The Marketing Plan Outline - Economic Development and ...
The Marketing Plan Outline - Economic Development and ... The Marketing Plan Outline - Economic Development and ...
numbers and percentages. In other words, how many users do you currently have and how many potential users exist for your product or service? If you are offering a regional service and have found that there are 80,000 potential customers in your geographic area, then this is where you put that information. Explain the growth and other changes you see in the market and how the competition is failing, flailing or flourishing as a result. Include some market history if it applies to your product and market. Refer to the statistics and data you've discovered through your market research and be sure to quote the source and date. This is where you would include the PEST (Political, Economic, Social, and Technology) information you gathered about outside influences on the market (i.e. government regulations, union activities, social changes, etc.). Also, don't forget the seasonality of the market, and the typical product life cycle. Competitive Overview Give a complete and thorough overview of the competitive market. Cover not only the directly competing companies you face (those who offer a very similar product with similar attributes), but also other product variations you may be competing with. For example, if you're selling herbal teas, are you also competing with regular teas? Instant teas? Canned teas? The drink market in general? Review these types of competitors as well as your direct competitors. Describe all of the heavy hitters and answer the following questions: • What are their product's strengths and weaknesses? • What are their strengths and weaknesses as a company (financial strength, reputation, etc.)? • Are there weaknesses you can exploit? • What are the differences between your product features and theirs? • What were their sales for last year? • What is their pricing structure? • In what media vehicles do they promote their products? • What is their advertising message? • Where else do they promote their products? • What were their total advertising expenditures for last year? • What is their overall goal (profitability, market share, leadership)? • How are they trying to meet their goals (low prices, better quality, lower overhead)? • What were their responses to changes you made in your product pricing or promotions? Information is often the key to a strong competitive advantage. If you've had difficulty digging up information about your competitors, try your suppliers. They can be good sources of information. Visit your competitors' locations, Web sites, exhibit booths; sample their products. You can also gather a wealth of media and advertising information about your competitors on the Internet through companies like Competitive Media Reporting and USAData. These firms and many others provide access to databases covering many areas of industry, media, advertising, and competitive information. Product Overview Use this section of your marketing plan to fully describe: • your product and its purpose • its features
• its current pricing structure • its current distribution channels • its positioning within the market • its current promotions and advertising • its current packaging Make sure the information is specific and accurate. If your product is new, simply describe your product and its features... But wait! This section of your marketing plan should be a piece of cake. You know your product, right? You know its features, right? Do you know the benefits your customers get from your product, though? You had better, because that's what's going to sell it. Features vs. Benefits This has probably been hammered into your head if you've been in marketing or advertising, but what does it mean? Don't your customers make the connection that if the box says "batteries included" that means they won't have to take those extra steps of buying and installing them? Sure, they might, but if you say "Batteries Included: Ready to use right out of the box!" you'll get their attention more quickly and perhaps give your product the slight edge that will convince the customer to pick up your product rather than your competition's. In a nutshell, you have to make very clear the end result that is ultimately the reason why someone should purchase your product. Connect the dots for them, and you'll have a much better chance of having a successful product. Add to the list above a big "benefits" category, especially if your product is new. When you get to Strategies and Action Plan, use the benefits information you come up with here to make your creative efforts and positioning work for you. SWOT The content that this section of your plan communicates is some of the most important. Up until now, you've been talking about the past, so to speak. From this point on, you're moving into the future and ultimately the meat of your marketing plan. With that in mind, write this section of the plan with particular clarity and substance. Pull out those lists of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that you came up with during the research phase and put them in order of importance within each category. Remember, these should include anything that might affect sales of the product. Make it detailed enough to fully explain each strength, opportunity, etc., but keep the format clean and graphically easy to read. Goals and Objectives Your goals and objectives are simply the hard facts describing where you want to be a year from now, or five years from now, or whatever your time frame may be. Sales Goals Start with your sales goals. In this section, you should include goals that are:
- Page 1 and 2: The Marketing Plan Outline Executiv
- Page 3: In this section of your marketing p
- Page 7 and 8: 1. You know your 2,500 customers ea
- Page 9 and 10: 8. Can you springboard a positionin
- Page 11 and 12: would also allow for higher pricing
- Page 13 and 14: • What you want to communicate
- Page 15 and 16: only when your product is on sale.
- Page 17 and 18: The key to making your sales force
- Page 19 and 20: • Flighting - This refers to shor
- Page 21 and 22: • TV or radio ads - These require
numbers <strong>and</strong> percentages. In other words, how many users do you currently have <strong>and</strong> how many<br />
potential users exist for your product or service? If you are offering a regional service <strong>and</strong> have found<br />
that there are 80,000 potential customers in your geographic area, then this is where you put that<br />
information.<br />
Explain the growth <strong>and</strong> other changes you see in the market <strong>and</strong> how the competition is failing, flailing<br />
or flourishing as a result. Include some market history if it applies to your product <strong>and</strong> market. Refer to<br />
the statistics <strong>and</strong> data you've discovered through your market research <strong>and</strong> be sure to quote the source<br />
<strong>and</strong> date.<br />
This is where you would include the PEST (Political, <strong>Economic</strong>, Social, <strong>and</strong> Technology) information<br />
you gathered about outside influences on the market (i.e. government regulations, union activities,<br />
social changes, etc.). Also, don't forget the seasonality of the market, <strong>and</strong> the typical product life<br />
cycle.<br />
Competitive Overview<br />
Give a complete <strong>and</strong> thorough overview of the competitive market. Cover not only the directly<br />
competing companies you face (those who offer a very similar product with similar attributes), but also<br />
other product variations you may be competing with. For example, if you're selling herbal teas, are you<br />
also competing with regular teas? Instant teas? Canned teas? <strong>The</strong> drink market in general? Review<br />
these types of competitors as well as your direct competitors.<br />
Describe all of the heavy hitters <strong>and</strong> answer the following questions:<br />
• What are their product's strengths <strong>and</strong> weaknesses?<br />
• What are their strengths <strong>and</strong> weaknesses as a company (financial strength, reputation, etc.)?<br />
• Are there weaknesses you can exploit?<br />
• What are the differences between your product features <strong>and</strong> theirs?<br />
• What were their sales for last year?<br />
• What is their pricing structure?<br />
• In what media vehicles do they promote their products?<br />
• What is their advertising message?<br />
• Where else do they promote their products?<br />
• What were their total advertising expenditures for last year?<br />
• What is their overall goal (profitability, market share, leadership)?<br />
• How are they trying to meet their goals (low prices, better quality, lower overhead)?<br />
• What were their responses to changes you made in your product pricing or promotions?<br />
Information is often the key to a strong competitive advantage. If you've had difficulty digging up<br />
information about your competitors, try your suppliers. <strong>The</strong>y can be good sources of information. Visit<br />
your competitors' locations, Web sites, exhibit booths; sample their products. You can also gather a<br />
wealth of media <strong>and</strong> advertising information about your competitors on the Internet through companies<br />
like Competitive Media Reporting <strong>and</strong> USAData. <strong>The</strong>se firms <strong>and</strong> many others provide access to<br />
databases covering many areas of industry, media, advertising, <strong>and</strong> competitive information.<br />
Product Overview<br />
Use this section of your marketing plan to fully describe:<br />
• your product <strong>and</strong> its purpose<br />
• its features
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