Marketing plan template
Use this template to guide you through writing your own marketing action plan.
Introduction
What are the main objectives you want your marketing action plan to achieve for
your business (ie, more sales, more customers, greater market share, etc – try to
be specific)?
We want more customers and a larger market. We also want to eventually expand
our business.
1.
Your market
1.1
Who are your customers?
Answer the following questions:

Who are your existing customers?

What are their needs?

What motivates them to buy your offer?

Can you separate your customers into different groups of people with
different needs or motivations?

Are there people who aren’t currently customers but could benefit from your
product or service?
People interested in eating healthy, local families.
Their needs include fast, healthy food.
Getting healthy foods motivates them.
There are some people who need fast food and others need healthy and fresh
foods.
People who need to lose weight and want to eat healthy.
1.2
Who are your competitors?
Answer the following questions:

Who are your competitors (NB, think about your direct competitors – ie,
businesses who are selling a similar offer: and your indirect competitors – ie,
businesses with a totally different offer but who are competing for the same
customers)?

Why might your customers or potential customers choose a competitors’ their
product or service over yours?
Our competitor is Whole Foods in the area. Whole Foods has a hot-bar that allows
you to get quick healthy meals. The objective of Whole Foods hot-bar is the same
as our restaurant. Whole Foods has greater variety than our restaurant.
1.3
Other marketing activity
Answer the following question:

Are there opportunities for you to be involved in marketing activities you
don’t already engage in?
Leaf could start a catering business to put us ahead of our competition. We could
cater business events and parties. Leaf could also become a franchise to expand
our business to different locations.
2.
Opportunities in your business and your market
2.1
What are our strengths?
Answer the following questions:

What are the strengths of your product or service (ie, high quality, unique,
cost-effective, etc)?

How does your product or service compare to your competitors’?
Fresh and local food which is trendy. We have a drive thru which makes it more
convenient and quicker than our competitors.
2.2
What could we improve on?
Answer the following questions:

Are there any aspects of your product or service which are weak?

Have your customers complained about any aspect of your offer?
Not many people want the food we provide. Most Americans tastes prefer greasy,
salty and sugary foods.
No one knows of our business
We only have one location, and have to continuously keep up with the fresh
products.
Customers tend to complain about high pricing.
2.3
What opportunities are there?
Answer the following questions:

Which of your strengths are you not taking advantage of?

Are there any trends in your market that you and your competitors are not
catering to?

Are there any gaps in your market that you could fill?

Are there any additional uses for your product or service which you could
draw attention to?
We are not using our local farmers as much as we should be.
No
No
More advertising on how we are a fast, afforadable, and healthy restaurant.
2.4
What obstacles are there?
Answer the following question:

What is preventing you from implementing your marketing plan (ie, money,
time, resources, etc – think about internal and external obstacles)?
Money and resources are keeping us from implementing our marketing plan. As we
start up our business money is very tight, also we do not have many connections in
the restaurant industry because we are not yet well established.
3
Your business objectives
Answer the following questions:

What are your objectives as a business? Try to make these both specific and
realistic.

What are your deadlines for each objective?

What resources do you have to help you fulfil your objectives?

What extra resources will you need to help you fulfil your objectives?
To meet a need for fast, healthy, and organic food to turn a profit to be good
corporate citizens.
Within a year.
Online ordering, pre ordering food app, and advertising.
Flyers and maybe food comercials.
4
Your marketing strategy and action plan
4.1
Target customers
Answer the following questions:

Who are your target customers (choose existing and potential customers
identified above)?

What do you know about them (ie, where do they live? What age/gender are
they? What sort of income do they earn? What other products do they buy)?

Where are they likely to find out about your product or service?

How do they prefer to buy your product or service (eg, face-to-face, online,
etc)?

Which are the most profitable customers?

Which could become more profitable customers?
Our target customers are people who want healthy food and quick
We know that they are mostly families, and working people who prefer to buy our
product through the drive thru because of convenience
The most profitable customers are the ones who are willing to pay the cost of our
healthy food.
Customers who enjoy our food and see the benefits of eating healthy food and
want to continue coming will become our more profitable customers.
4.2
What products or services can we offer our target customers?
Answer the following question:

What products or services can you offer each of your customer groups in order
to achieve your objectives?
We can offer kids meals for families.
Affordable meals for people who can’t spend lots of money on food
Healthy foods for customers who are interested in the fresh and local food.
4.3
How can we encourage these people to take up the offer?
Answer the following questions:

What aspect of your product or service will be most attractive to each of your
target customer groups?

Will you need to offer them an incentive to take up your offer?
The drive thru because our customers are busy and like food on the go.
We will express to our customers the importance of eating healthy foods.
4.4
How do we communicate our offer?
Answer the following question:

How can we reach each of our target customer groups with appealing
information about our product or service (NB, think about the different ways
they receive information – this will help you understand the best ways to
market your offer to each customer group)?

Will it be cost-effective (ie, will the investment justify the likely return on
investment)?

Which is likely to be the most profitable marketing channel?
Emphasize that our food is locally grown and all fresh. We also provide a drive-thru
to make it more convenient for people who are on a time crunch, this also makes
our company more desirable that we cater to those who don’t have time to sit
down and eat but still want to eat wisely.
It is cost effective because with the high demand in our service we will make a
larger profit.
Our drive-thru because it makes receiving healthy meals a lot more convenient
when it is handed to you without having at a faster and simpler rate.
4.5
Marketing action plan
Use the table below to summarise your strategy.
When
What
Target
customer(s)
Objective(s)
11/21-
Student Discount
(10% off meal)
Students with
student I.D.
To encourage
students to dine at
our restaurant with
a discount
guaranteed.
Kids eat free
Families with
To encourage
Mon-Fri
11/21-
Cost (if any)
Every
with purchase of
Wednesday adult meal.
younger
children 12 and
under.
families to bring
their children to a
fun environment
that promotes
healthy eating.
3/3
Dress up as a leaf All ages
of vegetable for
a free grilled
nugget tray
Advocate healthy
eating and promote
our mascot to the
public
11/21Every
Friday
(hours 113)
Grilled chicken
nugget or salad
meal with your
choice of side
and drink for
5.00
Promote our
business
All ages
8/3-8/13
Leaf mascot visits Elementary
elementary
aged students.
schools to
educate them on
healthy foods and
provide free
grilled chicken
nuggets to
sample.
To promote healthy
food to kids in a
fun way and to also
encourage these
students to bring
their family to our
restaurant and try
it out.
10/2810/29
Leaf visits the
farmers market
All ages
The goal is to get
Leaf's name out to
the public and
support our local
providers for Leaf.
11/1511/16
Food truck
downtown
All ages
Bring leaf to a
different location
and promote our
healthy meals in a
busy environment.
6/1-8/31
Summer fruit
salad
All ages
Promote a healthy,
summery fruit salad
only for a seasonal
time for all
customers.
7/18
Raffle to win
three free meals
All ages
Promote our
business
12/1412/20
Smoothie Week!
Free 24oz.
homemade
smoothie with
the purchase of
All ages
Promoting our new
smoothies!
any adult meal
7.00+
10/110/7
5
Wear pink in
support of breast
cancer awareness
month for a free
16oz. smoothie
All ages
Support a good
cause and promote
our business in a
positive way.
Reviewing your marketing action plan
How will you know that your plan has been a success? Identify appropriate
measures for success and put realistic timescales against each activity in your
action plan. Review the action plan regularly to make sure you are on track.
Marketing
activity
1st
revie
w
date
Measure
of
success
at 1st
review
2nd
review
date
Measure of
success at 2nd
review
Final
deadline
Measure of
success at
end date
Student
Discount (10%
off meal)
12/5
20%
increase
in sales
of
student
custome
rs
1/5
40% increase
in sales of
student
customers
4/5
65%
increase in
sales of
student
customers
Kids eat free
with purchase
of adult meal.
12/5
15%
increase
in sales
of
family
custome
rs
1/5
35% increase
in sales of
family
customers
4/5
50%
increase in
sales of
family
customers
Dress up as a
leaf of
vegetable for a
free grilled
nugget tray
3/24
15%
more
custome
rs
7/24
25% increase
in customers
11/24
50%
increase in
customers
Grilled chicken
nugget or salad
meal with your
choice of side
and drink for
5.00
12/5Every
Friday
25%
increase
in sales
of all
custome
rs
1/5
45% increase
in sales of all
customers
3/5
65%
increase in
sales of all
customers
Leaf mascot
visits
elementary
8/29
10%
increase
in sales
9/29
25% increase
in sales of
family
11/29
55%
increase in
sales of
schools to
educate them
on healthy
foods and
provide free
grilled chicken
nuggets to
sample.
of
family
custome
rs
customers
family
customers
Leaf visits the
farmers market
11/19
30%
increase
in sales
of
custome
rs
12/19
40% increase
in sales of
customers
2/19
55%
increase in
sales of
customers
Food truck
downtown
11/23
7%
increase
in sales
of
custome
rs
12/23
15% increase
in sales of
customers
2/23
22%
increase in
sales of
customers
Summer fruit
salad
9/14
35%
increase
in sales
of
custome
rs
10/14
45% increase
in sales of
customers
12/14
50%
increase in
sales of
customers
Raffle to win
three free
meals
8/1
15%
increase
in sales
of
custome
rs
9/1
20% increase
in sales of
customers
11/1
32%
increase in
sales of
customers
Smoothie
Week! Free
24oz.
homemade
smoothie with
the purchase of
any adult meal
7.00+
1/10
20%
sales
increase
of
smoothi
es
2/10
40% increase
in sales of
smoothies
4/10
65%
increase in
sales of
smoothies
Wear pink in
support of
breast cancer
awareness
month for a
free 16oz.
smoothie
10/21
10%
increase
in sales
of
smoothi
es
11/21
15% increase
in sales of
smoothies
1/21
25%
increase in
sales of
smoothies