Do you ever find yourself just crossing your fingers when it comes to marketing your business? Everyone hopes their advertising will work. Most business owners get inundated with advertising offers – from print ads to sponsorships to digital marketing plans. Unfortunately, great marketing and business success don’t just happen through wishful thinking and random selections. You need a plan.
By taking the time to think through and write a marketing plan, you’ll be able to clearly articulate what you want, set some goals, and, most importantly, evaluate whether or not your strategy worked.
What is a Marketing Plan?
According to Hubspot, a marketing plan is a strategic roadmap that businesses use to organize, execute, and track their marketing strategy over a given time period.
You wouldn’t set out on a road trip without first looking at a map or inputting an address on your GPS. A marketing plan is like a map for marketing your business. It helps you identify where you want to go and how you want to get there.
Your marketing plan may be annual or quarterly, and you can segment your plans into different types (i.e. social media, paid advertising, or content marketing).
How to Write a Marketing Plan
We suggest writing a marketing plan that consists of the following elements:
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- Your Mission Statement & Unique Selling Proposition
- Target Audiences
- SMART Goals
- Strategies & Tactics
- Budget, Timeline & Resources
Over the next few months, we’ll outline each plan element and give details on what you need to think about when creating a successful marketing strategy.
For now, be sure to download our marketing plan template PDF to get started.
Are you ready to jumpstart your marketing? Contact Barnyard Marketing today.