From the definition of the target audience, the Marketing Plan enters into the strategic definitions. We start with the positioning, which must be defined for each target audience.
Defining a market position means thinking about how the company wants to be perceived by consumers . Positioning builds a unique, differentiated and relevant image in the minds of the public .
Of course, you must study your competitors to differentiate yourself from them in this place.
Positioning refers to company or product attributes, such as price, size or design, but is mainly found in subjective factors, such as the values and meanings attributed to the brand.
They are the ones who awaken public identification, conquer a space in the minds of consumers and influence their consumption decisions.
Therefore, when creating marketing strategies, positioning must be reflected in the content, advertising, visual identity and all points of contact with consumers, so that they absorb the image you want to convey.
6. Set goals
Setting goals is at the heart of the Marketing Plan.
But it is important to follow all shop the steps we have already mentioned, because they provide the basis for the objectives to be aligned with the reality of the business and the market and to be directed to the right audience.
For the definition of objectives, the SMART methodology framework is an excellent ally. SMART is the acronym for the following characteristics that objectives must have:
- Specific.
- Measurable.
- Attainable.
- Relevant or Realistic.
- Time Based (with duration period).
When the Marketing Plan follows these guidelines, the objectives are more likely to be achieved. They become clearer and more motivating for the team, as well as defining a common horizon that everyone should aspire to.
So keep in mind that it doesn’t make sense to define broad goals, such as “sell more,” “get more engagement on social media,” or ” increase website visits .”
Below we will show you some examples of the most effective objectives to guide strategies:
- generate 1000 ecommerce orders in 1 year;
- increase the participation rate to 10% by July 2021;
- reach 10,000 website visitors in 2 years.
They are much more specific, measurable and have a deadline. To know if they are realistic and achievable, it is necessary to go back to the diagnosis of the company and the market to know if the values and deadlines make sense.
It’s worth remembering that we’re defining objectives at a strategic level here. So, ideally, you’re defining what Marketing as a whole wants to achieve and working with a longer time frame. But if you’re creating a plan for a specific strategy, you can set more specific goals.
7. Definition of KPIs
If you set measurable goals in the do you know the level of languages expected in high school? previous step, this step is much easier. After all, being measurable means you can use metrics to track the performance of the strategies and see if they achieved the expected results.
But we’re not talking about metrics here, we’re talking about Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) . Okay, so what’s the difference?
Metrics are any measure to evaluate the performance of an action, such as the number of website visitors or social media interactions.
KPIs are also metrics, but they are directly related to goals . In other words, KPIs tell you whether you are on the right track and whether you have achieved the goals outlined in the plan.
Of course, you can also monitor other metrics, but it is the KPIs that indicate the successful execution of the Marketing Plan. Therefore, they should be closely monitored.
To do this, it is important to establish an evaluation and control routine that monitors the KPIs and indicates possible adjustments to improve the results, if they are deviating from the established objectives.
8. Definition of strategies
Here we begin to delve into the business sale lead tactics of the Marketing Plan, that is, how to implement the definitions into specific strategies, which then need to be broken down into operational definitions.
In this step, you must define which Marketing strategies will contribute to achieving the objectives of the Marketing Plan.
If your goal is to generate 2,000 leads next year, you will probably need Inbound Marketing , Content Marketing and SEO strategies , for example. Therefore, you need to think about them at this point.
In addition, it is also important to define the Marketing Mix strategies or 4 Ps of Marketing :
- price ;
- product ;
- square ;
- promotion .
These strategies are responsible for placing your brand on the market and must be aligned with the positioning of each target audience.
Since we are in a strategic level plan, you can only outline the main strategies and detail them in a specific plan, at a tactical level — an Inbound Marketing Plan, for example.
If you prefer to concentrate everything in a single plan, you can detail the strategies and actions, as well as their specific objectives and indicators.
9. Resources and budget
What equipment and tools will you need to execute your plan? How much will you need to invest in each strategy? Now it’s time to look at your pocketbook!
Among the Marketing costs you should consider are:
- acquisition of tools;
- hiring of employees;
- employee training;
- Ads campaigns ;
- contracting of services;
- expenses with internet, telephone, energy etc.
Marketing is one of the most expensive areas for companies, so investments must be well thought out and planned . And that is why they should also be part of the Marketing Plan.
10.
In this step, you define a timeline to enable the execution of the plan, as well as those responsible for the strategies.
This is important to verify that the timeframes for achieving the objectives are plausible and to show those involved what their responsibilities are, so that they commit to the Marketing Plan.
Since we are creating a strategic plan, you can set long-term dates and general responsibilities. Then, in the tactical and operational plans for each strategy, it is possible to detail the tasks and those responsible for the medium and short term.
11. Elaboration of the plan
Anyway, you already have all the information about the Marketing Plan! Now it is time to summarize everything and prepare the final document that will serve as a guide for Marketing.
In general terms, the topics of the document can follow the steps we have shown so far, but you can adapt them according to the needs of your company. The Marketing plan can be structured like this:
- executive summary;
- diagnosis;
- environmental analysis;
- competitors;
- target audience and buyer persona;
- positioning;
- goals;
- goals and indicators;
- Marketing strategies;
- resources and budget;
- schedule and responsible.
Start with an executive summary, which presents the marketing plan, the company, and why this document was created. Take the opportunity to create an engaging text that encourages employee engagement.
Next, detail each point you thought of in the planning steps. You may have already jotted down several insights and have a preview, but now it’s important to work on the texts to make them clear and objective, as well as prioritizing the main information.
The Marketing Plan should not be short, because it needs depth, but it should not tire those who read it either.
Also, pay attention to the design. As the plan should be a living document in the company, always present in the day-to-day, it should be attractive and pleasant. So create a good experience.
What are the best marketing strategies for your plan?
Strategies represent the paths of the plan to achieve marketing objectives. But after all, what can you include in this topic? What are the best strategies?
Well, there are a multitude of Marketing strategies that can serve different purposes . But let’s point out here some of the main ones related to Digital Marketing.
You can map these strategies into your strategic plan or create specific plans for each one, in line with your overall marketing goals.
Please note that we are not talking specifically about channels. These are marketing strategies, which can encompass different channels (such as social media, email marketing, website, blog, etc.).
Now comes the best part, read until the end!
Inbound Marketing
Inbound Marketing focuses on attracting leads and nurturing relationships with potential customers throughout a sales funnel until they are ready to buy. Not by chance, it is also called Attraction Marketing.
An Inbound Marketing strategy must anticipate the steps in the sales funnel and how to make the lead evolve towards the purchase . To do this, it involves strategies for creating landing pages , Content Marketing, SEO, Relationship Marketing and, at the bottom of the funnel , closing sales.
Outbound Marketing
Outbound marketing , unlike inbound, is about prospecting strategies . In other words, instead of attracting interested parties, marketing actively pursues them.
In Digital Marketing, Outbound Marketing is generally related to paid campaign strategies , such as sponsored links, social media ads, and website banners, which have greater segmentation and measurement power than organic strategies.
Outbound is often seen as the opposite of Inbound, as if Marketing only has to choose one strategy or another.
However, it is possible to reconcile Inbound and Outbound strategies throughout the customer journey, depending on the stage at which they are most relevant. In this way, the approaches become more efficient.
Content Marketing
Content Marketing is based on the production of relevant content for consumers, which resolves their doubts and attracts their interest to approach the brand.
This strategy helps to create authority on the web , improve brand recognition and generate leads for Marketing.
Content Marketing uses SEO strategies to increase search capacity in search engines and channels such as blogs, social networks and email marketing. It is usually one of the pillars of the Inbound Marketing strategy.