What is a Marketing Plan?

• A marketing plan is a road map that provides direction for your marketing strategy – What to do and why you are doing it

• A marketing plan is the practical application of your marketing strategy

• A marketing plan details what you want to accomplish and helps you meet your objectives

• A marketing plan can be part of a larger business plan but can also be used as a stand alone piece without a larger business plan

What is a Marketing Plan?

• Tracks costs and measures value• Helps with focus• Charts marketing strategies• Serves as a handbook• Captures your thinking on paper• Reflects a the big picture• Becomes a document to build on

Do I Need a Marketing Plan?

• If you build it, they wont necessarily come• Your opinion or the opinion of a friend or

family member is not a strong enough basis to launch a business/project

• Would you go on a trip to a destination without knowing how to get there?

• Marketing plans are crucial for obtaining investment!

Where Do I Start?

• Evaluate where you are now.– What is your product/service/project?– How are you positioned in the market?– How do your customers see you?– What is you vision?

• Do you have a mission statement?• Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities,

Threats (SWOT)

The Plan: Getting Started

• Research– Who are your customers?– Where are your markets?– Who are your competitors?– What type of marketing activities are your

competitors engaged in? – Current trends– How will you pay for marketing?– Current situation – what do you do now? What

works? What does not work?

Marketing Plan Template

• There are many different ways to write a marketing plan

• 1000’s of templates available online• Free document templates and paid

business planning “wizard” software• There is no right or wrong way to write a

marketing plan but there are some best practices to keep in mind

#1 The Business

• About your business– Who are you?– History of your business– Product/Services/Projects– Brand manifesto ( a public declaration of

principles and intentions)– Core intentions of you business

#2 Vision

• Where do you see your business in 3, 5, 10 years down the road?

• Articulate your dreams and hopes in the future

• Your vision is your inspiration and framework for your marketing plan

• Your vision does not detail how you are going to get where you are going but it sets the direction you are going in.

#3 Mission Statement

• Why does your business exist?• Mission statements are as varies as the businesses

they describe• What they all have in common, however, is a broad

description of business capabilities, customer focus, activities and make –up

• Mission statement is your present state and a vision statement is your future

• Every business should have a mission statement and is a crucial component of your marketing plan

• It ensures everyone is “on the same page”

#4 Year in Review

• Sales history• Marketing initiatives• Marketing conversions• Marketing conversion overview

• It is important to collect data for future planning.

• Your marketing plan is a living and breathing document

#5 SWOT Analysis

• The SWOT is a powerful tool used to understand you marketing strengths and weaknesses

• It also assists in identifying opportunities and threats that you may face

• Uncover opportunities that you are well placed to take advantage of

• Understanding weaknesses helps manage and eliminate threats that would otherwise catch you off guard

• Apply the SWOT to you and your competitors• Facilitates a marketing strategy that will distinguish you

from your competitors• Help identify promising new customers

A) Strengths - internal

• What advantages to you have?• What do you offer better than others?• What unique or low cost resources do you

have access to?• What do customers and competitors

perceive as your strengths?

B) Weaknesses - internal

• What can you improve?• What marketing and business practices

should you avoid?• What do customers and competitors

perceive as your weaknesses?

C) Opportunities - external

• What positive opportunities are you facing now?

• What are the interesting trends that you can take advantage of?

D) Threats - external

• What obstacles do you face?• What is your competition doing?• Are the specifications to your sector in

regard to how you market your product and services changing?

• Can you weaknesses seriously threaten your business?

#6 SWOT Analysis Overview

• Recap and examination of the internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats determine the appropriate course of action

• Action may include:– Communications standards policy– Product diversification– Marketing strategy that captures a particular

target market

#7 Measurable Objectives

• Increase sales over year prior• Expansion of target market• Pricing incentives (discounts, bundles)• Introduce new product offering• Create new collateral• Concentration on existing customers• Re-brand

#8 Market and Brand Position

• Transform your passion into a position• Be a big fish in a small pond• Perceptual location of where your

product/service/project fits in the marketplace• Identify your greatest strength and use it to

position and define your product/service/project• Effective positioning puts you front of mind to

potential customers• Key elements to positioning: price, value, quality,

service, distribution, packaging

#9 Market Share

• What is the size is the market for you product/service/project offering?

• Identify your current market share over a specified time period

• Define the potential market share your plan aspires to over a specified time period

• To calculate your market share: your sales divided by total sales of your industry over a specified time period

• This metric is an indication of your relative competitiveness

#10 Target Market

• Group of customers you are directing your marketing efforts toward

• A well defined target market is critical in your marketing strategy

• Key segmentation of target markets– Geographic– Demographic– Psychographic (lifestyles)– Behavioural (occasions, loyalty)

• Primary and secondary target markets

#11 Marketing Objectives and Strategies

• Creating experiential events and brand leveraging programs

 • Great special events and activities engage the consumer creating an emotional connection with a brand.

Oceanview Garden Centre and Landscaping will produce special events that are integrated into the marketing plan which will create long lasting memories with the target market.

 • Oceanview Garden Centre and Landscaping will engage the consumer by placing gardening lifestyle

experiences face-to-face with the target market in a manner which reinforces the Oceanview brand experience.

 • Strategies

 • Connect art and culture to the Oceanview brand – Artists by Nature• Show local art in retail areas• Live acoustic performances by local singer/song writers• On-site treasure hunts for children• Painting contests inspired by nature• Educational field trips for schools• Moonlight garden parties• Saturday BBQ’s• Halloween pumpkin carving

#12 The Marketing Mix

• The 4 P’s of Marketing• Product – detailed description of your

product/service/project• Promotion – tactics of your marketing plan.

Getting your product/service/project known. The nuts and bolts of the marketing plan

• Price – How much does it cost?• Placement – distribution and location

#13 Critical Path/Project Management

• Schedule and manage your marketing plan• Identify key tasks and when they must be

executed• Identify interdependencies • Many tools available to employ tasks and

schedule activities• Outlook, Excel spread sheets, word docs,

Marcato, Base Camp

#14 Budget

• All marketing plans will be subject to your marketing budget

• Although this will be the last page of your plan it is the first thing you should consider

• SWOT analysis should serve as a useful tool in determining what you can afford and what low cost opportunities are available to you