Marketing Plan Resources
Today, We will create a marketing plan for your company. There are four P’s of marketing:
Product, Price, Promotion and Place (Distribution). This set of forms will help you create a
marketing plan for your business.
1. This form will help you distinguish your product/ business in a simple, straightforward
way:
ELEVATOR SPEECH-PLANNING QUESTIONNAIRE
1. What business are you in?
2. What is your product or service? Give a broad-brush answer without getting
hung up on details.
3. Who is your target customer? How large is your market?
4. What benefits do your customers receive, or what problems do you help them
solve?
5. What sets your business apart? Think about unique technologies, special
expertise, marketing potential, and the strengths of your management team,
investors, board members, and industry associations.
Marketing Plan Resources
6. Who are your competitors and how is your business different and better?
2. Create your positioning and brand statement by looking at the examples below and
creating it for your product:
Formula for a positioning statement
Your business or
product name
+ What makes your
business unique
and different
+ Your market description
Business Plans Kit
For Dummies
is the easiest, most
self-contained do-ityourself resource
for brand-new or expanding businesses
of any size
iPod
is the digital music
player
for people who want 40,000 songs in
their pocket
Zappos
offers the absolute
best service and
selection in online
shopping
to customers who value a business
that’s powered by service
Now it’s your turn…
Formula for a brand statement
A phrase that captures the promise your business makes to its customers.
Bing
Get Relevant Results & Decide Faster.
Twitter
Without a doubt the best way to share and discover what is
happening right now.
Amazon.com
Earth’s biggest selection.
Now it’s your turn…
Marketing Plan Resources
3. Create your Product Strategy:
PRODUCT STRATEGY CHECKLIST
1. How will you present your products to develop customers and sales?
2. Which products or product features will you emphasize?
3. Will you introduce new product names, packaging, or labeling to re-inspire
market interest?
4. Can you bundle products into packaged offers to increase sales?
5. Will you develop new products or add new design elements or functions to
existing products to achieve market interest, meet competitive challenges, or
address consumer demands?
6. Will you introduce or increase emphasis on quality assurances or service
policies?
7. Other product considerations…
Marketing Plan Resources
4. Create your Price Strategy:
5. PRICING STRATEGY CHECKLIST
1. What is your pricing philosophy? Does your business want to be the high-end
price choice? Middle-of-the-pack? Low end?
2. How do your current (or planned) prices compare with those of your
competitors? If your prices are higher, do you offer extra value? If your prices
are lower, what affects your lower price, and can your pricing sustain
profitability?
3. Do you plan to offer special initial pricing to gain trial and acceptance? If so,
what is your plan for increasing prices later?
4. Do your prices cover all costs plus a profit margin?
5. What is your target product profit margin?
6. Do your prices cover costs such as shrinkage, returns, bad debt, and
allowance for employee errors?
Marketing Plan Resources
7. Do you offer financing and does your offer affect profits for good or bad?
8. How often do you alter your prices or offer sale pricing?
9. Do you allow bargaining?
10. Do you — or can you — join a buying group, buy through an association, or
establish bulk-buying agreements to reduce the costs of your product?
11. Do you offer a range of payment options, and do you know the impact of
each choice on your financial condition?
12. Other pricing considerations…
Marketing Plan Resources
6. Create your Place (Distribution) Strategy:
DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY CHECKLIST
1. Will you introduce new distribution or delivery systems — such as home
delivery, subscription delivery, free delivery to volume customers, and so on
— to increase sales, serve customers, or gain advantage over competitors?
2. Can you increase sales by adding new distribution channels, such as online
sales, distributor relationships, or new retail outlets?
3. Would your business benefit from business partnerships that allow you to
achieve off-premise sales outlets in other retail settings?
4. If you use or are adding distributors or representatives, do you have adequate
plans for recruiting, training, motivating, and compensating them, and do you
have a clear plan for assignment of territories?
5. Other distribution strategy considerations…
Marketing Plan Resources
7. Create your Promotion Strategy:
PROMOTION STRATEGY WORKSHEET
1. Can you communicate with your prospects and customers one-to-one using
direct mail, e-mail, and personal meetings, or do you need to use mass media
to reach your market?
2. For advertising or publicity, which media will best reach your prospect —
local newspaper, radio, and TV; national/international media; business-tobusiness publications; special-interest publications; Web presence; outdoor
ads; or others?
3. To meet your marketing objectives, will you rely most heavily on advertising,
direct mail, personal communications, sales promotions, online advertising,
social media, publicity, or other communication vehicles?
4. Are trade shows important for meeting distributors or consumers?
5. Do you need promotional literature to attract prospects or to help move
prospects to a buying decision?
6. What kind of message will you convey in your communications? (Remember:
Consistency is the key to strong branding and sales.)
Marketing Plan Resources
7. Does your program require professional assistance from freelancers, Web site
designers, advertising or public relations firms, or media buyers?
8. Name the three to five most effective ways to communicate with your
consumers in order to meet your marketing objectives.
Great job! Now, if you are working primarily on a marketing plan, you should put all of these
elements into a document outlining your strategy, and then create one or two of the elements of
your plan. These might include:
 Designing a logo
 Creating an advertisement
 Designing your stores/ locations
 Designing your product