What is a marketing plan? Do you know how to create a marketing plan? A marketing plan can help keep your business focused on your goals. Marketing fuels sales and growth, and good marketing takes strategy, planning and execution. So a marketing plan, and a good planning process to execute that plan, is vital for most businesses.
Think of a marketing plan as navigation for marketing. The long-term goals are the destination. The strategy, tactics and marketing mix are the route. Details like major milestones, measurements of success, tasks, deadlines and budgets are the actual steering. And regular review and revisions are like GPS-driven navigation with real-time traffic and weather.
The elements of a marketing plan matter much more than the form or format of the marketing plan. It can be as formal as a marketing plan document with sections, or it can be simply a collection of components of a marketing plan including bullet-point lists, tables, charts, budgets and explanations. A good marketing plan is one that tracks results. Tracking means objective numbers, like sales, but also includes leads, pitches, store traffic, responses, emails, likes, follows, subscriptions and presentations.
Here are five components of a successful marketing plan for enhanced business growth. Here are the attributes you want to make sure your plan has:
1. Market Focus
2. Product Focus
3. Concrete, Measurable Specifics
4. Responsibility and Accountability
5. Revisions and Reviews
The idea of writing a marketing plan can be intimidating. Check out The Travel Institute’s Certified Travel Associate (CTA) program to learn more.
