Marketing plan

A Marketing Plan is a written document that details the actions necessary to acheive a specified marketing objective(s). It can be for a product or service, a brand, or a product line. It can cover one year (referred to as an annual marketing plan), or cover up to 5 years. In general terms, it must:

describe and explain the current situation
specify the expected results (objectives)
identify the resources that will be needed (including financing, time, and skills)
describe the actions that will need to be taken to achieve the objective(s)
devise a method of monitoring results and adjusting the plan where necessary

There are many formats for marketing plans and every company does it a little different, but the outline that follows is a very complete format. Using this format will produce a 30 to 40 page plan. Many companies prefer an abridged format that would yield a 10 to 20 page plan.

1 Title page
2 Executive Summary
3 Current Situation - Macroenvironment
- economy
- government
- legal
- technology
- ecological
- sociocultural
- supply chain
4 Current Situation - Market Analysis
- market definition
- market size
- market segmentation
- industry structure and strategic groupings
- Porter 5 forces analysis
- competition and market share
- competitors' strengths and weaknesses
- market trends
5 Current Situation - Consumer Analysis
- nature of the buying decision
- participants
- demographics
- psychographics
- buyer motivation and expectations
- loyalty segments
6 Current Situation - Internal
- company resources
  - financial
  - people
  - time
  - skills
- objectives
  - mission statement and vision statement
  - corporate objectives
  - financial objective
  - marketing objectives
  - long term objectives
- corporate culture
7 Summary of Situation Analysis
- external threats
- external opportunities
- internal strengths
- internal weaknesses
- key success factors in the industry
- our sustainable competitive advantage
8 Marketing research
- information requirements
- research methodology
- research results
9 Marketing Strategy - product
- product mix
- product strengths and weaknesses
  - perceptual mapping
- product life cycle management and new product development
- Brand name, brand image, and brand equity
- the augmented product
- product portfolio analysis
10 Marketing Strategy - Price
- pricing objectives
- pricing method (eg.: cost plus, demand based, or competitor indexing)
- pricing strategy (eg.: skimming, or penetration)
- discounts and allowances
- price elasticity and customer sensitivity
- price zoning
- break even analysis at various prices
11 Marketing Strategy - Promotion
- promotional goals
- promotional mix
- advertising reach, frequency, flights, theme, and media
- sales force requirements, techniques, and management
- sales promotion
- publicity and public relations
- electronic promotion (eg.: Web[?], or telephone[?])
12 Marketing Strategy - Distribution
- geographical coverage
- distribution channels
- physical distribution and logistics
- electronic distribution
13 Implimentation
- personel requirements
  - assign responsibilities
- financial requirements
- management information systems requirements
- month-by-month agenda
  - pert or critical path analysis
- monitoring results and benchmarks
- adjustment mechanism
- contingencies
14 Financial Summary
- assumptions
- pro-forma monthly income statement
- contribution margin analysis
- breakeven analysis
- Monte Carlo analysis
15 Appendix
- pictures and specifications of the new product
- results from research already completed

List of Marketing Topics	List of Management Topics
List of Economics Topics	List of Accounting Topics
List of Finance Topics	List of Economists

List of Marketing TopicsList of Management TopicsList of Economics TopicsList of Accounting TopicsList of Finance TopicsList of Economists

List of Marketing Topics List of Management Topics
List of Economics Topics List of Accounting Topics
List of Finance Topics List of Economists