Maybe you’re not sure where to start. Maybe you’re looking at a blank page. Or maybe you just want to be sure you haven’t left something really important out of your plan.

I previously posted an easy marketing plan PowerPoint template on this blog. Designed for an executive-level audience, it’s purposely under 15 slides to keep the presentation tight. That template assumes you’ve done a bit of homework first.

But not everyone is that far along, and I received a few requests to provide perspective regarding what goes into a full marketing plan.

Does your desk look like this?

If you need a list of the pieces and parts needed for a complete plan, this post is for you. In it you’ll find an outline as well as a downloadable Word template to make planning easier.

MARKETING PLAN OUTLINE

Here’s an outline of sections included in the Word template:

Marketing Plan

• Executive Summary
• Situation Analysis
  • Market Summary
  • Core Discipline/Offering
  • Competition
  • Technology
  • SWOT Analysis
  • Keys to Success
  • Critical Issues
• Marketing Strategy
  • Target Market Segments (Audience/Persona)
  • Positioning
  • Marketing Mix (Price, Product, Place, Promotion)
  • Marketing Research
• Financials
  • Sales Forecast
  • Expense Forecast

Some of the sections include a brief explanation or prompts. Other sections are hopefully more obvious.

If all you need is a checklist of what to create, the above list may suffice. But if you’d like to be one step closer to done, you can download and fill in the Word template below.

You might also like:

• Marketing Strategy for Small Business Owners Private Community
• 30 Days to a Winning Small Business Marketing Strategy (Coached Course)
• 6 Questions to Optimize Your Marketing Funnel (with template)

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”About

Kevin Namaky

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Kevin Namaky founded Gurulocity, a marketing education company, to help small business owners and entrepreneurs hone their strategic marketing craft and unlock their potential. As a brand marketing leader and former Head of Strategy at a global consulting firm, he created billions in new value for companies big and small. He now brings those marketing secrets to small businesses everywhere. Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn and join the private community exclusively for small business owners.