Marketing Plan Components

Your Marketing Plan MUST be written in APA format.

1. Title Page
2. Executive Summary (On a page by itself.)

NOTHING ELSE GOES ON THE PAGE WITH THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY! No parts of the Executive Summary should appear on the page where you begin the Current Marketing Situation. NO PART.

• Current Marketing Situation
  1. Market Needs – Why does the market need you? What is lacking?
  2. The Market
     1. Market Demographics – Describe your target market to the most detailed characteristic. If you could design the perfect customer for your business, what characteristics would that customer have.
     2. Market Growth Trends – What is happening? Why? Is the market increasing or decreasing? Why or why not? How the market is changing? Why? What are the consumer habits and behaviors as it relates to your businesses industry? Why is this important?
  3. The Company
     1. Mission
     2. Product Offering

• Positioning

1. Competition
   1. Direct Competition – Name them. What do they offer? Why do customers buy from them? What do they do better than you? What do you add to the market they do not offer? What differentiates you from your direct competition?
   2. Indirect Competition – Name them. What males them a competitor? What kind of alternative are they offering customers as opposed to what you and your direct competitors offer?

1. Threats and Opportunities Analysis – There is no way to do this without conducting a complete SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis. The strengths and weaknesses are things in the company’s microenvironment. These are things the business can control. These can be simple bullet points. The opportunities and threats are things in the companies macroenvironment. These are things that are totally out of the business’s control. These include things like politics, the weather, interest rates, etc.
   1. Strengths – At least two (Can be simple bullet points)
   2. Weaknesses – At least two (Can be simple bullet points)
   3. Opportunities – You need at least two. You must describe these opportunities in at least three sentences. MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!
   4. Threats – You need at least two. You must describe these threats in at least three sentences. MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!
2. Objectives and Issues – Choose at least two of these (or two of your own) and expound upon them. EVERY ISSUE HAS AN OBJECTIVE. There will be an example of what I am looking for given out in the announcements as time draws near for this section to be completed.
   1. Increase Sales
   2. Build Brand Awareness
   3. Grow Market Share
   4. Launch New Products or Services
   5. Target New Customers
   6. Enter New Markets Internationally or Locally
   7. Improve Stakeholder Relations
   8. Enhance Customer Relationships

1. Marketing Strategy – a-f are optional. The Marketing Mix is MANDATORY!
   1. Value Proposition
   2. Critical Issues
   3. Financial Objectives
   4. Marketing Objectives
   5. Target Market Strategy
   6. Branding
   7. Marketing Mix
      1. Product Strategy
      2. Pricing Strategy

• Place/Distribution Strategy

1. Promotion Strategy
   1. Advertising
   2. Public Relations
   3. Direct Marketing
2. Web Plan
   1. Website/Internet Sales Goals
   2. Website/Internet Marketing Strategy
3. Service

• Sales Plan
  1. Sales Strategy
  2. Sales Process

• Action Programs (How you will accomplish the details of your Marketing Strategy.)
• Budgets – What are your fixed and variable costs?

1. Controls (How you will measure results of your promotions strategy.)
2. References – This goes on a separate page on its own with no other information except references.