Contents of a Marketing Plan

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. Executive summary & table of contents Current marketing situation Opportunity and issue analysis Objectives Marketing strategy Action programs Projected profit-and-loss statement profit-andControls

I. Executive summary & table of contents

Presents a brief overview of the proposed plan. The executive summary permits higher management to grasp quickly the plans major thrust. A table of contents should follow the executive summary.

II. Current marketing situation

MARKET - data on target market
 GROWTH, SIZE, SEGMENTS, TRENDS

PRODUCT - historical data on each product

 SALES, PRICES, MARGINS AND NET PROFITS

COMPETITION
 SIZE, GOALS, MARKET SHARE, PRODUCTS, STRATEGY

DISTRIBUTION
 SIZE & IMPORTANCE OF EACH CHANNEL

MACROENVIRONMENT - broad trends

 DEMOGRAPHIC, ECONOMIC, TECHNOLOGICAL, POLITICAL/LEGAL, SOCIAL/CULTURAL

III. Opportunity and issue analysis

OPPORTUNITIES/THREATS ANALYSIS
 IDENTIFYING THE MAIN OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS FACING THE BUSINESS.

STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES ANALYSIS
 IDENTIFYING PRODUCT STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES.

ISSUES ANALYSIS
 DEFINING MAIN ISSUES THE PLAN MUST ADDRESS USING THE STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES ANALYSIS.

IV. Objectives
FINANCIAL OBJECTIVES
 I.E. Produce net profits of $1.8 million in 1999. Earn annual ROI of 15% over the next five years.

MARKETING OBJECTIVES
 FINANCIAL OBJECTIVES MUST BE CONVERTED INTO MARKETING OBJECTIVES.  I.E. Expand consumer awareness of the product from 15% to 30% over the planning period. Expand the number of dealers by 10 percent.

V. Marketing strategy
GAME PLAN TO ACCOMPLISH THE OBJECTIVES:
           TARGET MARKET POSITIONING PRODUCT LINE PRICE DISTRIBUTION OUTLETS SALES FORCE SERVICE ADVERTISING SALES PROMOTION R&D MARKETING RESEARCH

VI. Action programs

Each marketing strategy element must now be elaborated to answer:

 WHAT will be done?  WHEN will it be done?  WHO will do it?  HOW MUCH will it cost?

VII. Projected profit-and-loss profit-andstatement

Action plan allows building a supporting BUDGET:
 REVENUE SIDE - forecasted sales volume in units & the average price  EXPENSE SIDE - cost of production, physical distribution & marketing broken down into finer categories.

Once approved by higher management, the budget is basis for developing plans and schedules for material procurement, production, employee recruitment & marketing operations.

VIII. Controls
MONITORING the plans progress.
 Goals & budget spelled out for every month or
quarter, and then the results are reviewed.  Lagging businesses must explain WHY it happened & WHAT actions will be taken to improve.

Some control sections include

- CONTINGENCY PLAN outline of the steps that the management would take in response to adverse developments, such as price wars or strikes.