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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)
- Brand 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:
- How to Write a Powerful Creative Brief (On-demand Course)
- Ultimate Guide to Writing a Brand Positioning Statement
- Ultimate Guide to Writing a Creative Brief
- 6 Questions to Optimize Your Marketing Funnel (with template)
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Kevin Namaky is CEO at the Gurulocity Brand Management Institute, a marketing education company that trains and consults for notable brand teams including Kimberly-Clark, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Bolthouse Farms and Gorilla Brands. Kevin is a featured instructor for the American Marketing Association, lectures at the IU Kelley School of business, and has been featured in Ad Age, Forbes, Fast Company and the CMO Council. Previously Kevin worked for 20 years in the corporate and agency world growing notable brands. Follow/connect with Kevin on LinkedIn, TikTok and Twitter.