for the company.

All companies must take the time to create a strategic marketing plan, preferably with each level of employee involved, which clearly spells out goals for the year, responsibilities of each employee, and timeframes for completion.

It is my belief that most employees want to do their job well,  but in order to do that- they need clear guidance on what they are supposed to do, when they are supposed to do it, and must be given feedback at various stages in the implementation process.

Management needs to involve employees in the process of creating marketing goals, especially those close to the customer, to get buy-in and to benefit from and acknowledge their perspective and glean fresh ideas. Failure to create and implement a marketing plan is a failure of management and will often result in finger pointing. As everyone tries to figure out what went wrong, it eventually becomes apparent that a more thorough plan should have been created, and ultimately the manager is responsible for the achievement of all of the work unit goals, as well as staff motivation and morale.

Here are some tips for creating and implementing a marketing plan:

1.  Plan a retreat at least once a year to create a yearly marketing plan, an activity schedule, and schedule time to review the plan throughout the year.

2.  Involve all levels of employees in the plan. Each employee is a representative of your organization, and believe me, with social networking sites more prevalent they are talking to people about the company, other personnel, and their career.

3.  Project some marketing goals beyond the one year span of time. You can always revise this later.

4.  Create some visual way of showing progress on the achievement of milestones as this can really serve to motivate staff.

5.  Use a project management software such as Basecamp and Severa to track activity completion.

6.  Include in your annual agency budget projected marketing costs for the year. I have seen budgets ranging from 1% to 20% of gross sales. This number tends to be higher in start-ups and new product launches. And some businesses determine their marketing budget by looking at what their competitor is doing and matching or exceeding that number.

Accordingly, if you take the time to plan which way you want to go- you can arrive at your destination quickly and have fun in the process. But as you have learned from life experience -if you do not know exactly where you are going, you are wasting time and energy, negatively affecting your reputation as a manager, and causing undue stress for yourself and others.

Questions For You

1. Do you have any examples of creative ways to motivate employees to accomplish a marketing goal?

2. What project management software or strategies do you use?

3. Do you have anything else to add to the discussion?

Comments

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[Cash For Houses]

"Tips for Creating a Successful Marketing Plan" Hi, gr8 post thanks for posting. Information is useful!

[Marketing Plan]

Remember to track each change you effect in your marketing plan and the relative change in your actual earnings. Key factor here is to make sure you do not scrap things that are actually working well for you. I have seen many persons and businesses do this in the name of change!

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Reate work orders and then track your activity all the way threw until you create an invoice.

[IT Support Santa Clarita]

All businesses that are web based can take advantage of the features of project management. Whether it's bake shop, bank, landscaping, or construction, the software will help all team leaders. The software is also customizable to fit any business. With the tools that are available team leaders will be able to input what they want and what they don't want.

[Barramundi wholesalers]

Success of any project is dependent upon how the manager is leading the project. Employing web based project management tools are a way to assist you end-to-end with your project. Plenty of tools are there that enables punctuality of activities with effectiveness like search time widgets, account user number tools, and search groups.

[Project Management Software]

When the right software makes things more streamlined, the project will progress better. Making reports easier can increase the chances of getting extra funds when needed. If additional financing is necessary, getting them makes completing the assignment possible.

[Zaki Usman]

Excellent article Wayne and thanks for the Plug to Severa. We dont just provide a project management tool, but as a marketing consultant you can use our system to track your proposals, create work orders and then track your activity all the way thru until you create an invoice. The system is desinged to be used by professional service providers. If you are a marketing consultant than have a good look at Severa.

Zaki Usman
Director of Marketing
Severa Inc
www.severa.com