Everything You Need to Develop a Winning Marketing Plan

In this article, we’ll discuss what a marketing plan is and how some of the most effective marketing plans implement key strategies to serve their organisations.

What is a marketing plan?

A marketing plan is a strategic roadmap that organisations use to organise, execute, and track their marketing strategy over a given time period.

Marketing plans can include distinct marketing strategies for the various products and services across your company, but all of them should aim to work towards the same business objectives and financial metrics.

Sending prospects fact sheets, brochures, gifts, and announcements by mail (or more creative executions via courier) are just some of the tactics being employed to communicate with prospective buyers.

Types of Marketing Plans

Depending on the type of company you work for, you may want to leverage a variety of different marketing plans. Here are a few we have helped our clients develop:

• Marketing Plans / Strategic Blueprint Documents: These plans highlight the marketing strategies or programs you’ll undertake over a specific period of time.
  
• Digital Marketing Plans / Strategies: These plans highlight digital strategies, leveraging various channels to achieve the desired results over a specific period of time.
  
• Social Media Plans / Strategies: These plans identify and examine the social platforms, tactics, and content you intend to deliver specifically on social media over a period of time.
  
• Content Marketing Plans / Strategies: These plans provide for different strategies, tactics, and programs in which you’ll use content to promote your brand, products, and/or services.
  
• New Product Launch Marketing Plans / Strategies: A roadmap for the strategies and tactics you’ll implement is developed to promote a new product/innovation.

Framework of a winning marketing plan

1 – State your marketing objectives.

2 – Determine the strategies to achieve these objectives.

3 – Identify your key financial and marketing metrics.

4 – Identify your competition and conduct a SWOT.

5 – Describe your key marketing initiatives, tactics, and programs.

6 – Define your marketing budget.

7 – Develop a calendar or schedule of key activities.

8 – Outline your plan’s contributors and their responsibilities.

At Industrial Ideas, we believe that marketing has changed. Your target audience and prospective buyers have become smarter and more organised. The internet has transformed the way business is conducted, especially now.

Both industrial decision-makers and businesses have changed the way they purchase industrial products and services.  Search engines are now one of the most important ways to get found by qualified prospects and your website is now the most important content tool to turn these prospects into qualified leads, leveraging your sales teams’ efforts.

Make your Marketing Plan Customer-Centric

With the right customer-centric approach, you will not only maintain but strengthen relationships with your customers. Give your customers and prospects your HEART during this difficult time – as detailed in your marketing plan. It will help ensure they will stay with you in the future.

If you are ready to get real results with your marketing efforts, let’s chat.

Related: 6 Habits of Marketers Who Continue To Create

Additional Reading: 5 Steps to Humanise Your Brand

INDUSTRIAL MARKETING STRATEGY GUIDE

Learn how to build a superior marketing strategy to achieve the ROI you deserve with your marketing goals and objectives. We examine how to best optimise your medium mix, manage your leads and new opportunities to best prepare your salesforce for organic growth. The market follows those who lead. And it’s the brands that challenge, create change and have the ability to inspire the people around them who will win with their Marketing Strategy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Peter Zafiris is an industrial marketer and founder of Industrial Ideas. Having built his experience in B2B marketing from the ground up, Peter understands what it takes to succeed with your marketing strategy. All client projects are personally managed by Peter to help industrials like you get the return on investment you deserve. Peter and team, work hard to become an extension of your business, to help you get the most out of your marketing efforts. Get your free 30 minute marketing consultation to learn more.