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Advertising Agency Business Plan

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Promerit Advertising

Executive summary executive summary is a brief introduction to your business plan. it describes your business, the problem that it solves, your target market, and financial highlights.">.

Promerit Advertising will offer marketing services to companies that are looking to employ email marketing techniques as the cornerstone of their marketing program.  It is estimated that in Year 1, over 250 billion emails will travel across cyberspace.  Email marketing is quickly becoming a cost-effective method to reach a target audience.  According to Jupiter Communication research, email ad-response rates currently averages between five to 15 percent.  At the same time, the report noted that only 15 percent of Web users read all email messages in their entirety.

The potential is there but so is the risk that the target customer will completely reject the advertising.  Email marketing is a science.  There are effective strategies that will assure that the company will reach the greatest number of potential customers.

Promerit Advertising specializes in successful email marketing campaigns.  Its owners, Robert Humphrey and Cheryl Littlejohn have over eight years of experience in email marketing campaigns between them.  Robert was project leader for the successful Buy.com and Verison email marketing campaign.  Cheryl was technical lead of 800.com’s successful email campaign before joining Robert as technical lead of the Verison email campaign.

Promerit Advertising will design, build, test and deploy the email campaign.  It will also report the progress of the campaign in real-time to provide our customers maximum flexibility.  At the end of the campaign, Promerit will analyze its success in order to improve the company’s future campaigns.

1.1 Mission

Promerit Advertising will offer its customers the best methods and tools in planning and implementing a successful email campaign.  Our campaigns will cut through the mumbo jumbo of mass marketing, increase sales, and enhance customer satisfaction with the company.  Promerit Advertising email campaigns will grab readers immediately and drive home the right message to the right audience.  We will exceed our customers’ expectations for campaign returns.

Advertising agency business plan, executive summary chart image

Company Summary company overview ) is an overview of the most important points about your company—your history, management team, location, mission statement and legal structure.">

Promerit Advertising will design, build, test and deploy the email campaign.  It will also report the progress of the campaign in real-time to provide our customers maximum flexibility.  At the end of the campaign, Promerit will analyze its success in order to improve the company’s future campaigns. 

2.1 Company Ownership

Robert Humphrey and Cheryl Littlejohn are the owners of Promerit Advertising.

2.2 Start-up Summary

Robert Humphrey and Cheryl Littlejohn will invest equally in the company.  They will also secure a long-term business loan.  The following table and chart show projected initial start-up costs of Promerit Advertising.

Advertising agency business plan, company summary chart image

The services offered by Promerit Advertising cover an email marketing project in its entirety, from original concept to post-campaign evaluation.  The service includes the following:

  • Design the campaign
  • Personalization and targeting
  • Email list management
  • Building deployment system
  • Testing the plan
  • Implementing the campaign
  • Tracking the campaign’s progress in real-time
  • Instant measurability for ROI analysis
  • Post-campaign analysis

Market Analysis Summary how to do a market analysis for your business plan.">

It was recently reported in an eMarketeer online advertising report that online promotions are very powerful with offline companies, as well as online companies.  Though offline companies are offering promotions that necessitate the customer going to one of the company’s stores, consumers feel positive about the online promotions.  This opens up a new avenue for these companies to target customer groups that use computers at work and at home. 

Consumers said they cared mostly about return policies, customer service, and product selection.  A very impressive 94 percent of surveyed users reported they have shopped online before.  About 76 percent of those surveyed said promotions were a positive influence on their buying behavior.  Some 50 percent said online coupons were especially persuasive while 70 percent found offline coupons equally attractive. 

An email campaign can be used to reach target customers no matter how small a company’s Internet presence is, as long as the customer wants the product.

4.1 Market Segmentation

There are two distinct customer groups that Promerit Advertising is focused on:

  • Online companies with e-commerce
  • Offline companies

Advertising agency business plan, market analysis summary chart image

4.2 Service Business Analysis

By any measure, the Internet is one of the fastest-growing commercial phenomena ever witnessed by society. Host computers, or servers, have exploded from 3.2 million in 1994 to roughly 79.2 million as of July 2001. During the same time period, the number of websites roared to more than 6 million from only 3,000.

A key factor in the recent growth of the Internet is the popularity of the sub-$1,000 PC. Rapidly falling component prices have allowed PC manufacturers to pass cost savings on to their customers, resulting in a more attractively priced product. Computers sold at or below the $1,000 level have appealed to first-time PC users and lower income families. Because of the more affordable prices, PC penetration in the United States is now approximately 50%, according to Dataquest, a market research firm based in San Jose, California.

The United States accounts for more than half of the world’s total Internet users. When consumers today are asked why they purchased a personal computer, the most common answer is to connect to the Internet to get their email.

Strategy and Implementation Summary

Promerit Advertising’s strategy is to utilize the extensive network of contacts both Robert and Cheryl have with companies already sold on the value of email marketing.  In addition, Promerit will use its internal expertise to launch an email marketing campaign directed at a select group of its target customers. 

5.1 Marketing Strategy

With over two million potential customers, Promerit Advertising will focus an email campaign on a select group of 50,000 businesses each fiscal quarter.  We estimate a five percent response rate to the campaign which will generate 1,250 leads.  These leads will then be used to generate business contacts.  Over the year, we will generate 5,000 leads.

5.2 Sales Strategy

Promerit Advertising’s sales strategy is simple.  We will use the email marketing campaign directed at our customer base as a model of what we can accomplish for them.  We anticipate that online companies will be most accessible to our services.  We will be successful with offline companies overtime, but initially sales will be weak with this group.

5.2.1 Sales Forecast

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Advertising agency business plan, strategy and implementation summary chart image

5.3 Competitive Edge

Robert Humphrey has five years of experience in email marketing campaigns and ten years of experience in direct marketing.  He is a graduate of Ohio State University with a BA in marketing.  Robert worked with several advertising companies before arriving at Kemp and Johnson Advertising in 1997.  With Kemp and Johnson, Robert created and grew the Internet marketing group.  Robert was project leader for the successful Buy.com and Verison email marketing campaign. 

Cheryl Littlejohn graduated with a BS in computer science from UCLA in 1996.  She immediately went to work for the Internet start-up Temple Communication as an IT administrator.  She left in 1998 to join the start-up 800.com as the technical lead of its email campaign.  In 2000, she joined Richard’s Internet group at Kemp and Johnson as technical lead of the Verison email marketing campaign.

Email marketing is an emerging marketing tool with few industry experts.  Robert and Cheryl’s accomplishments over the past three years has been singled out by the industry as models for successful email marketing campaigns.

Management Summary management summary will include information about who's on your team and why they're the right people for the job, as well as your future hiring plans.">

Robert Humphrey will be responsible for tactical elements of the marketing campaign and Cheryl Littlejohn will manage the technical aspects of the campaign. 

6.1 Personnel Plan

In addition to Robert and Cheryl, there will be three other staff members:

  • Secretary/Receptionist
  • Salesperson

Financial Plan investor-ready personnel plan .">

The financial plan is presented in the following topics.

7.1 Break-even Analysis

The monthly sales break-even point is is shown in the table and chart below.

Advertising agency business plan, financial plan chart image

7.2 Projected Profit and Loss

The following table and charts outline the projected profit and loss for three years.  We estimate that the agency will not be profitable until the second year of operation.  Promerit Advertising will then grow by about 9% for the second and third year. 

Advertising agency business plan, financial plan chart image

7.3 Projected Cash Flow

The following table and chart highlight the projected cash flow for three years. 

Advertising agency business plan, financial plan chart image

7.4 Projected Balance Sheet

The table shows projected balance sheet for three years.

7.5 Business Ratios

Business ratios for the years of this plan are shown below.  Industry profile ratios based on the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code 7311, Advertising Agencies, are shown for comparison.

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Advertising Agency Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Advertising Agency Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your Advertising Agency business plan.

We have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their Advertising Agencies.

Below is a template to help you create each section of your Advertising Agency business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

The Premium Advertising Agency is a startup advertising agency located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company is founded by Patricia and Danielle Swanson, sisters who have amassed millions of dollars for their clients over the past ten years while working at a national chain advertising agency. Now that they’ve garnered a positive reputation of securing a high rate of visibility and profitability for their clients, they have decided to form their own company and they’ve invited former clients to join them. They plan on recruiting a highly-effective team of associates to help manage their agency at the highest peak of performance and stellar results for their clients.

The Premium Advertising Agency will provide a comprehensive array of advertising services to a wide variety of companies and entities that need assistance in launching or growing their businesses. The Premium Advertising Agency will be a one-stop shop for everything needed to propel any business to the next level of profitability and exposure to new client bases within their local region. Premium Advertising Agency will be the ultimate choice in Cincinnati for advertising campaigns and services, while also being a moderately-priced agency in the city.

Product Offering

The following are the services that Premium Advertising Agency will provide:

  • Full-service digital media marketing
  • Targeted traffic campaigns
  • Market research
  • Strategic traditional advertising campaigns
  • Innovative and results-driven solutions
  • Social media analytics
  • Content creation (website, social media)
  • Influencer marketing
  • Paid advertising campaigns
  • Day to day account management

Customer Focus

Premium Advertising Agency will target small-to-large-sized businesses within the greater Cincinnati region. There is no company that is too small or too large that cannot benefit from a comprehensive and effective advertising promotion or ongoing advertising program. Premium Advertising Agency will target executive board members at networking events. Premium advertising Agency will target diverse, women-owned and veteran-owned businesses.

Premium Advertising Agency will target marketing managers via local and national associations.

Management Team

Premium Advertising Agency will be co-owned and operated by Patricia and Danielle Swanson. They have recruited Jay Jameson to be the Accounts Manager and Lawrence Slater to be the Staff Accountant. In addition, they have recruited Janelle Meredith to be the Human Resources Manager.

Patricia Swanson is a graduate of the University of Ohio, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Digital Marketing. Danielle Swanson is also a graduate of the University of Ohio, where her earned degree was in Business Management. Patricia and Danielle amassed millions of dollars for their clients over the past ten years while working at a national chain advertising agency. Now that they’ve garnered a positive reputation of securing a high rate of visibility and profitability for their clients, they have decided to form their own company and they’ve invited former clients to join them.

Success Factors

Premium Advertising Agency will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:

  • Friendly, knowledgeable, and highly-qualified team at the Premium Advertising Agency
  • Comprehensive menu of services, including social media and digital campaigns
  • Traditional advertising campaigns with highly-productive and profitable results
  • Innovative techniques that solve the difficult advertising issues of today’s consumer groups
  • Select marketing and advertising campaigns for startup companies.
  • Premium Advertising Agency offers the best pricing packages for full-service, ongoing account maintenance or one-time marketing campaigns. Their pricing structure is the most cost effective when compared to their competition.

Financial Highlights

Premium Advertising Agency is seeking $200,000 in debt financing to launch its Premium Advertising Agency. The funding will be dedicated toward securing the office space and purchasing office equipment and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated toward three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff, rent, and marketing costs for the print ads and marketing costs. The breakout of the funding is below:

  • Office space build-out: $20,000
  • Office equipment, supplies, and materials: $10,000
  • Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, rent, utilities): $150,000
  • Marketing costs: $10,000
  • Working capital: $10,000

The following graph outlines the financial projections for Premium Advertising Agency.

Premium Advertising Agency Pro Forma Projections

Company Overview

Who is premium advertising agency.

Premium Advertising Agency is a newly established, full-service advertising agency in Cincinnati, Ohio. Premium Advertising Agency will be the most reliable, effective, and results-driven choice for all businesses in Cincinnati and the surrounding communities. Premium Advertising Agency will provide a comprehensive menu of advertising and marketing services for any business, large or small, to utilize. Their full-service approach includes a comprehensive array of customized campaigns.

  Premium Advertising Agency will be able to actively manage every client account, with dedication to the unique needs of each client. The team of professionals are highly qualified and experienced in marketing and advertising across all traditional methods and digital platforms, as well. Premium Advertising Agency removes all the typical headaches and issues of advertising and marketing and ensures effective solutions are provided, while delivering the best customer service at the same time.

Premium Advertising Agency History

Since incorporation, Premium Advertising Agency has achieved the following milestones:

  • Registered Premium Advertising Agency, LLC to transact business in the state of California.
  • Has a contract in place for a 20,000 square foot office in a midtown building.
  • Reached out to numerous contacts and former clients to spread the word and follow Premium Advertising Agency to their new location.
  • Began recruiting a staff of fifteen account managers and six office personnel to work at Premium Advertising Agency.

Premium Advertising Agency Services

The following will be the services Premium Advertising Agency will provide:

Industry Analysis

The advertising agency industry is expected to grow over the next five years to over $500 billion. The growth will be driven by an increased dependency on social media marketing and various forms of digital campaigns. These will replace some traditional forms of advertising and marketing. The growth will also be driven by an increased number of customers who view the internet for a variety of purposes, where advertisements can be strategically placed to influence buying decisions. The growth will also be driven by the application of technological solutions and invitations to consumers not yet known. The growth will be driven by fewer brick-and-mortar stores and an increase in online purchases and marketing campaigns thus directed. Costs will likely be reduced as digital platforms and consumer invitations will become more plentiful and thus, less expensive to produce.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market.

Premium Advertising Agency will target the businesses in Cincinnati, Ohio. They will target marketing directors and executive personnel of companies. They will target startup companies that are diverse, woman-owned or veteran-owned. They will target associations and trade show events where personal meetings with executives can take place.

Customer Segmentation

Premium Advertising Agency will primarily target the following customer profiles:

  • Businesses in the Cincinnati, Ohio region.
  • Marketing directors
  • C-suite executives and decision-makers
  • Startup company executives of diverse, woman-owned, or veteran-owned businesses
  • Marketing association executives and thought leaders

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

Premium Advertising Agency will face competition from other companies with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.

Boone & Stratton Advertising

Boone & Stratton Advertising provides comprehensive marketing and advertising services within Cincinnati, Ohio and the surrounding communities. The company is over 100 years old and is entrenched with family members of both original partners, Madison Boone and Jeremy Stratton. The company has 100 advertising managers, who primarily focus on traditional advertising methods in print, telephone, and added-value inserts in publications. The company leases a multi-story building in the downtown area of Cincinnati and is known for the “team spirit” of the advertising account managers and rigorous standards of professionalism required of each by the executive board members.

Although Boone & Stratton Advertising is well-entrenched in the Cincinnati business landscape, the company does not engage in digital marketing or social media outreach campaigns. This leaves the opening for newer, innovative companies to enter their space and engage with their customers, particularly if companies are targeting younger demographic audiences.

SportsSupport Ad Agency

The SportsSupport Ad Agency is a company that focuses on the sports industry throughout the U.S. The Cincinnati location is one of 25 within this national chain advertising agency and the focus for this location is on regional sports clients. The advertising agency has highly-segmented sports apparel clients directed toward outdoor winter activities, as well as spring, summer and fall activities that include boats, fishing and accessory clients for those targeted audience segments. SportsSupport Ad Agency uses social media marketing via popular channels and uses certain channels to conduct surveys or to test product ideas. Most of the campaigns are directed toward the executives within the industries related to sports and their ad budgets for the yearly track of traditional advertisements.

XYZ Digital Promotions

XYZ Digital Promotions is a social media marketing agency located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company targets the brand managers who oversee products that appeal to younger demographic customers. XYZ Digital Promotions claims to effectively enter and invite that target market better than any other advertising agency. XYZ Digital Promotions targets and partners with executives of beer, music festivals, streetwear, and hip hop music labels to bring the message to consumers via structured and direct digital campaigns.

XYZ Digital Promotions was founded in 2020 during the global pandemic. The brand messages offered to consumers were on-point and spoke to their “human condition,” as well as pointing to a variety of products to solve or provide solace for those hard conditions. Campaigns include new music cuts and contain an array of references to popular stars of the year, with memes and graphic art elements to most campaigns. XYZ Digital Promotions is a highly-segmented, successful advertising and marketing company directed to the consumer aged 17-25.

Competitive Advantage

Premium Advertising Agency will be able to offer the following advantages over their competition:

  • Innovative techniques that solve the advertising issues of today’s consumer groups

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

Premium Advertising Agency will offer the unique value proposition to its clientele:

  • Highly-qualified team of skilled employees who are able to provide a comprehensive array of social media campaigns and traditional advertising techniques to ensure successful growth for their clients.

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for Premium Advertising Agency is as follows:

Word of Mouth/Referrals

Premium Advertising Agency has built up an extensive list of contacts and clients over the years by providing exceptional service and expertise to their account clients. Premium Advertising Agency invites former and current clients to follow them to the new company and help spread the word of the Premium Advertising Agency.

Professional Associations and Networking

Premium Advertising Agency will embark on a thorough campaign to network extensively through regional association and business groups. They will also target marketing directors and executive personnel within those same business groups. They will target startup companies that are diverse, woman-owned or veteran-owned.

Website/SEO Marketing

Premium Advertising Agency will fully utilize their website. The website will be well organized, informative, and list all the services that Premium Advertising Agency provides. The website will also list their contact information. Agency brand managers, and list their top-tier brand alliances. The Premium Advertising Agency’s website presence will engage SEO marketing tactics so that anytime someone types in the Google or Bing search engine “advertising agency” or “marketing company near me”, Premium Advertising Agency will be listed at the top of the search results.

The pricing of Premium Advertising Agency will be moderate and on par with competitors so customers feel they receive excellent value when purchasing their services.

Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan for Premium Advertising Agency. Operation Functions:

  • Patricia Swanson will be the President and co-owner of the company. Danielle Swanson will be the Vice President and co-owner of the company. They will oversee all staff and manage client relations. Danielle and Patricia have spent the past year recruiting the following staff:
  • Jay Jameson, a former associate at their prior employer, will take on the role of the Accounts Manager, directing and assisting Account Representatives.
  • Janelle Meredith, a former associate, will be the Administrative Manager, and will manage the office administration, client files, and provide human resources training.
  • Lawrence Slater will be the Staff Accountant, providing all client accounting, tax payments, and monthly financial reporting.

Milestones:

Premium Advertising Agency will have the following milestones completed in the next six months.

  • 5/1/202X – Finalize contract to lease office space
  • 5/15/202X – Finalize personnel and staff employment contracts for Premium Advertising Agency
  • 6/1/202X – Finalize contracts for Premium Advertising Agency clients
  • 6/15/202X – Begin networking at industry events
  • 6/22/202X – Begin moving into Premium Advertising Agency office
  • 7/1/202X – Premium Advertising Agency opens its office for business

Jay Jameson, a former associate at their prior employer, will take on the role of the Accounts Manager, directing and assisting Account Representatives. Janelle Meredith, a former associate, will be the Administrative Manager, and will manage the office administration, client files, and provide human resources training. Lawrence Slater will be the Staff Accountant, providing all client accounting, tax payments, and monthly financial reporting.

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

The revenue drivers for Premium Advertising Agency are the fees they will charge to their clients for their advertising and marketing services.

The cost drivers will be the overhead costs required in order to staff Premium Advertising Agency. The expenses will be the payroll cost, rent, utilities, office supplies, and marketing materials.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Premium Advertising Agency is seeking $200,000 in debt financing to launch its advertising agency. The funding will be dedicated toward securing the office space and purchasing office equipment and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated toward three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff, rent, and marketing costs for the print ads and association memberships. The breakout of the funding is below:

Key Assumptions

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and in order to pay off the startup business loan.

  • Number of Clients Per Month: 35
  • Average Revenue per Month: $175,000
  • Office Lease per Year: $100,000

Financial Projections

Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, advertising agency business plan faqs, what is an advertising agency business plan.

An advertising agency business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your advertising agency business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can easily complete your Advertising Agency business plan using our Advertising Agency Business Plan Template here .

What are the Main Types of Advertising Agency Businesses? 

There are a number of different kinds of advertising agency businesses , some examples include: Full-Service Advertising Agency, Digital Advertising Agency, and Traditional Advertising Agency.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Advertising Agency Business Plan?

Advertising Agency businesses are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding.

What are the Steps To Start an Advertising Agency Business?

Starting an advertising agency business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop An Advertising Agency Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed advertising agency business plan that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast. 

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your advertising agency business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your advertising agency business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Advertising Agency Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your advertising agency business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws.

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your advertising agency business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms.

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations.

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events.

7. Acquire Necessary Advertising Agency Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your advertising agency business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation.

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your advertising agency business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising. 

Learn more about how to start a successful advertising agency business:

  • How to Start an Advertising Agency

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Blog Marketing What is a Marketing Plan & How to Create One [with Examples]

What is a Marketing Plan & How to Create One [with Examples]

Written by: Sara McGuire Oct 26, 2023

Marketing Plan Venngage

A marketing plan is a blueprint that outlines your strategies to attract and convert your ideal customers as a part of your customer acquisition strategy . It’s a comprehensive document that details your:

  • Target audience:  Who you’re trying to reach
  • Marketing goals:  What you want to achieve
  • Strategies and tactics:  How you’ll reach your goals
  • Budget:  Resources you’ll allocate
  • Metrics:  How you’ll measure success

In this article, I’ll explain everything you need to know about creating a marketing plan . If you need a little extra help, there are professionally designed marketing plan templates that’ll make the process much easier. So, let’s ditch the confusion and get started!

Click to jump ahead:

What is a marketing plan?

How to write a marketing plan .

  • Marketing plan v.s. business plan
  • Types of marketing plans

9 marketing plan examples to inspire your growth strategy

Marketing plan faqs.

A marketing plan is a report that outlines your marketing strategy for your products or services, which could be applicable for the coming year, quarter or month.  

Watch this quick, 13-minute video for more details on what a marketing plan is and how to make one yourself:

Typically, a marketing plan includes:

  • An overview of your business’s marketing and advertising goals
  • A description of your business’s current marketing position
  • A timeline of when tasks within your strategy will be completed
  • Key performance indicators (KPIs) you will be tracking
  • A description of your business’s target market and customer needs
  • A description of how you will measure the performance of the strategy

For example, this marketing plan template provides a high-level overview of the business and competitors before diving deep into specific goals, KPIs and tactics:

Orange Content Marketing Plan Template

Learning how to write a marketing plan forces you to think through the important steps that lead to an effective marketing strategy . And a well-defined plan will help you stay focused on your high-level marketing goals.

With Venngage’s extensive catalog of marketing plan templates , creating your marketing plan isn’t going to be hard or tedious. In fact, Venngage has plenty of helpful communications and design resources for marketers. If you’re ready to get started, sign up for  Venngage for Marketers   now. It’s free to register and start designing.

Venngage for Marketers Page Header

Whether you’re a team trying to set smarter marketing goals, a consultant trying to set your client in the right direction, or a one-person team hustling it out, Venngage for Marketers helps you get things done.

As mentioned above, the scope of your marketing plan varies depending on its purpose or the type of organization it’s for.

For example, you could create a marketing plan that provides an overview of a company’s entire marketing strategy or simply focus on a specific channel like SEO, social media marketing, content marketing and more, like in this example:

content marketing plan template

A typical outline of a marketing plan includes:

  • Executive summary
  • Goals and objectives
  • User personas
  • Competitor analysis/SWOT analysis
  • Baseline metrics
  • Marketing strategy
  • Tracking guidelines

Below you will see in details how to write each section as well as some examples of how you can design each section in a marketing plan.

Let’s look at how to create a successful marketing plan (click to jump ahead):

  • Write a simple executive summary
  • Set metric-driven marketing goals
  • Outline your user personas
  • Research all of your competitors
  • Set accurate key baselines & metrics
  • Create an actionable marketing strategy
  • Set tracking or reporting guidelines

1. Write a simple executive summary

Starting your marketing plan off on the right foot is important. You want to pull people into your amazing plan for marketing domination. Not bore them to tears.

Creative Marketing Plan Executive Summary

One of the best ways to get people excited to read your marketing plan is with a well-written executive summary. An executive summary introduces readers to your company goals, marketing triumphs, future plans, and other important contextual facts.

Standard Business Proposal Executive Summary

Basically, you can use the Executive Summary as a primer for the rest of your marketing plan.

Include things like:

  • Simple marketing goals
  • High-level metrics
  • Important company milestones
  • Facts about your brand
  • Employee anecdotes
  • Future goals & plans

Try to keep your executive summary rather brief and to the point. You aren’t writing a novel, so try to keep it under three to four paragraphs.

Take a look at the executive summary in the marketing plan example below:

Content Marketing Proposal Executive Summary

The executive summary is only two paragraphs long — short but effective.

The executive summary tells readers about the company’s growth, and how they are about to overtake one of their competitors. But there’s no mention of specific metrics or figures. That will be highlighted in the next section of the marketing plan.

An effective executive summary should have enough information to pique the reader’s interest, but not bog them down with specifics yet. That’s what the rest of your marketing plan is for!

The executive summary also sets the tone for your marketing plan. Think about what tone will fit your brand ? Friendly and humorous? Professional and reliable? Inspiring and visionary?

2. Set metric-driven marketing goals

After you perfect your executive summary, it’s time to outline your marketing goals.

(If you’ve never set data-driven goals like this before, it would be worth reading this growth strategy guide ).

This is one of the most important parts of the entire marketing plan, so be sure to take your time and be as clear as possible. Moreover, optimizing your marketing funnel is key. Employing effective funnel software can simplify operations and provide valuable customer insights. It facilitates lead tracking, conversion rate analysis, and efficient marketing optimization .

As a rule of thumb, be as specific as possible. The folks over at  VoyMedia  advise that you should set goals that impact website traffic, conversions, and customer success — and to use real numbers.

Avoid outlining vague goals like:

  • Get more Twitter followers
  • Write more articles
  • Create more YouTube videos (like educational or Explainer videos )
  • Increase retention rate
  • Decrease bounce rate

Instead, identify  key performance metrics  (KPI) you want to impact and the percentage you want to increase them by.

Take a look at the goals page in the marketing plan example below:

Creative Marketing Plan Goals

They not only identify a specific metric in each of their goals, but they also set a timeline for when they will be increased.

The same vague goals listed earlier become much clearer when specific numbers and timelines are applied to them:

  • Get 100 new Twitter followers per month
  • Write 5 more articles per week
  • Create 10 YouTube videos each year
  • Increase retention rate by 15% by 2020
  • Decrease bounce rate by 5% by Q1
  • Create an online course  and get 1,000 new leads
  • Focus more on local SEO strategies
  • Conduct a monthly social media report to track progress

You can dive even deeper into your marketing goals if you want (generally, the more specific, the better). Here’s a marketing plan example that shows how to outline your growth goals:

Growth Goals Roadmap Template for a Marketing Plan

3. Outline your user personas

Now, this may not seem like the most important part of your marketing plan, but I think it holds a ton of value.

Outlining your user personas is an important part of a marketing plan that should not be overlooked.

You should be asking not just how you can get the most visitors to your business, but how you can get the right visitors.

Who are your ideal customers? What are their goals? What are their biggest problems? How does your business solve customer problems?

Answering these questions will take lots of research, but it’s essential information to get.

Some ways to conduct user research are:

  • Interviewing your users (either in person or on the phone)
  • Conducting focus groups
  • Researching other businesses in the same industry
  • Surveying your audience

Then, you will need to compile your user data into a user persona  guide.

Take a look at how detailed this user persona template is below:

Persona Marketing Report Template

Taking the time to identify specific demographic traits, habits and goals will make it easier for you to cater your marketing plan to them.

Here’s how you can create a user persona guide:

The first thing you should add is a profile picture or icon for each user persona. It can help to put a face to your personas, so they seem more real.

Marketing Persona

Next, list demographic information like:

  • Identifiers
  • Activities/Hobbies

The user persona example above uses sliding scales to identify personality traits like introversion vs. extroversion and thinking vs. feeling. Identifying what type of personality your target users tend to have an influence on the messaging you use in your marketing content.

Meanwhile, this user persona guide identifies specific challenges the user faces each day:

Content Marketing Proposal Audience Personas

But if you don’t want to go into such precise detail, you can stick to basic information, like in this marketing plan example:

Social Media Plan Proposal Template Ideal Customers

Most businesses will have a few different types of target users. That’s why it’s pertinent to identify and create several different user personas . That way, you can better segment your marketing campaigns and set separate goals, if necessary.

Here’s a marketing plan example with a segmented user persona guide:

Mobile App Market Report

The important thing is for your team or client to have a clear picture of who their target user is and how they can appeal to their specific problems.

Start creating robust user personas using Venngage’s user persona guide .

4. Conduct an extensive competitor analysis

Next, on the marketing plan checklist, we have the competitor research section. This section will help you identify who your competitors are, what they’re doing, and how you could carve yourself a place alongside them in your niche — and ideally, surpass them. It’s something you can learn to do with rank tracking software .

Competitor research is also incredibly important if you are starting a blog .

Typically, your competitor research should include:

  • Who their marketing team is
  • Who their leadership team is
  • What their marketing strategy and strategic marketing plan are (this will probably revolve some reverse-engineering)
  • What their sales strategy is (same deal)
  • Social Media strategy (are they using discounting strategies such as coupon marketing to get conversions)
  • Their market cap/financials
  • Their yearly growth (you will probably need to use a marketing tool like Ahrefs to do this)
  • The number of customers they have & their user personas

Also, take as deep a dive as you can into the strategies they use across their:

  • Blog/Content marketing
  • Social media marketing
  • SEO Marketing
  • Video marketing
  • And any other marketing tactics they use

Research their strengths and weaknesses in all parts of their company, and you will find some great opportunities. Bookmark has a great guide to different marketing strategies for small businesses  if you need some more information there.

You can use this simple SWOT analysis worksheet to quickly work through all parts of their strategy as well:

Competitive SWOT Analysis

Click the template above to create a SWOT chart . Customize the template to your liking — no design know-how needed.

Since you have already done all the research beforehand, adding this information to your marketing plan shouldn’t be that hard.

In this marketing plan example, some high-level research is outlined for 3 competing brands:

Content Marketing Proposal Competitive Research

But you could take a deeper dive into different facets of your competitors’ strategies. This marketing plan example analyses a competitor’s content marketing strategy:

Competitor-Analysis-Content-Marketing-Plan-Template

It can also be helpful to divide your competitors into Primary and Secondary groups. For example, Apple’s primary competitor may be Dell for computers, but its secondary competitor could be a company that makes tablets.

Your most dangerous competitors may not even be in the same industry as you. Like the CEO of Netflix said, “Sleep is our competition.”

5. Set accurate key baselines & metrics

It’s pretty hard to plan for the future if you don’t know where your business stands right now.

Before we do anything at Venngage, we find the baselines so we can compare future results to something. We do it so much it’s almost like second nature now!

Setting baselines will allow you to more accurately track your progress. You will also be able to better analyze what worked and what didn’t work, so you can build a stronger strategy. It will definitely help them clearly understand your goals and strategy as well.

Here’s a marketing plan example where the baselines are visualized:

Social Media Marketing Proposal Success Metrics

Another way to include baselines in your plan is with a simple chart, like in the marketing plan example below:

Simple-Blue-Social-Media-Marketing-Plan

Because data can be intimidating to a lot of people, visualizing your data using charts and infographics will help demystify the information.

6. Create an actionable marketing strategy

After pulling all the contextual information and relevant metrics into your marketing plan, it’s time to break down your marketing strategy.

Once again, it’s easier to communicate your information to your team or clients using visuals .

Mind maps are an effective way to show how a strategy with many moving parts ties together. For example, this mind map shows how the four main components of a marketing strategy interact together:

Marketing Plan Mind Map Template

You can also use a flow chart to map out your strategy by objectives:

Action Plan Mind Map

However you choose to visualize your strategy, your team should know exactly what they need to do. This is not the time to keep your cards close to your chest.

Your strategy section may need to take up a few pages to explain, like in the marketing plan example below:

Creative-Modern-Content-Marketing-Plan-Template

With all of this information, even someone from the development team will understand what the marketing team is working on.

This minimalistic marketing plan example uses color blocks to make the different parts of the strategy easy to scan:

Blue-Simple-Social-Media-Marketing-Plan-Template

Breaking your strategy down into tasks will make it easier to tackle.

Another important way to visualize your marketing strategy is to create a project roadmap. A project roadmap visualizes the timeline of your product with individual tasks. Our roadmap maker can help you with this.

For example, this project roadmap shows how tasks on both the marketing and web design side run parallel to each other:

Simple Product Roadmap Plan Template

A simple timeline can also be used in your marketing plan:

Strategy Timeline Infographic

Or a mind map, if you want to include a ton of information in a more organized way:

Business Strategy Mindmap Template

Even a simple “Next, Now, Later” chart can help visualize your strategy:

3 Step Product Roadmap Template

7. Set tracking or reporting guidelines

Close your marketing plan with a brief explanation of how you plan to track or measure your results. This will save you a lot of frustration down the line by standardizing how you track results across your team.

Like the other sections of your marketing plan, you can choose how in-depth you want to go. But there need to be some clear guidelines on how to measure the progress and results of your marketing plan.

At the bare minimum, your results tracking guidelines should specify:

  • What you plan to track
  • How you plan to track results
  • How often you plan to measure

But you can more add tracking guidelines to your marketing plan if you see the need to. You may also want to include a template that your team or client can follow,  for  client reporting ,  ensure that the right metrics are being tracked.

Marketing Checklist

The marketing plan example below dedicates a whole page to tracking criteria:

SEO Marketing Proposal Measuring Results

Use a task tracker to track tasks and marketing results, and a checklist maker to note down tasks, important life events, or tracking your daily life.

Similarly, the marketing plan example below talks about tracking content marketing instead:

Social Media Marketing Proposal

Marketing plan vs. marketing strategy

Although often used interchangeably, the terms “marketing plan” and “marketing strategy” do have some differences.

Simply speaking, a marketing strategy presents what the business will do in order to reach a certain goal. A marketing plan outlines the specific daily, weekly, monthly or yearly activities that the marketing strategy calls for. As a business, you can create a marketing proposal for the marketing strategies defined in your company’s marketing plan. There are various marketing proposal examples that you can look at to help with this.

A company’s extended marketing strategy can be like this:

marketing strategy mind map

Notice how it’s more general and doesn’t include the actual activities required to complete each strategy or the timeframe those marketing activities will take place. That kind of information is included in a marketing plan, like this marketing plan template which talks about the content strategy in detail:

Content Marketing Proposal

Marketing plan v.s business plan

While both marketing plans and business plans are crucial documents for businesses, they serve distinct purposes and have different scopes. Here’s a breakdown of the key differences:

Business plan is a comprehensive document that outlines all aspects of your business, including:

  • Mission and vision
  • Products or services
  • Target market
  • Competition
  • Management team
  • Financial projections
  • Marketing strategy (including a marketing plan)
  • Operations plan

Marketing plan on the other hand, dives deep into the specific strategies and tactics related to your marketing efforts. It expands on the marketing section of a business plan by detailing:

  • Specific marketing goals (e.g., brand awareness, lead generation, sales)
  • Target audience analysis (detailed understanding of their needs and behaviors)
  • Product:  Features, benefits, positioning
  • Price:  Pricing strategy, discounts
  • Place:  Distribution channels (online, offline)
  • Promotion:  Advertising, social media, content marketing, public relations
  • Budget allocation for different marketing activities
  • Metrics and measurement to track progress and success

In short, business plans paint the entire business picture, while marketing plans zoom in on the specific strategies used to reach your target audience and achieve marketing goals.

Types of marketing plans that can transform your business strategy

Let’s take a look at several types of marketing plans you can create, along with specific examples for each.

1. General marketing strategic plan / Annual marketing plan

This is a good example of a marketing plan that covers the overarching annual marketing strategy for a company:

marketing strategy template marketing plan

Another good example would be this Starbucks marketing plan:

Starbucks marketing plan example

This one-page marketing plan example from coffee chain Starbucks has everything at a glance. The bold headers and subheadings make it easier to segment the sections so readers can focus on the area most relevant to them.

What we like about this example is how much it covers. From the ideal buyer persona to actional activities, as well as positioning and metrics, this marketing plan has it all.

Another marketing plan example that caught our eye is this one from Cengage. Although a bit text-heavy and traditional, it explains the various sections well. The clean layout makes this plan easy to read and absorb.

Cengage marketing plan example

The last marketing plan example we would like to feature in this section is this one from Lush cosmetics.

It is a long one but it’s also very detailed. The plan outlines numerous areas, including the company mission, SWOT analysis , brand positioning, packaging, geographical criteria, and much more.

Lush marketing plan

2. Content marketing plan

A content marketing plan highlights different strategies , campaigns or tactics you can use for your content to help your business reach its goals.

This one-page marketing plan example from Contently outlines a content strategy and workflow using simple colors and blocks. The bullet points detail more information but this plan can easily be understood at a glance, which makes it so effective.

contently marketing plan

For a more detailed content marketing plan example, take a look at this template which features an editorial calendar you can share with the whole team:

nonprofit content marketing plan

3. SEO marketing plan

Your SEO marketing plan highlights what you plan to do for your SEO marketing strategy . This could include tactics for website on-page optimization , off-page optimization using AI SEO , and link building using an SEO PowerSuite backlink API for quick backlink profile checks.

This SEO marketing plan example discusses in detail the target audience of the business and the SEO plan laid out in different stages:

SEO marketing plan example

4. Social media marketing plan

Your social media marketing plan presents what you’ll do to reach your marketing goal through social media. This could include tactics specific to each social media channel that you own, recommendations on developing a new channel, specific campaigns you want to run, and so on, like how B2B channels use Linkedin to generate leads with automation tools and expand their customer base; or like making use of Twitter walls that could display live Twitter feeds from Twitter in real-time on digital screens.

Edit this social media marketing plan example easily with Venngage’s drag-and-drop editor:

social media marketing plan example

5. Demand generation marketing plan

This could cover your paid marketing strategy (which can include search ads, paid social media ads, traditional advertisements, etc.), email marketing strategy and more. Here’s an example:

promotional marketing plan

1. Free marketing plan template

Here’s a free nonprofit marketing plan example that is ideal for organizations with a comprehensive vision to share. It’s a simple plan that is incredibly effective. Not only does the plan outline the core values of the company, it also shares the ideal buyer persona.

advertising business plan template

Note how the branding is consistent throughout this example so there is no doubt which company is presenting this plan. The content plan is an added incentive for anyone viewing the document to go ahead and give the team the green light.

2. Pastel social media marketing campaign template

Two-page marketing plan samples aren’t very common, but this free template proves how effective they are. There’s a dedicated section for business goals as well as for project planning .

Pastel Social Media Marketing Plan Template

The milestones for the marketing campaign are clearly laid out, which is a great way to show how organized this business strategy is.

3. Small business marketing strategy template

This marketing plan template is perfect for small businesses who set out to develop an overarching marketing strategy for the whole year:

Notice how this aligns pretty well with the marketing plan outline we discussed in previous sections.

In terms of specific tactics for the company’s marketing strategy, the template only discusses SEO strategy, but you can certainly expand on that section to discuss any other strategies — such as link building , that you would like to build out a complete marketing plan for.

4. Orange simple marketing proposal template

Marketing plans, like the sample below, are a great way to highlight what your business strategy and the proposal you wan to put forward to win potential customers.

Orange Simple Marketing Proposal Template

5. One-page marketing fact sheet template

This one-page marketing plan example is great for showcasing marketing efforts in a persuasive presentation or to print out for an in-person meeting.

Nonprofit Healthcare Company Fact Sheet Template

Note how the fact sheet breaks down the marketing budget as well as the key metrics for the organization. You can win over clients and partners with a plan like this.

6. Light company business fact sheet template

This one-page sample marketing plan clearly outlines the marketing objectives for the organization. It’s a simple but effective way to share a large amount of information in a short amount of time.

Light Company Business Fact Sheet Template

What really works with this example is that includes a mission statement, key contact information alongside all the key metrics.

7. Marketing media press kit template

This press kit marketing plan template is bright and unmistakable as belonging to the Cloud Nine marketing agency . The way the brand colors are used also helps diversify the layouts for each page, making the plan easier to read.

Marketing Media Press Kit Template

We like the way the marketing department has outlined the important facts about the organization. The bold and large numbers draw the eye and look impressive.

8. Professional marketing proposal template

Start your marketing campaign on a promising note with this marketing plan template. It’s short, sharp and to the point. The table of contents sets out the agenda, and there’s a page for the company overview and mission statement.

Professional Marketing Proposal Template

9. Social media marketing proposal template

A complete marketing plan example, like the one below, not only breaks down the business goals to be achieved but a whole lot more. Note how the terms and conditions and payment schedule are included, which makes this one of the most comprehensive marketing plans on our list.

Checkered Social Media Marketing Proposal Template

What should marketing plans include?

Marketing plans should include:

  • A detailed analysis of the target market and customer segments.
  • Clear and achievable marketing objectives and goals.
  • Strategies and tactics for product promotion and distribution.
  • Budget allocation for various marketing activities.
  • Timelines and milestones for the implementation of marketing strategies.
  • Evaluation metrics and methods for tracking the success of the marketing plan.

What is an executive summary in a marketing plan and what is its main goal?

An executive summary in a marketing plan is a brief overview of the entire document, summarizing the key points, goals, and strategies. Its main goal is to provide readers with a quick understanding of the plan’s purpose and to entice them to read further.

What are the results when a marketing plan is effective?

When a marketing plan is effective, businesses can experience increased brand visibility, higher customer engagement, improved sales and revenue, and strengthened customer loyalty.

What is the first section of a marketing plan?

The first section of a marketing plan is typically the “Executive Summary,” which provides a concise overview of the entire plan, including the business’s goals and the strategies to achieve them.

Now that you have the basics for designing your own marketing plan, it’s time to get started:

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How to create a winning marketing plan, with 3 examples from world-class teams

Caeleigh MacNeil contributor headshot

A marketing plan helps leaders clearly visualize marketing strategies across channels, so they can ensure every campaign drives pipeline and revenue. In this article you’ll learn eight steps to create a winning marketing plan that brings business-critical goals to life, with examples from word-class teams.

quotation mark

To be successful as a marketer, you have to deliver the pipeline and the revenue.”

In other words—they need a well-crafted marketing plan.

Level up your marketing plan to drive revenue in 2024

Learn how to create the right marketing plan to hit your revenue targets in 2024. Hear best practices from marketing experts, including how to confidently set and hit business goals, socialize marketing plans, and move faster with clearer resourcing.

level up your marketing plan to drive revenue in 2024

7 steps to build a comprehensive marketing plan

How do you build the right marketing plan to hit your revenue goals? Follow these eight steps for success:

1. Define your plan

First you need to define each specific component of your plan to ensure stakeholders are aligned on goals, deliverables, resources, and more. Ironing out these details early on ensures your plan supports the right business objectives, and that you have sufficient resources and time to get the job done. 

Get started by asking yourself the following questions: 

What resources do I need? 

What is the vision?

What is the value?

What is the goal?

Who is my audience?

What are my channels?

What is the timeline?

For example, imagine you’re creating an annual marketing plan to improve customer adoption and retention in the next fiscal year. Here’s how you could go through the questions above to ensure you’re ready to move forward with your plan: 

I will need support from the content team, web team, and email team to create targeted content for existing customers. One person on each team will need to be dedicated full-time to this initiative. To achieve this, the marketing team will need an additional $100K in budget and one new headcount. 

What is the vision?  

To create a positive experience for existing customers, address new customer needs, and encourage them to upgrade. We’ll do this by serving them how-to content, new feature updates, information about deals and pricing, and troubleshooting guides. 

According to the Sales Benchmark Index (SBI) , CEOs and go-to-market leaders report that more than 60% of their net-new revenue will come from existing customers in 2023. By retaining and building on the customers we have, we can maintain revenue growth over time. 

To decrease the customer churn rate from 30% to 10%, and increase upgrades from 20% to 30% in the next fiscal year. 

All existing customers. 

The main channel will be email. Supporting marketing channels include the website, blog, YouTube, and social media. 

The first half of the next fiscal year. 

One of the most important things to do as you create your marketing strategy is to identify your target audience . As with all marketing, you need to know who you’re marketing to. If you’re having a hard time determining who exactly your target audience is, try the bullseye targeting framework . The bullseye makes it easy for you to determine who your target audience is by industry, geography, company size, psychographics, demographics, and more.

2. Identify key metrics for success 

Now it’s time to define what key marketing metrics you’ll use to measure success. Your key metrics will help you measure and track the performance of your marketing activities. They’ll also help you understand how your efforts tie back to larger business goals. 

Once you establish key metrics, use a goal-setting framework—like objectives and key results (OKRs) or SMART goals —to fully flush out your marketing objectives. This ensures your targets are as specific as possible, with no ambiguity about what should be accomplished by when. 

Example: If a goal of your marketing plan is to increase email subscriptions and you follow the SMART goal framework (ensuring your objective is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound) your goal might look like this: Increase email subscription rate from 10% to 20% in H1 . 

3. Research your competition 

It’s easy to get caught up in your company’s world, but there’s a lot of value in understanding your competitors . Knowing how they market themselves will help you find opportunities to make your company stand out and capture more market share.

Make sure you’re not duplicating your competitors’ efforts. If you discover a competitor has already executed your idea, then it might be time to go back to the drawing board and brainstorm new ways to differentiate yourself.  By looking at your competitors, you might be surprised at the type of inspiration and opportunities you’ll find.

To stay ahead of market trends, conduct a SWOT analysis for your marketing plan. A SWOT analysis helps you improve your plan by identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. 

Example: If your competitor launches a social media campaign identical to what you had planned, go back to the drawing board and see how you can build off their campaign. Ask yourself: How can we differentiate our campaign while still getting our message across? What are the weaknesses of their campaign that we can capitalize on? What angles did they not approach?

4. Integrate your marketing efforts

Here’s where the fun comes in. Let’s dive into the different components that go into building a successful marketing plan. You’ll want to make sure your marketing plan includes multiple supporting activities that all add up into a powerful marketing machine. Some marketing plan components include: 

Lead generation

Social media

Product marketing

Public relations

Analyst relations

Customer marketing

Search engine optimization (SEO)

Conversational marketing

Knowing where your consumer base spends the most time is significant for nailing this step. You need to have a solid understanding of your target audience before integrating your marketing efforts. 

Example: If your target audience is executives that spend a lot of time on LinkedIn, focus your social media strategy around placing branded content on LinkedIn. 

5. Differentiate with creative content

Forty-nine percent of marketers say visual images are hugely important to their content strategy. In other words, a clear brand and creative strategy is an essential component to every marketing plan. As you craft your own creative strategy, here are some tips to keep in mind: 

Speak to your audience: When defining your creative strategy, think about your audience—what you want them to feel, think, and do when they see your marketing. Will your audience find your creative work relevant? If your audience can’t relate to your creative work, they won’t feel connected to the story you’re trying to tell. 

Think outside the box: Find innovative ways to engage your audience, whether through video, animations, or interactive graphics. Know what screens your creative work will live on, whether desktop, mobile, or tablet, and make sure they display beautifully and load quickly across every type of device. 

Tie everything back to CTAs: It’s easy to get caught up in the creative process, so it’s important to never lose sight of your ultimate goal: Get your audience to take action. Always find the best way to display strong Calls to Action (CTAs) in your creative work. We live in a visual world—make sure your creative content counts.

Streamline creative production:   Once you’ve established a strong creative strategy, the next step is to bring your strategy to life in the production stage. It’s vital to set up a strong framework for your creative production process to eliminate any unnecessary back and forth and potential bottlenecks. Consider establishing creative request forms , streamlining feedback and approval processes, and taking advantage of integrations that might make your designers’ lives easier.

Example: If your brand is fun and approachable, make sure that shows in your creative efforts. Create designs and CTAs that spark joy, offer entertainment, and alleviate the pressure in choosing a partner.

6. Operationalize your marketing plan

Turn your plan into action by making goals, deliverables, and timelines clear for every stakeholder—so teams stay accountable for getting work done. The best way to do this is by centralizing all the details of your marketing plan in one platform , so teams can access the information they need and connect campaign work back to company goals.  

With the right work management tool , you can: 

Set goals for every marketing activity, and connect campaign work to overarching marketing and business objectives so teams focus on revenue-driving projects. 

Centralize deliverables for your entire marketing plan in one project or portfolio .

Mark major milestones and visualize your plan as a timeline, Gantt chart, calendar, list, or Kanban board—without doing any extra work. 

Quickly loop in stakeholders with status updates so they’re always up to date on progress. This is extremely important if you have a global team to ensure efforts aren’t being duplicated. 

Use automations to seamlessly hand off work between teams, streamlining processes like content creation and reviews. 

Create dashboards to report on work and make sure projects are properly staffed , so campaigns stay on track. 

With everything housed in one spot, you can easily visualize the status of your entire marketing plan and keep work on track. Building an effective marketing plan is one thing, but how you operationalize it can be your secret to standout marketing.

Example: If your strategy focuses on increasing page views, connect all campaign work to an overarching OKR—like “we will double page views as measured by the amount of organic traffic on our blog.” By making that goal visible to all stakeholders, you help teams prioritize the right work. 

See marketing planning in action

With Asana, marketing teams can connect work, standardize processes, and automate workflows—all in one place.

See marketing planning in action

7. Measure performance

Nearly three in four CMOs use revenue growth to measure success, so it’s no surprise that measuring performance is necessary. You established your key metrics in step two, and now it’s time to track and report on them in step eight.

Periodically measure your marketing efforts to find areas of improvement so you can optimize in real-time. There are always lessons to be learned when looking at data. You can discover trends, detect which marketing initiatives performed well, and course-correct what isn’t performing well. And when your plan is complete, you can apply these learnings to your next initiative for improved results. 

Example: Say you discover that long-form content is consistently bringing in 400% more page views than short-form content. As a result, you’ll want to focus on producing more long-form content in your next marketing plan.

Marketing plan examples from world-class teams

The best brands in the world bring their marketing plans to life every day. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out these examples from successful marketing teams.

Autodesk grows site traffic 30% three years in a row

When the Autodesk team launched Redshift, it was initially a small business blog. The editorial team executed a successful marketing plan to expand it into a premier owned-media site, making it a destination for stories and videos about the future of making. 

The team scaled content production to support seven additional languages. By standardizing their content production workflow and centralizing all content conversations in one place, the editorial team now publishes 2X more content monthly. Read the case study to learn more about how Autodesk runs a well-oiled content machine.

Sony Music boosts creative production capacity by 4X

In recent years the music industry has gone through a pivotal transition—shifting from album sales to a streaming business model. For marketing and creative teams at Sony Music, that meant adopting an “always on” campaign plan. 

The team successfully executed this campaign plan by centralizing creative production and approvals in one project. By standardizing processes, the team reduced campaign production time by 75%. Read the case study to learn more about how Sony Music successfully scaled their creative production process.

Trinny London perfects new customer acquisition 

In consumer industries, social media is crucial for building a community of people who feel an affinity with the brand—and Trinny London is no exception. As such, it was imperative that Trinny London’s ad spend was targeted to the correct audience. Using a work management tool, Trinny London was able to nail the process of creating, testing, and implementing ads on multiple social channels.

With the help of a centralized tool, Trinny London improved its ad spend and drove more likes and subscriptions on its YouTube page. Read the case study to learn more about how Trinny London capitalized on paid advertising and social media. 

Turn your marketing plan into marketing success 

A great marketing plan promotes clarity and accountability across teams—so every stakeholder knows what they’re responsible for, by when. Reading this article is the first step to achieving better team alignment, so you can ensure every marketing campaign contributes to your company’s bottom line. 

Use a free marketing plan template to get started

Once you’ve created your marketing strategy and are ready to operationalize your marketing plan, get started with one of our marketing templates . 

Our marketing templates can help you manage and track every aspect of your marketing plan, from creative requests to approval workflows. Centralize your entire marketing plan in one place, customize the roadmap, assign tasks, and build a timeline or calendar. 

Once you’ve operationalized your entire marketing plan with one of our templates, share it with your stakeholders so everyone can work together in the same tool. Your entire team will feel connected to the marketing plan, know what to prioritize, and see how their work contributes to your project objectives . Choose the best marketing template for your team:

Marketing project plan template

Marketing campaign plan template

Product marketing launch template

Editorial calendar template

Agency collaboration template

Creative requests template

Event planning template

GTM strategy template

Still have questions? We have answers. 

What is a marketing plan.

A marketing plan is a detailed roadmap that outlines the different strategies your team will use to achieve organizational objectives. Rather than focusing solely on the end goal, a marketing plan maps every step you need to reach your destination—whether that’s driving pipeline for sales, nurturing your existing customer base, or something in-between. 

As a marketing leader, you know there’s never a shortage of great campaign and project ideas. A marketing plan gives you a framework to effectively prioritize work that aligns to overarching business goals—and then get that work done. Some elements of marketing plans include:

Current business plan

Mission statement  

Business goals

Target customers  

Competitive analysis 

Current marketing mix

Key performance indicators (KPIs)

Marketing budget  

What is the purpose of a marketing plan?

The purpose of a marketing plan is to grow your company’s consumer base and strengthen your brand, while aligning with your organization’s mission and vision . The plan should analyze the competitive landscape and industry trends, offer actionable insights to help you gain a competitive advantage, and document each step of your strategy—so you can see how your campaigns work together to drive overarching business goals. 

What is the difference between a marketing plan and a marketing strategy? 

A marketing plan contains many marketing strategies across different channels. In that way, marketing strategies contribute to your overall marketing plan, working together to reach your company’s overarching business goals.

For example, imagine you’re about to launch a new software product and the goal of your marketing plan is to drive downloads. Your marketing plan could include marketing strategies like creating top-of-funnel blog content and launching a social media campaign. 

What are different types of marketing plans? 

Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish, what your timeline is, or which facet of marketing you’re driving, you’ll need to create a different type of marketing plan. Some different types of marketing plans include, but aren’t limited to:

General marketing plan: A general marketing plan is typically an annual or quarterly marketing plan that details the overarching marketing strategies for the period. This type of marketing plan outlines marketing goals, the company’s mission, buyer personas, unique selling propositions, and more. A general marketing plan lays the foundation for other, more specific marketing plans that an organization may employ. 

Product launch marketing plan: A product launch marketing plan is a step-by-step plan for marketing a new product or expanding into a new market. It helps you build awareness and interest by targeting the right audience, with the right messaging, in the right timeframe—so potential customers are ready to buy your new offering right away. Nailing your product launch marketing plan can reinforce your overall brand and fast-track sales. For a step-by-step framework to organize all the moving pieces of a launch, check out our product marketing launch template .

Paid marketing plan: This plan includes all the paid strategies in your marketing plan, like pay-per-click, paid social media advertising, native advertising, and display advertising. It’s especially important to do audience research prior to launching your paid marketing plan to ensure you’re maximizing ROI. Consult with content strategists to ensure your ads align with your buyer personas so you know you’re showing ads to the right people. 

Content marketing plan: A content marketing plan outlines the different content strategies and campaigns you’ll use to promote your product or service. When putting together a content marketing plan, start by identifying your audience. Then use market research tools to get the best insights into what topics your target audience is most interested in.

SEO marketing plan: Your SEO marketing plan should work directly alongside your content marketing plan as you chart content that’s designed to rank in search results. While your content marketing plan should include all types of content, your SEO marketing plan will cover the top-of-funnel content that drives new users to your site. Planning search engine-friendly content is only one step in your SEO marketing plan. You’ll also need to include link-building and technical aspects in order to ensure your site and content are as optimized as possible.

Social media marketing plan: This plan will highlight the marketing strategies you plan to accomplish on social media. Like in any general or digital marketing plan , your social media strategy should identify your ideal customer base and determine how they engage on different social media platforms. From there, you can cater your social media content to your target audience.  

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Digital Marketing Agency Business Plan

advertising business plan template

Digital marketing is the need of the hour for every business around. Be it expanding the presence of your business or growing one from scratch, digital marketing can come in very handy.

And that’s when a digital marketing agency comes into the picture. As there are a variety of things a digital marketing agency can do, these agencies have a wide spectrum of opportunities too.

And if you are a creative individual who has good people skills and a good knowledge of social media, a digital marketing agency can become a profitable business for you.

All you need is a digital marketing agency business plan to help you get going.

Industry Overview

The global digital marketing industry stood at a whopping value of 49.43 billion US dollars in 2020, and with the rapid growth of social media and online business promotions, it wouldn’t slow down anytime soon.

The major reason for this growth is the rising use of social media and the internet to gain information about products and services as well as to buy the same.

Also, content consumption is increasing every day, which contributes immensely to the growth of digital marketing.

Apart from all the above, as digital marketing is cheaper than traditional marketing methods its popularity is increasing, especially among small businesses.

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Things to Consider Before Writing a Digital Marketing Agency Business Plan

Have a good team.

Digital marketing involves a variety of skills and specializations. Having a team of individuals who complement each other’s skills can take you a long way. Hence, it is essential to have a team that can help you through complicated projects and comes up with unique ideas to help your agency stand out. Also, if you get to combine it with brilliant execution, your agency is highly likely to get an upper hand over your competitors.

Build your online presence

Your online presence is not only important for promoting your business but also proof of how skilled you are at your job. After all, if you can build your business’s presence your clients are more likely to trust you with their businesses.

Pick your niche

As almost any business or organization can use the help of a digital marketing agency, it is essential to pick one that suits you the best before getting started. It helps you develop your expertise in that area and get better at more complex projects. Which eventually helps your business become profitable and build your brand’s identity as well.

Build a system to help you keep up with the trends

Marketing and social media today are highly influenced by trends. Memes are ruling the digital space and people like to see different perspectives from a brand on popular topics. Hence, it is important to develop a system that helps you stay updated with trending topics as well as new methodologies.

Chalking out Your Business Plan

With each passing day, the number of internet users is increasing. The world is changing much faster with the help of the internet, smartphones, smart televisions, and many other digital gadgets & technology.

Marketing is all about reaching out to your potential audience in all possible ways. Digital marketing is the best of them because people are spending most of their time on the internet.

Digital marketing includes Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Pay Per Click (PPC), Affiliate Marketing, Native Advertising, Email Marketing, Online PR, Sponsored content, Backlinks Generation, and many more services.

Before you start your digital marketing agency, it is important to have a clear business plan.

Writing Your Business Plan

If you are planning to start a new digital marketing business , the first thing you will need is a business plan. Use our sample Digital Marketing Business Plan created using upmetrics business plan software to start writing your business plan in no time.

Before you start writing your business plan for your new digital marketing agency, spend as much time as you can reading through some examples of  advertising and marketing-related business plans .

Reading sample business plans will give you a good idea of what you’re aiming for, and also it will show you the different sections that different entrepreneurs include and the language they use to write about themselves and their business plans.

We have created this sample Digital Marketing Agency Business Plan for you to get a good idea about what a perfect digital marketing business plan should look like and what details you will need to include in your stunning business plan.

Digital Marketing Agency Business Plan Outline

This is the standard digital marketing agency business plan outline which will cover all the important sections that you should include in your business plan.

  • Introduction
  • Mission Statement
  • Vision Statement
  • Keys to Success
  • 3 Year profit forecast
  • Company Ownership
  • SWOT Analysis
  • Market Trends
  • Target Market
  • Competitive Advantage
  • Payment Options
  • Sales Forecast
  • Sales Yearly
  • Detailed Sales Forecast
  • Personnel Plan
  • Average Salaries
  • Important Assumptions
  • Brake-even Analysis
  • Profit Yearly
  • Gross Margin Yearly
  • Projected Cash Flow
  • Projected Balance Sheet
  • Business Ratios

The Quickest Way to turn a Business Idea into a Business Plan

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Download a sample digital marketing business plan

Need help writing your business plan from scratch? Here you go;  download our free digital marketing business plan pdf  to start.

It’s a modern business plan template specifically designed for your digital marketing business. Use the example business plan as a guide for writing your own.

After getting started with Upmetrics , you can copy this sample business plan into your business plan and modify the required information and download your digital marketing agency business plan pdf or doc file. It’s the fastest and easiest way to start writing your business plan.

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About the Author

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Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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12 Free Marketing Plan Templates to Build a Marketing Strategy

Senior Content Marketing Manager

February 14, 2024

Marketing used to be simple.

A tuppence on a town crier and maybe an ad in the local newspaper, and you were pretty much set. Nowadays, things have gotten a little bit more complicated.

Marketers plan elaborate campaigns that sync across several mediums in real life and the digital world. This can include ads on social media, search engines, blog content, in-person events, and much more. All of this marketing requires a lot of project planning .

You can’t just throw something together and call it a day. And that’s where marketing plan templates come in. These handy little tools help you plan and coordinate your marketing strategies by doing some of the leg work for you.

Obviously, these templates can’t do everything. It’s still up to you to make big brand decisions, like whether Rihanna or Ariana is the right person to head up your event. But templates can make planning that engagement easier, set out clear to-do lists for your team, and make cross-department execution a breeze.

So regardless of whether you’re an entrepreneur dipping your toes into the world of marketing or a multinational company needing help keeping your marketing efforts organized, there’s a marketing plan template for you.

This list of 12 marketing plan templates is a great place to get started. Each has its own focus, so take a moment and find which ones will help you plan your next big marketing move.

What is a Marketing Plan Template?

What makes a good marketing plan template, 1. clickup marketing plan template, 2. clickup agency client health tracker by zenpilot, 3. clickup quick start: marketing template, 4. clickup content management template, 5. clickup content production scaling template, 6. clickup campaign & promotion management template, 7. clickup event marketing plan template, 8. clickup okr folder template, 9. the clickup marketing plan template, 10. clickup marketing action plan template, 11. clickup social media template, 12. clickup sales and marketing plan template, benefits of having a strong marketing strategy, how to write a marketing plan.

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A marketing plan template is an essential tool for any business to have when creating and executing a successful marketing strategy. It provides the roadmap for your marketing activities, from setting goals to choosing channels and measuring success.

These templates can also be tailored according to the needs of each organization, allowing you to focus on specific areas that need attention and provide direction for your marketing efforts. So if you need some help planning out your social media campaigns and posts for the next quarter, there’s a template ready to make that process just a little bit easier.

A good marketing plan template can be summed up in three words: organized, specialized, and helpful.

One of the main goals of any marketing strategy template is to add some much-needed order to the chaos that comes with your average marketing department. These templates help keep you organized and on track, allowing you to stay focused on what matters most: achieving success.

Great templates should also specialize in a certain kind of marketing type or task you need help with. For instance, a template could specialize in designing a marketing action plan for your company or in helping you map out your future marketing initiatives. 

Doing everything in one template would be near impossible, so specialization allows each template to be thorough without being overwhelming.

Finally, a template needs to be helpful.

The whole reason you need a template is to save you time or to help you complete a marketing task you’re less familiar with. If the template doesn’t come with smart formatting, data importation options, or expert advice, then it might just be easier to do it on your own.

12 Best Marketing Plan Templates

Marketing plans are a crucial way for businesses to create and execute a top-notch marketing strategy.

However, the process of planning can be overwhelming without the right tools. This list of 12 marketing plan templates provides an excellent starting point for any business looking to create a comprehensive and effective marketing strategy.

Get your marketing plan started with this beginner-friendly template

The ClickUp Marketing Plan Template is a powerful and customizable tool that can help teams plan and execute successful marketing strategies. This template simplifies the process of coordinating and planning your marketing efforts , allowing you to easily create an overview of your campaigns and track progress and results.

This template includes helpful sections that allow you to fill in deadlines, statuses, effort levels, impact tags, and more. It also provides real-time collaboration features so teams can easily track tasks and ensure they’re all on the same page.

Plus, this template is completely customizable based on your team’s specific needs. Add or remove any sections you need and organize your marketing plan in whatever way works best for you.

The ClickUp Marketing Plan Template is perfect for entrepreneurs, small businesses, or large companies who need an easy-to-use and comprehensive tool to organize their marketing strategies.

As a bonus, it pairs well with many of our more specific templates included on this list.

The ClickUp Agency Client Health Tracker by Zenpilot

Effective marketing requires deep insights into your clients’ needs and preferences. That’s why the ClickUp Agency Client Health Tracker from Zenpilot Template is such a valuable tool for businesses. This customizable template allows agencies to track the health of their customer relationships, making it easy to manage client info and ensure that marketing efforts align with client needs.

With the ClickUp Agency Client Health Tracker, agencies can track a range of important marketing analytics , including client satisfaction levels and feedback. Armed with this information, businesses can tailor their content marketing strategy to better meet the needs of their clients.

By understanding each client’s unique preferences, businesses can create targeted campaigns that drive engagement, deliver value, and ultimately drive customer satisfaction.

Get your marketing projects and campaigns planned faster with this quick start template

Looking to get your marketing strategy off the ground—like, right now?

The Quick Start Marketing Template has been meticulously crafted to expedite your initiation into ClickUp, ensuring a seamless and efficient experience.

This particular template is equipped with an array of features that are indispensable for executing an effective marketing strategy. It includes a comprehensive marketing plan, well-structured campaigns, a content calendar for systematic planning, an asset library for easy resource management, and a team wiki to promote knowledge sharing among team members.

Take the reins of your marketing efforts and amplify your brand’s resonance today with this holistic toolset.

ClickUp serves as an all-encompassing project management tool, which enables you to strategize, coordinate, and collaborate on your projects within a singular platform. The software’s fully customizable nature empowers you to tailor every facet of your content workflow to your specific needs and preferences.

Amongst the plethora of ready-to-use templates, one that particularly excels at content planning is the ClickUp Content Management Template . Its flexibility and customizability make it a top choice for managing your unique content workflow—even if it spreads across marketing channels.

This template comes equipped with a comprehensive content calendar, facilitating seamless tracking of your content across various channels such as blogs, social media platforms, websites, or emails. A standout feature is its provision of separate calendar views for each channel.

The Content Management Template offers extensive insights into every stage of content creation and management. From receiving initial requests and constructing a detailed plan with pertinent documents to managing an editorial calendar and delivering the final content—this template has it all covered.

Let this template work as your ultimate hub for creating and managing content across multiple marketing channels, with the added advantage of having dedicated calendar views for each channel.

The ClickUp Content Production Scaling Template provides a tactical insight into the strategies employed by ClickUp’s own content team on how they successfully scaled their blog content production.

While the template primarily focuses on blog content, its versatile production workflow can be adapted for any content type. Content scaling is a highly strategic approach, favored for its effectiveness in enhancing organic traffic, lead generation, brand visibility, revenue, and much more.

And this template facilitates the continuous creation of relevant content, positioning your brand as a dependable source of information. This asset is perfect for writers, editors, or content teams looking to architect their scalable production process in their marketing strategies.

For a deeper understanding of the eight steps outlined in this template, refer to our content production scaling blog ! This will enable you to strategize effectively and navigate the template with professional proficiency.

Promos and campaigns have a lot of moving parts, which is why this template is perfect for those needing to manage everything across teams, customers, and channels

Need a comprehensive tool for managing campaigns and promotions that provides all the necessary resources for planning, tracking, and executing your marketing initiatives?

Look no further than the ClickUp Campaign & Promotion Template . This digital marketing plan template acts as your centralized hub and facilitates a complete workflow that begins with request intake, transitions into planning with campaign brief documents, moves on to project execution with subtasks, and culminates in running the marketing plan campaign.

This template simplifies this process by consolidating the planning, execution, and monitoring of your campaigns into a single platform. Utilizing our template will enable you to:

  • Structure promotional projects using task lists, timelines, and assignees
  • Monitor progress via automated workflows, promoting efficient team collaboration
  • Evaluate performance using customizable reporting tools
  • Facilitate data-driven decision-making in on central place

Whether your objective is launching a new product to a target market or executing a special promotion, this marketing template provides the ideal template to ensure seamless and effective implementation.

ClickUp Event Marketing Template

With so much happening in the world today, your company needs something special to get and hold people’s attention.

Big, spectacular events are perfect for doing just this. They allow you to stand in the spotlight for a moment and get your message across in a way that’s likely to stick with people for longer than any Facebook ad or blog post could ever hope to. 

However, planning these events can take months. You’ll need coordination between multiple teams, marketing planning software , and maybe even outside contractors to pull it off.

That’s where the ClickUp Event Marketing Plan Template comes into play.

This digital marketing plan template template is the place for your team to plan your next big event. It includes tasks, budgets, and deadlines, along with multiple views, to help you track what needs to get done and who’s responsible for it across your marketing team.

Plus, this template is completely customizable if you need extra space for something more detailed—considering things like market research information, your marketing budget, or key performance indicators.

Bonus: Marketing tools for startups !

ClickUp's OKR template enables precise tracking and alignment of objectives and key results, facilitating organized goal setting and measurable progress

The ClickUp OKR Folder Template serves as an exhaustive planning instrument, crafted specifically to aid individuals and teams in establishing and accomplishing their objectives.

It incorporates a Planning Cadence that delineates the foundational structure for formulating OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). Additionally, the template has OKR Lists that deconstruct goals into manageable tasks and continually track progression.

This systematic approach ensures teams maintain focus and direction throughout the year, ulitmately enhancing their potential for success. The digital marketing plan template is ideal to track your marketing activities to your marketing goals and metrics.

Detailing your marketing tactics is crucial—but having the numbers to back up your marketing budget or how your OKRs will help your digital marketing team reach your target audience more efficiently is crucial.

Fast-track your marketing plan with this customizable template. Prioritize tasks, track targets and record results.

If you’re in the early stages of planning your marketing campaign or project, the ClickUp Marketing Plan Template is a fantastic resource to begin with. This customizable, user-friendly template is designed to expedite the development of your marketing plan.

Easily keep track of marketing initiatives, prioritize tasks, monitor targets, and document results.

A meticulously crafted marketing plan can be the deciding factor between success and failure in attaining your business objectives. This is why ClickUp made this template a comprehensive tool aimed at assisting you in planning, tracking, and optimizing your marketing campaigns in a singular location.

Utilizing this template allows you to:

  • Establish attainable marketing objectives
  • Organize tasks into actionable steps toward achieving these goals
  • Monitor progress using integrated metrics and analytics

Say goodbye to disorganized spreadsheets and multiple tools. This marketing template offers the transparency and command you require to elevate your marketing endeavors to unprecedented heights.

Create and manage successful advertising projects and show how you'll do it with this in-depth marketing action plan template

Every good strategy needs a detailed plan, but do you need something to provide more details about how you’ll get it done?

If you want to market your product or service, you’ll need a marketing action plan to turn your ideas into actual marketing ROI . And a marketing action plan is a detailed document outlining the strategies and tactics a business will use to promote and sell its products or services.

It typically includes a target market analysis, business goals and objectives, pricing information, and any other pertinent information that may help execute the plan successfully.

ClickUp’s Marketing Action Plan Template has been designed to help you create a fully fleshed-out marketing strategy, even if you’ve never done this before.

It achieves this by running you through the main things you’ll need to understand and formulate before you can create your plan. These include:

  • Defining your marketing goal s: Understand what the ultimate goal of your digital marketing plan
  • Knowing your customers : Do target market and target audience research to understand what your customers are looking for, where they can be reached, and what kind of advertising might work best for them
  • Auditing your current practices : Learn from what you’ve done in the past, both good and bad, to create an even better marketing strategy going forward in this marketing plan template
  • Itemizing your plan : List every task that needs to be done for your strategy to succeed
  • Reviewing and polishing : See if you’ve missed anything by running it by a colleague

Plus, once you itemize your plan, use ClickUp’s project management software to export those tasks and share them with your team so people can get to work realizing your marketing strategy.

It’s really that easy, and all you need to get started is this marketing plan template at the link below.

Quickly build, manage, and schedule social media content with detailed information and custom fields for simple tracking

With social media marketing, consistency is key to hit your marketing goals. But creating multiple relevant posts across different distribution channels is easier said than done. The pain points and social media strategy that works on LinkedIn might not fare so well on Facebook or Instagram.

That’s why the ClickUp Social Media Template was created.

This powerful tool tracks planned posts across multiple social media platforms so you’re constantly reaching your ideal target audience on the right social media channel. Plus, since you house all of your planned content in one place, it’s easier for social media marketing or other digital marketing team members to see if you have any gaps in your social media calendar. 

For instance, instead of assuming that someone else was working on the New Year’s Eve post this year, your team can see that there are no current plans on this template and fix the omission. Get your social media content calendar in order with the template below.

Get your sales and marketing teams on the same page for better synergy and results

Although they broadly have the same goal, it can sometimes feel like sales and marketing teams live in different worlds. They have their own metrics, strategies, and processes to help the company sell more.

However, when these departments aren’t in sync, you’re missing out on an opportunity to truly leverage the power of your entire team toward your sales and marketing goals.

That’s why the ClickUp Sales and Marketing Plan Template was created. It provides a single platform for both departments to work from, allowing easier collaboration and better alignment of business objectives—whether it’s sharing market research, providing detailed insights into your content marketing strategy, or simply outlining your marketing plans to connect with sales.

This template includes sections for sales goals, marketing plans, campaign results, and more. This way, it’s clear what roles each department plays in the grand scheme of things.

For instance, your sales team probably frequently interacts with target customers and knows what pitches work best with which demographics. Your marketing team can use that knowledge to not only market better but also to identify leads that are more likely to convert.

Get your marketing and sales departments on the same page today with our Sales and Marketing Plan Template.

A well-thought-out marketing plan can bring multiple benefits to your business, including:

  • Increased brand awareness : A strong digital marketing strategy can help you reach new customers and make more people aware of your brand, while collecting market research for future projects
  • Improved customer engagement : By creating targeted and relevant content for your audience, you can engage with them on a deeper level and build stronger relationships
  • Higher conversions : With a clear marketing strategy in place, you can attract more qualified leads and convert them into paying customers
  • Better market positioning: A solid marketing strategy can help you stand out from your competitors and establish your brand as a leader in the industry
  • Increased ROI : By tracking your marketing goals and efforts and refining your digital marketing strategy, you can see a higher return on your investment
  • Enhanced teamwork and communication : With a marketing plan in place, all team members can be on the same page and work towards common goals, leading to better collaboration and communication

Now that you understand the importance of having a strong marketing strategy, here are some tips for writing and implementing an effective marketing plan:

  • Define your business goals : Determine what you want to achieve through your marketing efforts, whether it’s increasing sales, improving brand awareness or launching a new product
  • Identify your target audience : Understand who your ideal customers are and what their needs and preferences are. This will help you create targeted and relevant marketing campaigns
  • Conduct a SWOT analysis : Evaluate your business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to identify areas where you can improve and capitalize on potential opportunities with effective SWOT analysis
  • Set a marketing budget : Determine how much you can realistically spend on marketing activities and allocate resources accordingly to reach your marketing goals
  • Choose your marketing channels : Based on your target audience and business goals, select the most effective marketing channels to reach them
  • Create a timeline and deadlines : Set specific timelines for each marketing campaign or activity to ensure that everything is completed in a timely manner
  • Track and measure results : Continuously monitor the success of your marketing efforts and make adjustments as needed to improve performance.
  • Communicate and collaborate with your team : Keep all team members informed and involved in the marketing process to ensure that everyone is working towards the same marketing objectives
  • Regularly review and update your plan : As your business evolves, so should your marketing plan. Continuously review and update it to stay relevant and effective

Maximize Your Team’s Marketing Efforts With Marketing Plan Templates

No matter the size of your business, marketing success can be achieved with a well-thought-out plan. With ClickUp’s suite of powerful and easy-to-use templates, you’ll have everything you need to create an effective strategy.

Make it easier to meet all your goals, whether it’s marketing your product or onboarding your new client .  From content planning and event marketing to sales and website project management , these templates provide the tools needed for any digital marketer or entrepreneur looking to make their mark in the world today. 

So don’t wait another minute—get started on upgrading your team’s marketing capabilities with ClickUp.

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How to create a marketing plan [free template].

advertising business plan template

What is a Marketing Plan?

What is a marketing plan template, use workamajig’s free marketing plan templates, how to write a marketing plan that works, build & execute your marketing plan with workamajig, browse more blogs.

As the famous Benjamin Franklin quote says, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” This rings especially true in highly competitive industries, and even more so with the rise of social media and the vast array of options for selling products and services.

It can be easy to get lost among all the options available, which means you need a framework for quickly and successfully launching and supporting your brand, product, or service in the market.

This is where a marketing plan comes in.

A marketing plan outlines a company’s overall marketing strategy, including the research and data that support it. Key information that comprise a marketing plan include:

  • Company information : highlighting its relevance to the strategy in place
  • Company, market, and competitor research: isolating and informing high-value marketing opportunities
  • Concrete marketing plans: outlining goals, activities, and resources for enabling success

Marketing plans are typically laid out over a year but can change depending on the team’s objectives—the more frequently you need to create one, the more valuable it becomes to do it efficiently. This is where a marketing plan template comes in handy.

A marketing plan template is a tool used to build a comprehensive marketing strategy. It mainly eliminates the manual work of identifying and structuring the key information we outlined above. This allows you to focus on the actual task of building your marketing strategy, from setting goals and conducting research to identifying activities and resources essential to your campaigns. Our template is designed to cover these essentials while also leaving room for you to tailor content and sections to your specific needs.

Why Are These Important?

Alignment and efficiency are the overarching themes when creating a marketing plan and building an easy marketing plan template. For starters, a marketing plan helps establish a clear set of goals and objectives, which allows teams to optimize their efforts toward the same outcome. It also qualifies as an effective risk management tool when done right by clearly outlining stakeholders and their responsibilities for minimal overlap, as well as budget allocations and projections to ensure that planned activities are equipped to succeed.

When you create a marketing template, you achieve even more efficiency. This allows for more seamless creation of new marketing plans to fit new requirements and continuous learning from using and evaluating an established format.

The difference between a marketing plan and an effective one is subtle yet critical to your success. A basic marketing plan template should be:

  •   Simple: by following a straightforward approach, using terms and a structure that’s easy to digest, both for the one creating it as well as those reading it,
  • Interesting: with expertly designed layouts or formats that synergize well with the outline/structure and
  • Versatile: allowing you to freely and easily add, remove, or rearrange sections and information to make sense of your strategy.

Below, we’ve created two free marketing plan templates that are designed around the above principles.

advertising business plan template

The Google Slides template is designed for more flexible layouts and more images.

advertising business plan template

The Google Docs template offers a more straightforward approach.

To begin using either template, click the matching link above and select File > Make a copy.

While you’re free to start populating the template however you like, there are ways to optimize this activity further. Below, we’ve reorganized the various sections in our template so you can populate them in an order that makes sense; these are grouped into five phases: Introduction, Research, two Strategy phases, and Polish. By following this section like a step-by-step guide, you would prioritize sections that inform other parts of the document so that you can complete each part almost in one go.

Introduction

First, fill in your Title Page before navigating to the Company Overview. This is like the ‘About Us’ section of a website and will help stakeholders learn about your business by filling in the following:

  • Your Company Name
  • Where your company is located (Headquarters)
  • Your market category and a summary of the products or services you provide (Category, Products & Services)
  • Your Mission Statement

It’s important to create a mission statement if you don’t have one yet—this gives both you and your audience a vivid impression of what your company is about and what it’s trying to achieve, which would be an important piece to understanding why your whole marketing plan can be expected to work. Your goal here is to write a mission statement that is clear and easy to understand.

An option to include information about your team or other specific individuals within the company is included. This would make sense if a specific group of individuals in your company is involved; the alternative implies that the plan may involve efforts from across the entire organization.

After wrapping up your introductory sections, it’s time to collect data to inform your marketing strategy. In this phase, we’ll be looking at your company, your customers, and your competitors and using that to identify your ideal client.

Start with the SWOT Analysis. This stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Here is a quick rundown and some guide questions for identifying each section:

  • Strengths refer to internal advantages that your company might have over your competition. For example, do you have a strong brand reputation? Do you have a tried-and-tested pipeline and track record for launching successful marketing campaigns? Do you have a sizable budget? How about highly skilled employees?
  • Weaknesses outline the opposite—these are factors that might put you at a disadvantage against competitors. These are often related to either a limited budget or a lack of skills or experience.
  • Opportunities serve to highlight external factors that you might be able to use to your advantage. Consider this: are there relevant changes to market trends or consumer behavior? Have new market segments emerged? Are there new business models you can utilize in your strategy?
  • Threats, on the other hand, are external factors that could negatively affect your business. Look into the following: Have new competitors emerged, or have existing competitors experienced substantial growth or change? Has the economy taken a turn for the worse? Are your customers’ preferences seemingly changing? Are there notable changes in technology or the environment to worry about?

Next, move to Customer Analysis. This is the process of evaluating and understanding different aspects of your consumer base, including their preferences and habits. This is fundamental to your overall strategy, as customer satisfaction almost always directly correlates to greater returns. A customer analysis is mainly broken down into demographics, which relate to their biological, educational, professional, and marital information, and psychographics, which relate to their behaviors, thought processes, and preferences. This also includes exploring various external factors that might influence their purchasing decisions, such as events and the offerings of competitors.

Once that’s finished, navigate to your Competitor Analysis section. This is the process of analyzing competitors who offer similar products or services or operate within the same industry or market as your company. This includes inspecting their overall strategy, including branding, operations, and promotion, identifying strengths and what resonates with their market or yours, and looking into areas where they might be lacking. This helps inform opportunities for your plan to stand out and succeed.

Finally, you can jump back to the Buyer Persona. A buyer persona is a detailed description of your target audience or customer built on the market research you conducted above; this includes existing data on your customers—this would include demographic information, motivations, and behavior, among other details. This helps businesses build a deeper understanding of their audience and is used to anchor marketing, sales, communication, and product development strategies to satisfy a given persona’s needs and preferences. Creating an effective buyer persona now will help build strategy for meaningful engagement.

Strategy-Building (Part 1)

Completing the previous sections should result in a clear picture of your position in the market. You can now use that to build the marketing plan's meat thoroughly. For starters, you will want to find the Goals section—our guide on SMART goals has everything we believe you will need to fill in this part of the plan.

Next, we will be tackling the Marketing Mix in two parts.

Product. In this section, discuss the products and/or services you intend to release or market as part of this strategy. This means outlining various features, design elements, or variants that will be available to customers.

Pricing. This is where you’ll be outlining amounts—how much will each of the products you included previously cost? When determining these, it’s critical that you consider your buyer persona, as well as competitor pricing and any promotions or discounts that might be part of your strategy. This will further increase your products’ perceived value among customers, especially your target market. Tables are a great formatting tool here; you can also link to an external spreadsheet, where you have more room to create a detailed pricing scheme.

Place. This section discusses how you would make products or services available to customers. It includes the method by which sales are generated (e.g., retail, online, direct), as well as strategies for storing, housing, and distributing inventory. Your main consideration here is making sure that your products and services are as convenient and efficient to access as possible in order to sufficiently meet customer demand.

The second part of the marketing mix covers both the Promotion and Marketing Channels sections. This is done so you can cross-reference between the two sections, ensuring that they are updated to synergize with one another.

The Promotion section primarily focuses on how you will help customers understand the value of your products and services, including tools and techniques for providing support across the customer journey (before, during, and after a sale.) A critical consideration here is ensuring the methods align with your goals while respecting your brand identity.

Marketing Channels then focus on the what or where of your promotion plan, which is typically broken down into traditional, digital, retail, and event marketing channels. Building this section relies heaviest on your buyer persona and the specific products and services you’re looking to promote—understanding where you can best reach your existing market or attract new eyes is important here.

Working on these sections first allows you to transition seamlessly to your Unique Value Proposition. Use this section to talk about how or why your products/services are a better choice than the competition. Your customer and competitor analysis would feed a lot of information here.

Strategy-Building (Part 2)

The second phase of your strategy will move between the template's Performance Management and Budget sections.

Under Performance Management , it’s time to identify your Key Metrics. Also known as key performance indicators (KPI) are quantifiable measures that determine your campaign or strategy’s progress or success. To assist with this, look back at your Goals section to see what factors can be represented by numbers and data—for some of these, you may need to derive them from computations of other factors. Common key metrics include total conversions, conversion rate, click-through rate, and social media engagements.

At this point, you can freely work on two sections simultaneously: Monitoring & Evaluation Methods and  Projected Expenses.

Monitoring & Evaluation Methods answers the question of how you will collect the metrics listed. Include relevant tools and data collection methods to be used here.

Projected Expenses refer to an itemized list of unique costs required to execute the strategy. This includes hardware and software needs, resources needed to run online or in-person events and promotions, travel and other logistics, and even compensation for in-house or outsourced manpower. A table is a great way to format information here.

Once all of that is ready, you can begin working on Projected Returns . In this section, you want to outline how this strategy is expected to generate value beyond just the immediate sale of whatever products or services are being offered and how much each of these sources is expected to contribute. From here, you can define your expected return on investment (ROI) by subtracting the total earnings from the costs in your Projected Expenses section.

You will notice that only one section remains—jump back to the early part of the template to work on your Executive Summary. This section combines all of the sections into a big-picture pitch. Your highest priorities here are summarizing your Goals, Marketing Mix, Unique Value Proposition, and Projected Returns sections.

Now that you’ve filled in all template sections double-check everything for errors or omissions.

A marketing plan serves as the blueprint for your success over time. A marketing plan template ensures that you can quickly and expertly craft a strategy while allowing for continuous improvement.

With Workamajig, the premier agency management software , you have an all-in-one solution for planning, organizing, and delegating these efforts and easily transitioning between the phases of every project. Easily adjust your schedule or modify task requirements and assignees to ensure efficiency, and use native reporting tools to measure your progress and identify and address roadblocks along the way.

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Free Marketing Plan Examples: Real-World Samples & Templates

By Joe Weller | April 27, 2024

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A  marketing plan  is a comprehensive document that outlines a company’s marketing strategy and tactics, and ensures that its marketing goals align with its overall objectives. Effective marketing plans include detailed analysis of the market along with roadmaps for upcoming campaigns. Inside this article, you’ll find the  elements of a marketing plan , 10 real-world examples of marketing plans with commentary from experienced marketing professionals, free marketing plan templates and samples , and a  chart to help you determine which template suits your needs .

Marketing Plan Elements

Typical marketing plans begin with an executive summary and include audience demographics, company objectives, situational analysis of the business, and marketing strategies and tactics. Market research and analysis provide campaign direction, and the budget and timeline offer practical parameters. A marketing plan can provide an overview of all strategies and campaigns to be executed in a certain time frame, or it can focus on a specific product, channel, or strategy. The level of detail and the sections included might vary, depending on the organization’s needs. The nine main elements of a marketing plan are:  

Executive Summary and Mission Statement:  A concise, high-level summary conveys the purpose of your marketing plan, introduces key strategies and research insights, and highlights the most important takeaways for stakeholders. For example, an executive summary might outline your brand’s identity, its place within the competitive landscape, and the major opportunities that upcoming marketing campaigns will target. Longer plans might include a separate mission statement or vision statement to align marketing efforts with your company’s larger goals. Discover more  examples of executive summaries with templates to help you write one effectively.  

Single Slide Executive Summary Example Template

Situational Analysis:  One of the most crucial elements of your marketing plan, a situational analysis is an assessment of the internal and external factors affecting a business’s performance. It should include research-based insights into market trends and dynamics, customer demographics and pain points, and internal resources.  A strong situational analysis often includes a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis, which provides a foundation for an effective marketing strategy. Learn more about  how to perform a SWOT analysis .  

Competitive Analysis:  Understanding the competition is key to developing a compelling marketing plan. This analysis should consider recent marketing campaigns from similar brands to identify successful ways to reach a shared target audience. Being aware of the competitive landscape can also help your business develop a unique selling proposition and stand out in the market. The competitive analysis might be included in the larger situational analysis, or it might be a stand-alone section. For example, a marketing plan could include data on how competitors rank on keywords, or it could evaluate the performance of competitors’ recent social media campaigns. One common framework for understanding market dynamics is a Porter’s five forces analysis, which identifies the forces that contribute to industry rivals. Learn how to evaluate the competitive landscape with  free industry analysis templates .  

Porter’s Five Forces Model Example Template

Target Audience: In order to implement marketing strategies that engage consumers and drive conversions, businesses need to know who their audience is, what they want, and how they behave. A marketing plan should define a specific, segmented target audience with demographic, geographical, psychographic, and behavioral data.  This section often includes customer profiles or buyer personas — fictionalized representations of ideal customers or audience segments — which help marketers typify consumer behaviors. These profiles should include media habits and most-used platforms to ensure that your marketing plan selects the right channels for each campaign. Learn how to analyze your target market with  free customer profile templates .  

Simple Customer Profile Presentation Template

Goals and Objectives:  Marketing plans typically include both long-term goals, which provide broad direction for the company’s marketing strategy, and short-term objectives, which focus on more immediate tactics and campaigns. Goals should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) and include corresponding key performance indicators (KPIs).  The goals and objectives in a marketing plan often focus on conversions, market share, brand awareness, or engagement. Clearly defined goals ensure strategically aligned marketing initiatives with measurable results. Take a look at  real-world examples of SMART goals for more insights.  

SMART Goals Worksheet Template with Sample Text

Marketing Strategy:  This section of a marketing plan details the business’s unique value proposition and the channels that will communicate it. A robust marketing strategy addresses the touchpoints in a consumer’s buying cycle and breaks down the 4 Ps (product, price, place, promotion) of the marketing mix. Channels might include digital marketing, advertisements, social media, and influencer partnerships. To develop an overarching marketing strategy, consider using a  marketing strategy template . To learn more about the 4 Ps, read this  product marketing guide .  

Marketing Strategy Example Template

Tactics and Action Plan:  A marketing plan is not an abstract strategy document, but a concrete roadmap for executing specific campaigns with specific tactics. Your plan should detail the messaging for each campaign and the corresponding methods for communication — such as email newsletters, social content, targeted ads, and public relations.  This section provides KPIs and actionable steps such as resource allocation, deliverables, and distribution plans. It might also include the expected outcome for each campaign. To plan individual campaigns, consider using a  marketing project plan template .  

Marketing Project Plan Template

Budget:  Marketing expenses might include the cost of advertising, content creation, website maintenance, or promotional materials; no marketing plan is complete without a budget that breaks down the costs of such initiatives. A clear, comprehensive budget ensures that marketing efforts are financially feasible and resources can be allocated for maximum impact. The budget also enables the marketing team to track the return on investment (ROI) of each campaign. To create a comprehensive budget, try our  free marketing budget templates .    

Marketing Budget Plan Template

Timeline:  Finally, a marketing plan includes a clear schedule for implementing its initiatives and tactics. This timeline details the start and end dates of each campaign, deadlines for deliverables, and key events or milestones. It keeps the marketing team aligned and initiatives on track, ensuring that marketing objectives can be achieved within the set time frame. Organize dates and deadlines with the help of a  marketing timeline template .  

Marketing Timeline Template

Marketing Plan Examples

Real-world marketing plans show how businesses utilize effective planning documents. These 10 examples from various industries exhibit unique strengths and weaknesses. With insightful commentary from marketing experts, these plans offer practical takeaways any marketer can use.  

Delmarva and the Ground for Change This  in-depth marketing plan for a documentary produced by the USDA Northeast Climate Hub includes audience profiles, competitive analysis, and a distribution plan. Along with a detailed breakdown of its digital marketing strategy, it considers how different tactics will affect the viewer’s content journey.   

Delmarva Marketing Plan

John Dinsmore , a marketing consultant and professor at Wright State University, praises this plan for its attractive design and thoughtful, thorough content: “They do a nice job of extrapolating on who the target market is and tying their tactics to achieving specific goals.”  He appreciates the inclusion of a SWOT analysis, but feels it could be done more effectively. “‘Opportunities’ is not a place for business ideas. It’s a place to identify external, positive trends that can help your initiative. In this context, an opportunity could be ‘Rising concern for and awareness of climate issues.’ Similarly, ‘threats’ is not a place to list things that are difficult. It’s for negative external trends such as ‘Increased skepticism over ability to combat climate change.’” 

Dekker Fraser

Dekker Fraser , former Global Marketing Manager at Sony PlayStation, adds that this plan includes a strong focus on collaborations with media and influencers: “Many marketing plans place too much emphasis on target customers and not enough on target collaborators.”  

Minnesota Tourism This  marketing plan by Explore Minnesota , the state’s Department of Tourism, showcases Minnesota’s beauty with vivid imagery. It uses a variety of demographic information to identify priority audience segments and includes well-designed infographics that analyze audience and competition. As a result, the campaigns are clearly targeted at specific audiences and objectives. 

John Rarrick

John Rarrick , Head of Marketing at Movius Corp., admires the strength of the message behind the strategy. “This plan has a very well-developed ‘why,’” he says. “You’ll see that often when the plan is to repair or save something that has undergone a time of great loss — such as a loss of revenue or reputation. The audience personas, goals, tactics, and budget are all detailed and measurable.” 

Minnesota Marketing Plan

Gold Coast Transit District  

Gold Coast Marketing Plan

A  short, high-level marketing plan for Gold Coast Transit highlights key campaigns and includes the most important details, such as timelines, budgets, and tactics. It begins with a bulleted overview of the most important takeaways and takes into account general marketing efforts that don’t fit under a specific campaign umbrella. Fraser notes that this plan includes year-round marketing initiatives, with an effective “emphasis on strong offers, such as youth-free fares.” However, he points out that its brand awareness goals could be more specific. “Instead, use context-specific awareness goals such as ‘When commuting to work, residents first think of Gold Coast Transit’ or ‘When coming home from the library at night, I think of taking the bus,’” he says. “In other words, peg awareness to specific category-entry points.”  

University of Arizona College of Engineering This  marketing, branding, and communications plan for the University of Arizona College of Engineering sets out a long-term vision, high-level goals, and strategies for achieving these goals. It has a section for methodology — including promotional videos and email newsletters — and segments its audience to align with its strategies. This plan “demonstrates a clearly defined audience,” according to Rarrick. That said, not every section of the plan includes the same level of specificity. “The KPIs are vague,” he adds. “I would expect to see something more measurable, rather than ‘increase’ or ‘improve.’” 

Arizona Marketing Plan

Timberland Regional Library This  library's two-year marketing plan sets initiatives in motion with a clear schedule for action. It includes both promotional and production calendars for effective planning, which is especially important for campaigns pegged to external events.  Dinsmore cites this plan’s “professional and elegant graphic design” as a strength. It also offers a roadmap for tackling several marketing campaigns on different timelines. However, he suggests that the plan needs more measurable goals and defined strategies. “There’s no overarching strategy that ties all of these tactics and initiatives together,” he says. “It’s just a laundry list of dates and actions.” 

Library Marketing Plan

Safe Haven Family Shelter Nonprofit organizations need creative marketing strategies to reach their targets and use funds efficiently. With specific objectives and actionable steps, this  marketing plan for Safe Haven Family Shelter delineates high-level goals and details the path to achieving them. It identifies the roles and responsibilities of individual team members to ensure alignment. Rarrick commends this plan for its “clearly defined audience and very clearly defined goals.” The plan showcases the differences between strategic business goals and measurable marketing objectives.  

Safe Haven Marketing Plan

Visit Myrtle Beach This  destination marketing plan by the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Chamber of Commerce  incorporates detailed information about target markets, audience personas, and key behaviors. It includes an infographic that illuminates the touchpoints in a traveler’s journey and shows the marketing team how each tactic contributes to conversions.  Overall, Dinsmore praises this plan as a “very smart and thoughtful presentation.” It outlines a distinct media mix for each target audience, defines its objectives clearly, and ties these objectives to success metrics. He continues, “I want to thank the Myrtle Beach folks for planning to measure their efforts. Measurement is often anathema to marketing people, but if you’re not measuring, you don’t know how to improve.”  With so much information to cover, the plan would benefit from an executive summary to introduce key takeaways. “The bigger the scope, the harder it is to make everything feel connected, and that’s a bit of an issue with this plan,” Dinsmore adds.  

Myrtle Beach Marketing Plan

Tropical Avocados This  example of a no-frills plan was commissioned by the nonprofit Improving Economies for Stronger Communities (IESC) to help brand and launch tropical avocados in the U.S. market. It shows the importance of making branding decisions backed by market and consumer research. A detailed SWOT analysis and competitive analysis provide essential insights that enable the company to determine the best unique selling proposition.  A key strength of this plan is its detailed research into its audience. Fraser cites its “excellent identification of consumer objections — e.g., concern over how natural the avocado size is — and consumer behavior.” As a result, the brand can adopt effective messaging in its marketing campaigns. As with USDA Northeast Climate Hub’s Delmarva and the Ground for Change documentary, “target collaborators — e.g., food writers, organizations, and chefs — are included in the target audience. Collaborators are often more critical to the marketing plan than the consumers themselves,” Fraser adds.  

Avocados Marketing Plan

Rochelle Community Hospital This  case study of Rochelle Community Hospital in Rochelle, Illinois, shows how a targeted marketing plan can be used to achieve significant results. The report by Legato Healthcare Marketing showcases the importance of reevaluating an existing marketing strategy — in this case, shifting the emphasis from print to digital. External marketing agencies often have more tools at their disposal, particularly if the business has not had a strong digital presence. With targeted ads and website updates, the agency employed tactics with direct metrics in order to track its impact.   

Rochelle Hospital Marketing Plan

Visit Concord This  example from the Concord Tourism Improvement District marketing plan is concise and includes streamlined insights on the audience and market. It details each marketing channel with specific tactics and measurable KPIs.  The overall strategy, according to Fraser, offers “an excellent emphasis on social proof and word-of-mouth marketing,” as well as a “good balance of awareness and activation marketing.” In order to improve, he suggests, “the plan should factor in the following critical quantitative factors to help drive the media strategy: reach, frequency, and the total-addressable market.” 

Concord Marketing Plan

Marketing Plan Templates

Using a template takes the guesswork out of organizing a marketing plan document. These customizable templates include essential elements and options for specific industries or marketing channels, and they range from one-page plans to comprehensive, presentation-ready reports.

Microsoft Word Simple Marketing Plan Template

Simple Marketing Plan Sample

Download the Simple Marketing Plan Example Template for Microsoft Word Download the Blank Simple Marketing Plan Template for Microsoft Word

This example of a simple, customizable plan focuses on key strategies and prioritizes readability. This one-page marketing plan template includes space to summarize marketing strategy and overarching business objectives, along with an action plan to highlight responsibilities and deadlines.

Microsoft Word Annual Marketing Plan Template

Annual Marketing Plan Example

Download the Annual Marketing Plan Example Template for Microsoft Word Download the Blank Annual Marketing Plan Template for Microsoft Word  

This comprehensive marketing plan template includes a number of key sections — such as goals, target market, marketing channels, and performance standards — that can be customized to suit a variety of businesses. In the situational analysis, you can find space for both a 5C (company, collaborators, customers, competitors, climate) analysis and a SWOT analysis. The blank template begins with a table of contents, a business summary, and a mission statement to allow for easy readability. The sample focuses on marketing strategies for one fiscal year, but you can modify this plan for any time period. 

Microsoft Word Small Business Marketing Plan Template

Small Business Marketing Plan Example

Download the Small Business Marketing Plan Example Template for Microsoft Word Download the Blank Small Business Marketing Plan Template for Microsoft Word

A strong marketing plan is essential for small businesses looking to stand out from larger competitors. This small business marketing plan template provides an outline for a detailed marketing strategy, including a unique selling proposition, the 4Ps marketing mix, and marketing channels. It builds its strategy on situational analysis and identification of the business’s core capabilities. Find  more marketing plan templates  for different industries.

Microsoft Word Nonprofit Marketing Plan Template

NonProfit Marketing Plan Example

Download the Nonprofit Marketing Plan Example Template for Microsoft Word Download the Blank Nonprofit Marketing Plan Template for Microsoft Word

This example marketing plan for a nonprofit incorporates information on the funding climate into its situational analysis, as well as a detailed organizational summary. With sections for short- and long-term goals, marketing strategies and channels, and stakeholder profiles, the template is comprehensive and customizable. Find  more nonprofit marketing plan templates here .

Excel Product Marketing Plan Template

Product Marketing Plan Example

Download the Product Marketing Plan Example Template for Excel Download the Blank Product Marketing Plan Template for Excel

When integrating a new product into existing marketing strategies, it’s important to take into account all the elements of the marketing mix. This product marketing plan template is organized by product, price, place, promotion, process, people, and physical evidence. In these sections, you can find space to consider market research, consumer behaviors, and marketing channels.

Excel Social Media Marketing Plan Template

Social Media Marketing Action Plan Example

Download the Social Media Marketing Plan Example Template for Excel Download the Blank Social Media Marketing Plan Template for Excel

For planning specific campaigns, this social media marketing action plan template begins with the campaign goal, highlights important promo dates, and separates actions by platform. It’s useful for executing targeted social media campaigns within a larger marketing strategy. Find  more marketing action plan templates here .

Excel Digital Marketing Plan Template

Digital Marketing Plan Example

Download the Digital Marketing Plan Example Template for Excel Download the Blank Digital Marketing Plan Template for Excel

Focusing on digital marketing channels is an effective way to organize strategies into a streamlined and actionable plan. This strategic digital marketing template highlights important audience behaviors and access channels to ensure messaging reaches consumers. Customizable for a variety of digital marketing projects, the template includes space for keywords, goals, and tasks. Find  more digital marketing plan templates here .

Which Marketing Plan Format Is Right for You?

To choose the right marketing plan format for your needs, consider the plan’s role in your marketing strategy. Do you need a comprehensive plan to provide an overview of tactics that will take place over a long period of time? Or are you looking for a plan to focus on specific channels, campaigns, or product launches? 

Each template in this article offers space to detail market research, strategies, and access channels. The longer plans include more sections for in-depth situational analysis and audience demographics, while the shorter plans focus on the marketing mix and action plan. This chart highlights the key elements of each marketing plan:  

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What is a Marketing Plan & How to Write One [+Examples]

Clifford Chi

Published: December 27, 2023

For a while now, you've been spearheading your organization's content marketing efforts, and your team's performance has convinced management to adopt the content marketing strategies you’ve suggested.

marketing plan and how to write one

Now, your boss wants you to write and present a content marketing plan, but you‘ve never done something like that before. You don't even know where to start.

Download Now: Free Marketing Plan Template [Get Your Copy]

Fortunately, we've curated the best content marketing plans to help you write a concrete plan that's rooted in data and produces results. But first, we'll discuss what a marketing plan is and how some of the best marketing plans include strategies that serve their respective businesses.

What is a marketing plan?

A marketing plan is a strategic roadmap that businesses use to organize, execute, and track their marketing strategy over a given period. Marketing plans can include different marketing strategies for various marketing teams across the company, all working toward the same business goals.

The purpose of a marketing plan is to write down strategies in an organized manner. This will help keep you on track and measure the success of your campaigns.

Writing a marketing plan will help you think of each campaign‘s mission, buyer personas, budget, tactics, and deliverables. With all this information in one place, you’ll have an easier time staying on track with a campaign. You'll also discover what works and what doesn't. Thus, measuring the success of your strategy.

Featured Resource: Free Marketing Plan Template

HubSpot Mktg plan cover

Looking to develop a marketing plan for your business? Click here to download HubSpot's free Marketing Plan Template to get started .

To learn more about how to create your marketing plan, keep reading or jump to the section you’re looking for:

How to Write a Marketing Plan

Types of marketing plans, marketing plan examples, marketing plan faqs, sample marketing plan.

Marketing plan definition graphic

If you're pressed for time or resources, you might not be thinking about a marketing plan. However, a marketing plan is an important part of your business plan.

Marketing Plan vs. Business Plan

A marketing plan is a strategic document that outlines marketing objectives, strategies, and tactics.

A business plan is also a strategic document. But this plan covers all aspects of a company's operations, including finance, operations, and more. It can also help your business decide how to distribute resources and make decisions as your business grows.

I like to think of a marketing plan as a subset of a business plan; it shows how marketing strategies and objectives can support overall business goals.

Keep in mind that there's a difference between a marketing plan and a marketing strategy.

advertising business plan template

Free Marketing Plan Template

Outline your company's marketing strategy in one simple, coherent plan.

  • Pre-Sectioned Template
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  • Example Prompts
  • Professionally Designed

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Marketing Strategy vs. Marketing Plan

A marketing strategy describes how a business will accomplish a particular goal or mission. This includes which campaigns, content, channels, and marketing software they'll use to execute that mission and track its success.

For example, while a greater plan or department might handle social media marketing, you might consider your work on Facebook as an individual marketing strategy.

A marketing plan contains one or more marketing strategies. It's the framework from which all of your marketing strategies are created and helps you connect each strategy back to a larger marketing operation and business goal.

For example, suppose your company is launching a new software product, and it wants customers to sign up. The marketing department needs to develop a marketing plan that'll help introduce this product to the industry and drive the desired signups.

The department decides to launch a blog dedicated to this industry, a new YouTube video series to establish expertise, and an account on Twitter to join the conversation around this subject. All this serves to attract an audience and convert this audience into software users.

To summarize, the business's marketing plan is dedicated to introducing a new software product to the marketplace and driving signups for that product. The business will execute that plan with three marketing strategies : a new industry blog, a YouTube video series, and a Twitter account.

Of course, the business might consider these three things as one giant marketing strategy, each with its specific content strategies. How granular you want your marketing plan to get is up to you. Nonetheless, every marketing plan goes through a particular set of steps in its creation.

Learn what they are below.

  • State your business's mission.
  • Determine the KPIs for this mission.
  • Identify your buyer personas.
  • Describe your content initiatives and strategies.
  • Clearly define your plan's omissions.
  • Define your marketing budget.
  • Identify your competition.
  • Outline your plan's contributors and their responsibilities.

1. State your business's mission.

Your first step in writing a marketing plan is to state your mission. Although this mission is specific to your marketing department, it should serve your business‘s main mission statement.

From my experience, you want to be specific, but not too specific. You have plenty of space left in this marketing plan to elaborate on how you'll acquire new customers and accomplish this mission.

mission-statement-examples

Need help building your mission statement? Download this guide for examples and templates and write the ideal mission statement.

2. Determine the KPIs for this mission.

Every good marketing plan describes how the department will track its mission‘s progress. To do so, you need to decide on your key performance indicators (KPIs) .

KPIs are individual metrics that measure the various elements of a marketing campaign. These units help you establish short-term goals within your mission and communicate your progress to business leaders.

Let's take our example of a marketing mission from the above step. If part of our mission is “to attract an audience of travelers,” we might track website visits using organic page views. In this case, “organic page views” is one KPI, and we can see our number of page views grow over time.

These KPIs will come into the conversation again in step 4.

3. Identify your buyer personas.

A buyer persona is a description of who you want to attract. This can include age, sex, location, family size, and job title. Each buyer persona should directly reflect your business's current and potential customers. So, all business leaders must agree on your buyer personas.

buyer-persona-templates

Create your buyer personas with this free guide and set of buyer persona templates.

4. Describe your content initiatives and strategies.

Here's where you'll include the main points of your marketing and content strategy. Because there's a laundry list of content types and channels available to you today, you must choose wisely and explain how you'll use your content and channels in this section of your marketing plan.

When I write this section , I like to stipulate:

  • Which types of content I'll create. These might include blog posts, YouTube videos, infographics, and ebooks.
  • How much of it I'll create. I typically describe content volume in daily, weekly, monthly, or even quarterly intervals. It all depends on my workflow and the short-term goals for my content.
  • The goals (and KPIs) I'll use to track each type. KPIs can include organic traffic, social media traffic, email traffic, and referral traffic. Your goals should also include which pages you want to drive that traffic to, such as product pages, blog pages, or landing pages.
  • The channels on which I'll distribute my content. Popular channels include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram.
  • Any paid advertising that will take place on these channels.

Build out your marketing plan with this free template.

Fill out this form to access the template., 5. clearly define your plan's omissions..

A marketing plan explains the marketing team's focus. It also explains what the marketing team will not focus on.

If there are other aspects of your business that you aren't serving in this particular plan, include them in this section. These omissions help to justify your mission, buyer personas, KPIs, and content. You can’t please everyone in a single marketing campaign, and if your team isn't on the hook for something, you need to make it known.

In my experience, this section is particularly important for stakeholders to help them understand why certain decisions were made.

6. Define your marketing budget.

Whether it's freelance fees, sponsorships, or a new full-time marketing hire, use these costs to develop a marketing budget and outline each expense in this section of your marketing plan.

marketing-budget-templates

You can establish your marketing budget with this kit of 8 free marketing budget templates .

7. Identify your competition.

Part of marketing is knowing whom you're marketing against. Research the key players in your industry and consider profiling each one.

Keep in mind not every competitor will pose the same challenges to your business. For example, while one competitor might be ranking highly on search engines for keywords you want your website to rank for, another competitor might have a heavy footprint on a social network where you plan to launch an account.

competitive-analysis-templates

Easily track and analyze your competitors with this collection of ten free competitive analysis templates .

8. Outline your plan's contributors and their responsibilities.

With your marketing plan fully fleshed out, it's time to explain who’s doing what. I don't like to delve too deeply into my employees’ day-to-day projects, but I know which teams and team leaders are in charge of specific content types, channels, KPIs, and more.

Now that you know why you need to build an effective marketing plan, it’s time to get to work. Starting a plan from scratch can be overwhelming if you haven't done it before. That’s why there are many helpful resources that can support your first steps. We’ll share some of the best guides and templates that can help you build effective results-driven plans for your marketing strategies.

Ready to make your own marketing plan? Get started using this free template.

Depending on the company you work with, you might want to create various marketing plans. We compiled different samples to suit your needs:

1. Quarterly or Annual Marketing Plans

These plans highlight the strategies or campaigns you'll take on in a certain period.

marketing plan examples: forbes

Forbes published a marketing plan template that has amassed almost 4 million views. To help you sculpt a marketing roadmap with true vision, their template will teach you how to fill out the 15 key sections of a marketing plan, which are:

  • Executive Summary
  • Target Customers
  • Unique Selling Proposition
  • Pricing & Positioning Strategy
  • Distribution Plan
  • Your Offers
  • Marketing Materials
  • Promotions Strategy
  • Online Marketing Strategy
  • Conversion Strategy
  • Joint Ventures & Partnerships
  • Referral Strategy
  • Strategy for Increasing Transaction Prices
  • Retention Strategy
  • Financial Projections

If you're truly lost on where to start with a marketing plan, I highly recommend using this guide to help you define your target audience, figure out how to reach them, and ensure that audience becomes loyal customers.

2. Social Media Marketing Plan

This type of plan highlights the channels, tactics, and campaigns you intend to accomplish specifically on social media. A specific subtype is a paid marketing plan, which highlights paid strategies, such as native advertising, PPC, or paid social media promotions.

Shane Snow's Marketing Plan for His Book Dream Team is a great example of a social media marketing plan:

Contently's content strategy waterfall.

When Shane Snow started promoting his new book, "Dream Team," he knew he had to leverage a data-driven content strategy framework. So, he chose his favorite one: the content strategy waterfall. The content strategy waterfall is defined by Economic Times as a model used to create a system with a linear and sequential approach.

Snow wrote a blog post about how the waterfall‘s content strategy helped him launch his new book successfully. After reading it, you can use his tactics to inform your own marketing plan. More specifically, you’ll learn how he:

  • Applied his business objectives to decide which marketing metrics to track.
  • Used his ultimate business goal of earning $200,000 in sales or 10,000 purchases to estimate the conversion rate of each stage of his funnel.
  • Created buyer personas to figure out which channels his audience would prefer to consume his content.
  • Used his average post view on each of his marketing channels to estimate how much content he had to create and how often he had to post on social media.
  • Calculated how much earned and paid media could cut down the amount of content he had to create and post.
  • Designed his process and workflow, built his team, and assigned members to tasks.
  • Analyzed content performance metrics to refine his overall content strategy.

I use Snow's marketing plan to think more creatively about my content promotion and distribution plan. I like that it's linear and builds on the step before it, creating an air-tight strategy that doesn't leave any details out.

→ Free Download: Social Media Calendar Template [Access Now]

3. Content Marketing Plan

This plan could highlight different strategies, tactics, and campaigns in which you'll use content to promote your business or product.

HubSpot's Comprehensive Guide for Content Marketing Strategy is a strong example of a content marketing plan:

marketing plan examples: hubspot content marketing plan

At HubSpot, we‘ve built our marketing team from two business school graduates working from a coffee table to a powerhouse of hundreds of employees. Along the way, we’ve learned countless lessons that shaped our current content marketing strategy. So, we decided to illustrate our insights in a blog post to teach marketers how to develop a successful content marketing strategy, regardless of their team's size.

Download Now: Free Content Marketing Planning Templates

In this comprehensive guide for modern marketers, you'll learn:

  • What exactly content marketing is.
  • Why your business needs a content marketing strategy.
  • Who should lead your content marketing efforts?
  • How to structure your content marketing team based on your company's size.
  • How to hire the right people for each role on your team.
  • What marketing tools and technology you'll need to succeed.
  • What type of content your team should create, and which employees should be responsible for creating them.
  • The importance of distributing your content through search engines, social media, email, and paid ads.
  • And finally, the recommended metrics each of your teams should measure and report to optimize your content marketing program.

This is a fantastic resource for content teams of any size — whether you're a team of one or 100. It includes how to hire and structure a content marketing team, what marketing tools you'll need, what type of content you should create, and even recommends what metrics to track for analyzing campaigns. If you're aiming to establish or boost your online presence, leveraging tools like HubSpot's drag-and-drop website builder can be extremely beneficial. It helps you create a captivating digital footprint that sets the foundation for your content marketing endeavors.

4. New Product Launch Marketing Plan

This will be a roadmap for the strategies and tactics you‘ll implement to promote a new product. And if you’re searching for an example, look no further than Chief Outsiders' Go-To-Market Plan for a New Product :

marketing plan examples: chief outsiders

After reading this plan, you'll learn how to:

  • Validate a product
  • Write strategic objectives
  • Identify your market
  • Compile a competitive landscape
  • Create a value proposition for a new product
  • Consider sales and service in your marketing plan

If you're looking for a marketing plan for a new product, the Chief Outsiders template is a great place to start. Marketing plans for a new product will be more specific because they target one product versus its entire marketing strategy.

5. Growth Marketing Plan

Growth marketing plans use experimentation and data to drive results, like we see in Venture Harbour’s Growth Marketing Plan Template :

marketing plan examples: venture harbour

Venture Harbour's growth marketing plan is a data-driven and experiment-led alternative to the more traditional marketing plan. Their template has five steps intended for refinement with every test-measure-learn cycle. The five steps are:

  • Experiments

Download Now: Free Growth Strategy Template

I recommend this plan if you want to experiment with different platforms and campaigns. Experimentation always feels risky and unfamiliar, but this plan creates a framework for accountability and strategy.

  • Louisville Tourism
  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  • Visit Oxnard
  • Safe Haven Family Shelter
  • Wright County Economic Development
  • The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County
  • Cabarrus County Convention and Visitors Bureau
  • Visit Billings

1. Louisville Tourism

Louisville Tourism Marketing Plan

It also divides its target market into growth and seed categories to allow for more focused strategies. For example, the plan recognizes Millennials in Chicago, Atlanta, and Nashville as the core of it's growth market, whereas people in Boston, Austin, and New York represent seed markets where potential growth opportunities exist. Then, the plan outlines objectives and tactics for reaching each market.

Why This Marketing Plan Works

  • The plan starts with a letter from the President & CEO of the company, who sets the stage for the plan by providing a high-level preview of the incoming developments for Louisville's tourism industry
  • The focus on Louisville as "Bourbon City" effectively leverages its unique cultural and culinary attributes to present a strong brand
  • Incorporates a variety of data points from Google Analytics, Arrivalist, and visitor profiles to to define their target audience with a data-informed approach

2. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

University Illinois

For example, students who become prospects as freshman and sophomore will receive emails that focus on getting the most out of high school and college prep classes. Once these students become juniors and seniors — thus entering the consideration stage — the emails will focus more on the college application process and other exploratory content.

  • The plan incorporates competitive analysis, evaluation surveys, and other research to determine the makeup of its target audience
  • The plan lists each marketing program (e.g., direct mail, social media, email etc.) and supplements it with examples on the next page
  • Each marketing program has its own objectives, tactics, and KPIs for measuring success

3. Visit Oxnard

This marketing plan by Visit Oxnard, a convention and visitors bureau, is packed with all the information one needs in a marketing plan: target markets, key performance indicators, selling points, personas, marketing tactics by channel, and much more.

It also articulates the organization’s strategic plans for the upcoming fiscal year, especially as it grapples with the aftereffects of the pandemic. Lastly, it has impeccable visual appeal, with color-coded sections and strong branding elements.

  • States clear and actionable goals for the coming year
  • Includes data and other research that shows how their team made their decisions
  • Outlines how the team will measure the success of their plan

4. Safe Haven Family Shelter

marketing plan examples: safe haven family shelter

This marketing plan by a nonprofit organization is an excellent example to follow if your plan will be presented to internal stakeholders at all levels of your organization. It includes SMART marketing goals , deadlines, action steps, long-term objectives, target audiences, core marketing messages , and metrics.

The plan is detailed, yet scannable. By the end of it, one can walk away with a strong understanding of the organization’s strategic direction for its upcoming marketing efforts.

  • Confirms ongoing marketing strategies and objectives while introducing new initiatives
  • Uses colors, fonts, and formatting to emphasize key parts of the plan
  • Closes with long-term goals, key themes, and other overarching topics to set the stage for the future

5. Wright County Economic Development

marketing plan examples: wright county

Wright County Economic Development’s plan drew our attention because of its simplicity, making it good inspiration for those who’d like to outline their plan in broad strokes without frills or filler.

It includes key information such as marketing partners, goals, initiatives, and costs. The sections are easy to scan and contain plenty of information for those who’d like to dig into the details. Most important, it includes a detailed breakdown of projected costs per marketing initiative — which is critical information to include for upper-level managers and other stakeholders.

  • Begins with a quick paragraph stating why the recommended changes are important
  • Uses clear graphics and bullet points to emphasize key points
  • Includes specific budget data to support decision-making

6. The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County

marketing plan examples: cultural council of palm beach county

This marketing plan presentation by a cultural council is a great example of how to effectively use data in your plan, address audiences who are new to the industry, and offer extensive detail into specific marketing strategies.

For instance, an entire slide is dedicated to the county’s cultural tourism trends, and at the beginning of the presentation, the organization explains what an arts and culture agency is in the first place.

That’s a critical piece of information to include for those who might not know. If you’re addressing audiences outside your industry, consider defining terms at the beginning, like this organization did.

  • Uses quality design and images to support the goals and priorities in the text
  • Separate pages for each big idea or new strategy
  • Includes sections for awards and accomplishments to show how the marketing plan supports wider business goals
  • Defines strategies and tactics for each channel for easy skimming

7. Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau

marketing plan examples: carrabus county

Cabarrus County’s convention and visitors bureau takes a slightly different approach with its marketing plan, formatting it like a magazine for stakeholders to flip through. It offers information on the county’s target audience, channels, goals, KPIs, and public relations strategies and initiatives.

We especially love that the plan includes contact information for the bureau’s staff members, so that it’s easy for stakeholders to contact the appropriate person for a specific query.

  • Uses infographics to expand on specific concepts, like how visitors benefit a community
  • Highlights the team members responsible for each initiative with a photo to emphasize accountability and community
  • Closes with an event calendar for transparency into key dates for events

8. Visit Billings

marketing plan examples: visit billings

Visit Billing’s comprehensive marketing plan is like Cabarrus County’s in that it follows a magazine format. With sections for each planned strategy, it offers a wealth of information and depth for internal stakeholders and potential investors.

We especially love its content strategy section, where it details the organization’s prior efforts and current objectives for each content platform.

At the end, it includes strategic goals and budgets — a good move to imitate if your primary audience would not need this information highlighted at the forefront.

  • Includes a section on the buyer journey, which offers clarity on the reasoning for marketing plan decisions
  • Design includes call-outs for special topics that could impact the marketing audience, such as safety concerns or "staycations"
  • Clear headings make it easy to scan this comprehensive report and make note of sections a reader may want to return to for more detail

What is a typical marketing plan?

In my experience, most marketing plans outline the following aspects of a business's marketing:

  • Target audience

Each marketing plan should include one or more goals, the path your team will take to meet those goals, and how you plan to measure success.

For example, if I were a tech startup that's launching a new mobile app, my marketing plan would include:

  • Target audience or buyer personas for the app
  • Outline of how app features meet audience needs
  • Competitive analysis
  • Goals for conversion funnel and user acquisition
  • Marketing strategies and tactics for user acquisition

Featured resource : Free Marketing Plan Template

What should a good marketing plan include?

A good marketing plan will create a clear roadmap for your unique marketing team. This means that the best marketing plan for your business will be distinct to your team and business needs.

That said, most marketing plans will include sections for one or more of the following:

  • Clear analysis of the target market
  • A detailed description of the product or service
  • Strategic marketing mix details (such as product, price, place, promotion)
  • Measurable goals with defined timelines

This can help you build the best marketing plan for your business.

A good marketing plan should also include a product or service's unique value proposition, a comprehensive marketing strategy including online and offline channels, and a defined budget.

Featured resource : Value Proposition Templates

What are the most important parts of a marketing plan?

When you‘re planning a road trip, you need a map to help define your route, step-by-step directions, and an estimate of the time it will take to get to your destination. It’s literally how you get there that matters.

Like a road map, a marketing plan is only useful if it helps you get to where you want to go. So, no one part is more than the other.

That said, you can use the list below to make sure that you've added or at least considered each of the following in your marketing plan:

  • Marketing goals
  • Executive summary
  • Target market analysis
  • Marketing strategies

What questions should I ask when making a marketing plan?

Questions are a useful tool for when you‘re stuck or want to make sure you’ve included important details.

Try using one or more of these questions as a starting point when you create your marketing plan:

  • Who is my target audience?
  • What are their needs, motivations, and pain points?
  • How does our product or service solve their problems?
  • How will I reach and engage them?
  • Who are my competitors? Are they direct or indirect competitors?
  • What are the unique selling points of my product or service?
  • What marketing channels are best for the brand?
  • What is our budget and timeline?
  • How will I measure the success of marketing efforts?

How much does a marketing plan cost?

Creating a marketing plan is mostly free. But the cost of executing a marketing plan will depend on your specific plan.

Marketing plan costs vary by business, industry, and plan scope. Whether your team handles marketing in-house or hires external consultants can also make a difference. Total costs can range from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands. This is why most marketing plans will include a budget.

Featured resource : Free Marketing Budget Templates

What is a marketing plan template?

A marketing plan template is a pre-designed structure or framework that helps you outline your marketing plan.

It offers a starting point that you can customize for your specific business needs and goals. For example, our template includes easy-to-edit sections for:

  • Business summary
  • Business initiatives
  • Target market
  • Market strategy
  • Marketing channels
  • Marketing technology

Let’s create a sample plan together, step by step.

Follow along with HubSpot's free Marketing Plan Template .

HubSpot Mktg plan cover

1. Create an overview or primary objective.

Our business mission is to provide [service, product, solution] to help [audience] reach their [financial, educational, business related] goals without compromising their [your audience’s valuable asset: free time, mental health, budget, etc.]. We want to improve our social media presence while nurturing our relationships with collaborators and clients.

For example, if I wanted to focus on social media growth, my KPIs might look like this:

We want to achieve a minimum of [followers] with an engagement rate of [X] on [social media platform].

The goal is to achieve an increase of [Y] on recurring clients and new meaningful connections outside the platform by the end of the year.

Use the following categories to create a target audience for your campaign.

  • Profession:
  • Background:
  • Pain points:
  • Social media platforms that they use:
  • Streaming platforms that they prefer:

For more useful strategies, consider creating a buyer persona in our Make My Persona tool .

Our content pillars will be: [X, Y, Z].

Content pillars should be based on topics your audience needs to know. If your ideal clients are female entrepreneurs, then your content pillars can be: marketing, being a woman in business, remote working, and productivity hacks for entrepreneurs.

Then, determine any omissions.

This marketing plan won’t be focusing on the following areas of improvement: [A, B, C].

5. Define your marketing budget.

Our marketing strategy will use a total of [Y] monthly. This will include anything from freelance collaborations to advertising.

6. Identify your competitors.

I like to work through the following questions to clearly indicate who my competitors are:

  • Which platforms do they use the most?
  • How does their branding differentiate?
  • How do they talk to their audiences?
  • What valuable assets do customers talk about? And if they are receiving any negative feedback, what is it about?

7. Outline your plan's contributors and their responsibilities.

Create responsible parties for each portion of the plan.

Marketing will manage the content plan, implementation, and community interaction to reach the KPIs.

  • Social media manager: [hours per week dedicated to the project, responsibilities, team communication requirements, expectations]
  • Content strategist: [hours per week dedicated to the project, responsibilities, team communication requirements, expectations]
  • Community manager: [hours per week dedicated to the project, responsibilities, team communication requirements, expectations]

Sales will follow the line of the marketing work while creating and implementing an outreach strategy.

  • Sales strategists: [hours per week dedicated to the project, responsibilities, team communication requirements, expectations]
  • Sales executives: [hours per week dedicated to the project, responsibilities, team communication requirements, expectations]

Customer Service will nurture clients’ relationships to ensure that they have what they want. [Hours per week dedicated to the project, responsibilities, team communication requirements, expectations].

Project Managers will track the progress and team communication during the project. [Hours per week dedicated to the project, responsibilities, team communication requirements, expectations].

Get started on your marketing plan.

These marketing plans serve as initial resources to get your content marketing plan started. But, to truly deliver what your audience wants and needs, you'll likely need to test some different ideas out, measure their success, and then refine your goals as you go.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in April 2019, but was updated for comprehensiveness. This article was written by a human, but our team uses AI in our editorial process. Check out our full disclosure t o learn more about how we use AI.

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  • A Complete Guide on Mastering Sales and Marketing Presentations
  • Strategic Planning and Templates

Utilizing Marketing Plan Presentations and PowerPoints

Aayush Jain

Aayush Jain

Structure of a marketing plan presentation.

advertising business plan template

Overview of Structuring Effective Marketing Plan Presentations

A well-structured marketing plan presentation is essential for conveying your strategic vision to stakeholders and ensuring your marketing objectives are clearly understood and actionable. The structure of your presentation can greatly influence the audience's perception and the ultimate success of the presented strategies. Typically, a robust and effective marketing plan presentation will includes an introduction to the marketing objectives, an analysis of the market environment and competitive landscape, strategy formulation, and the expected outcomes in terms of sales and ROI. It’s crucial that the structure facilitates a logical flow of information, guiding the audience through a coherent narrative that builds on each preceding point.

Historical and Conceptual Foundations of Marketing Plan Structures

The evolution of marketing plan presentations reflects broader changes in business strategies and audience expectations. Traditionally, marketing presentations were heavily text-oriented and linear, focusing on detailed descriptions of the marketing objective and plan elements. However, with advancements in digital presentation technologies and a greater emphasis on stakeholder engagement, the marketing campaign presentation and focus has shifted towards more dynamic, visually-driven presentations. Modern marketing plans are now often structured around key visuals and strategic insights that can be quickly grasped, making the information more accessible and engaging.

Real-World Applications and Case Studies

Effective marketing plan presentations are illustrated by real-world applications and contemporary case studies that demonstrate the practical implementation of the strategies discussed. For instance, a leading retail brand recently revamped its annual marketing plan and strategy presentation to focus on digital transformation strategies, which resulted in a significant uptick in online sales. This shift was presented through a series of before-and-after scenarios, highlighting key milestones and the strategic decisions that led to successful outcomes. Such examples not only enrich the presentation but also provide tangible evidence of how theoretical strategies are applied in practical scenarios.

Reference and Validation Through External Sources

The validity of the strategies discussed in marketing plan presentations is often reinforced by citing authoritative external sources. Data from market research firms, industry benchmarks, and academic studies can be used to back claims and provide a statistical basis for the strategies proposed. For example, incorporating data from a study published in the Journal of Marketing that links customer engagement strategies with revenue growth can offer a solid foundation for the strategic recommendations within the marketing budget presentation.

Tailoring the Presentation to Stakeholders

advertising business plan template

Understanding Your Audience's Needs and Expectations

Crafting a successful marketing plan presentation that resonates with various stakeholders requires a deep understanding of their specific needs and expectations. Each stakeholder group, whether they are company executives, marketing team members, potential investors, or partners, has unique concerns and objectives. For instance, while executives may be focused on ROI and market growth, technical teams might look for specifics on implementation. An effective marketing strategy presentation is thus customized to address these differing priorities, ensuring that the content is relevant and engaging for all attendees.

The Role of Background Information in Stakeholder Engagement

Providing the right background information is crucial in setting the stage for your presentation. This includes an overview of market conditions, competitor analysis, and historical performance data of similar marketing strategies. Such information helps stakeholders understand the context and rationale behind the proposed marketing plan. For example, showing trends in consumer behavior can explain shifts in the marketing mix and tactics, thereby aligning stakeholders with the strategic direction.

Illustrating with Stakeholder-Specific Examples and Case Studies

To further tailor the presentation, include examples and case studies that reflect the interests and industries of the stakeholders involved in business plan. For a tech product launch, you might showcase a case study of a successful digital marketing campaign from a similar industry. This not only demonstrates the potential effectiveness of the proposed marketing plan templates but also helps stakeholders visualize the practical application of the strategies in a context familiar to them.

Citing Sources to Build Trust with Stakeholders

Referencing credible sources and including relevant data points in your presentation can significantly enhance stakeholder trust and buy-in. Utilizing information from well-regarded industry reports, credible news outlets, and academic research adds a layer of authenticity and reliability to your presentation. For example, incorporating findings from a recent Forbes article on market trends or using statistical data from a Gartner report can provide a solid empirical foundation for the strategic decisions proposed in the marketing plan.

Visualizing Your Marketing Funnel

advertising business plan template

Introduction to Marketing Funnel Visualization

Visualizing the marketing funnel in your presentation is crucial for explaining how potential customers will be transformed into actual customers. This visualization helps stakeholders understand each stage of the customer journey, from awareness through consideration to the decision-making stage. Effective funnel visualizations not only outline the customer's path but also highlight the strategies and marketing tactics planned at each stage to enhance conversion rates. This approach ensures that all stakeholders can see where specific efforts will be focused and how they contribute to overall marketing goals.

Historical Perspectives and the Evolution of the Marketing Funnel

The concept of the marketing funnel has evolved significantly over the years, adapting to changes in consumer behavior and technological advancements. Historically, marketing funnels were quite straightforward, reflecting a linear progression toward a purchase. Today, they are more complex, acknowledging multiple touchpoints, social media platforms and the non-linear journey of modern consumers. Understanding this evolution is key to creating a presentation that reflects current marketing realities and effectively communicates the sophisticated strategies needed to navigate them.

Case Studies and Examples of Effective Funnel Visualization

To bring the concept of the marketing funnel to life, it is beneficial to include real-world examples and case studies in your presentation. For instance, a B2B company might illustrate how strategic content marketing at the awareness stage leads to increased engagement in the consideration phase, using analytics to show progression through the funnel. Similarly, a B2C retailer could demonstrate how targeted discounts and loyalty programs at the decision stage effectively increase conversions.

Leveraging Data and Sources to Support Funnel Strategies

Credible data and authoritative sources are essential for substantiating the strategies outlined in the marketing funnel visualization. Referencing industry studies or market research that support the effectiveness of various funnel stages can be very persuasive. For example, citing a recent study by the Digital Marketing Institute that quantifies the impact of personalized email marketing on conversion rates at the decision stage can provide a robust foundation for the strategies proposed.

Highlighting Key Milestones and Metrics

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Overview of Milestones and Metrics in Marketing Plans

Highlighting key milestones and metrics is pivotal in any marketing plan presentation, as these elements provide a roadmap and measurement framework for success. Milestones mark significant phases or achievements in the next product launch marketing plan or campaign, such as the completion of a major ad launch or reaching a subscriber target. Metrics, on the other hand, are quantifiable performance indicators that evaluate the effectiveness of specific marketing efforts, like click-through rates, conversion rates, or lead generation volumes. Presenting these clearly helps stakeholders gauge progress and understand how close the team is to achieving its overarching business goals together.

Historical and Analytical Background of Marketing Metrics

Understanding the development and significance of metrics in marketing can enhance the way these figures are perceived in presentations. Traditionally, marketing metrics focused primarily on output, such as sales volumes or market share. However, with the advent of digital marketing, the focus of marketing channels has shifted to more nuanced metrics like engagement rates, customer lifetime value, and social media sentiment. This shift underscores the need for a sophisticated approach to defining and monitoring metrics that truly reflect the strategic objectives of modern marketing efforts.

Real-World Examples of Milestone Achievements and Metric Analysis

Incorporating examples of how successful companies have used milestones and metrics can significantly enrich a marketing plan presentation. For instance, detailing how a tech startup set and achieved a milestone of 100,000 app downloads within the first quarter, coupled with executive summary and an analysis of the key metrics that contributed to this success, such as referral rates and average session time, can provide actionable insights. These examples serve not only as inspiration but also as a practical guide on how to structure and measure digital marketing plan successes.

Citing Key Studies and Reports on Metrics and Milestones

To establish credibility and validate the approaches discussed, it is important to cite key studies and reports that focus on marketing metrics and milestones. For example, referencing a recent report from HubSpot on the effectiveness of various digital marketing metrics or a Google Analytics case study on milestone tracking can provide the empirical evidence needed to support the strategic choices made in the presentation. These references help in building a strong case for the proposed digital marketing strategy and tactics.

Case Studies of Successful Campaigns

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Introduction to the Impact of Successful Marketing Campaigns

Examining case studies of successful marketing campaigns within a presentation can provide powerful insights and inspiration. These examples showcase practical applications of theoretical strategies and demonstrate what can be achieved with innovative thinking and effective execution. Highlighting these case studies effective marketing strategies in presentation helps underline the direct correlation between well-planned marketing strategies and tangible business success, providing a persuasive argument for the proposed marketing plans.

Background on Notable Marketing Campaigns

Delving into the background of successful marketing campaigns reveals the strategic thinking and meticulous planning involved. For instance, the "Share a Coke" campaign by Coca-Cola transformed a simple idea into a global marketing phenomenon through personalized branding. Analyzing such campaigns provides a deeper understanding of how integrating creativity with market analysis and data can lead to outstanding outcomes. It also shows how historical shifts in consumer behavior can be leveraged to enhance campaign effectiveness.

Real-World Examples That Illustrate Success

Real-world examples serve as compelling evidence of how diverse strategies can lead to success in various contexts. For example, Nike’s "Just Do It" campaign effectively used celebrity endorsements and motivational messages to resonate with a global audience, significantly boosting sales. Another example is Dove’s "Real Beauty" campaign, which used genuine customer testimonials to tackle body image issues, creating widespread positive social impact and enhancing brand loyalty. These examples not only inspire but also provide a framework for what elements can make a marketing campaign resonate with its own target market or audience.

Citing Studies and Metrics That Validate Campaign Effectiveness

Supporting the marketing success of stories with data and studies from credible sources adds another layer of reliability to the presentation. For instance, citing Nielsen ratings or a case study from the Harvard Business Review that quantifies the impact of these campaigns on brand recognition and sales can be invaluable. These statistics show not just why these campaigns worked, but how they can be replicated or adapted in different market conditions or for different products.

Forecasting Sales and ROI

Introduction to Forecasting in Marketing

Forecasting sales and ROI is an integral part of a marketing plan presentation. It involves projecting future results based on current and historical data, providing a basis for decision-making and strategy adjustment. Effective forecasting helps marketers set realistic expectations and allocate resources efficiently. It also serves as a critical indicator for measuring the potential success of marketing strategies, influencing stakeholder confidence and investment decisions.

The Evolution and Importance of Sales Forecasting

Sales forecasting has evolved from simple estimations based on past sales to complex models that incorporate multiple variables like market trends, consumer behavior, and economic conditions. Understanding these factors and their impact on sales projections is crucial. This not only provides a solid foundation for the forecasting process but also enhances its accuracy and relevance. The ability to accurately forecast sales and ROI is a key skill in a marketer's arsenal, enabling proactive management of both expectations and performance.

Case Studies Highlighting Effective Forecasting Techniques

Discussing case studies where effective forecasting techniques were employed can be highly instructive. For instance, a consumer electronics company may use seasonal trend analysis combined with new product launch data to predict sales spikes and manage inventory accordingly. Similarly, a service-oriented business might integrate customer satisfaction metrics into their forecasting models to predict renewals and future income. These real-world examples illustrate the practical application of forecasting methods and their direct impact on business operations.

Referencing Authoritative Sources on Forecasting Methodologies

To underscore the validity of the forecasting techniques discussed, it’s beneficial to cite authoritative sources. References to studies published by economic research institutes or analytics firms like Gartner can lend credibility to the methodologies employed. Additionally, incorporating industry benchmarks and normative data can provide a comparative basis that further substantiates the forecasts. For example, referencing a study that demonstrates the accuracy of machine learning in sales forecasting could be a compelling addition to the presentation.

Utilizing Templates for Efficiency

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Overview of the Benefits of Using Templates in Marketing Plan Presentations

Using templates in marketing plan presentations can dramatically increase efficiency and consistency across your marketing efforts. Templates provide a structured framework that teams can repeatedly use, ensuring that each marketing plan presentation template used maintains a high standard of professionalism and brand alignment. Moreover, templates can speed up the preparation process, allowing marketers to focus more on content customization and less on design details.

Historical Context and Advancements in Template Use

The use of templates in marketing and business presentations has evolved significantly with the advancement of digital tools. Historically, templates were simple and often limited to basic outlines. However, today's templates are sophisticated and can be integrated with advanced presentation software, providing dynamic functionalities such as automatic data updates, customizable design elements, and interactive components. This evolution has made templates an indispensable tool in the arsenal of modern marketers.

Real-World Examples Demonstrating Template Efficiency

Highlighting real-world examples where templates have streamlined workflow and improved outcomes can vividly illustrate their benefits. For example, a marketing agency might use a standardized template for all client presentations, which not only speeds up the creation process but also ensures consistency in how the agency’s brand is presented. Another instance could be a corporation that utilizes templates to quickly update stakeholders about quarterly marketing results, enabling timely and clear communication.

Citing Studies and Sources on the Effectiveness of Templates

To substantiate the discussion on templates, referencing studies and expert opinions can be highly effective. Including findings from research on how templates can reduce preparation time and errors in data presentation provides empirical support for marketing ideas. For example, citing a study from the American Marketing Association that highlights the efficiency gains from using standardized templates in marketing operations can add a layer of credibility and encourage the adoption of this practice.

Enhancing Clarity with Infographics

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The Role of Infographics in Marketing Presentations

Infographics are powerful tools for enhancing clarity in marketing plan presentations. They allow complex data and statistics to be distilled into clear, visual formats that are easily understandable at a glance. The use of infographics can make the difference between a forgettable presentation and one that captures and retains the audience’s attention. Effective infographics translate complex marketing strategies, consumer data, and key performance indicators and metrics into compelling visual narratives that engage stakeholders.

Development and Impact of Visual Data Representation

The evolution of infographics has paralleled advances in data visualization technology and graphic design. Historically, data was presented in dense, text-heavy formats that could be difficult to interpret. Today, infographics incorporate vibrant colors, dynamic shapes, and interactive elements that help to convey information more effectively. The impact of these visual tools is significant—they not only improve comprehension rates but also enhance the persuasiveness of the presented data.

Examples of Effective Infographics in Marketing

Highlighting specific instances where infographics have been successfully utilized can showcase their practical benefits. For example, a digital marketing agency might use an infographic to depict the success rates of different, social media marketing campaigns, comparing metrics like engagement, reach, and conversion. Another instance could be a company illustrating its annual growth in various markets with an infographic that summarizes key data points over several years, making it easier for stakeholders to see trends and patterns at a glance.

Citing Research on the Effectiveness of Visual Aids

Backing up the advantages of using infographics with research adds an authoritative layer to their endorsement. Studies from visual cognition fields show that information presented visually is not only absorbed faster but also remembered longer than text-based data. Referencing such studies, for example from a notable psychology journal or a well-known data visualization expert, can help validate the inclusion of infographics in marketing presentations as both a strategic and effective choice.

Presentation Tips for Virtual Meetings

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Understanding the Dynamics of Virtual Presentations

Presenting a marketing plan in a virtual meeting presents unique challenges and opportunities. Unlike face-to-face meetings, virtual presentations require a heightened focus on engaging and holding the attention of participants who may be easily distracted by their environment. Effective virtual presentations leverage technology to deliver content in a manner that is both captivating and informative, ensuring that key messages are communicated clearly and memorably.

The Evolution of Presentation Techniques in Virtual Settings

The shift to virtual meetings has accelerated the development of new presentation techniques tailored to digital environments. Historically, presentations relied heavily on physical cues and interactions. Today, virtual presentations must compensate for the lack of physical presence with enhanced visual aids, interactive elements, and concise content delivery. This evolution involves not only adapting content but also improving technical delivery through better software tools and connection stability.

Real-World Examples of Successful Virtual Presentations

Providing examples of successful virtual presentations can illustrate best practices and effective strategies. For instance, a company may share a case study of a virtual launch event that used integrated polls and Q&A sessions to engage the audience actively. Another example might involve a marketing team that optimized their presentation visuals and pacing to suit a virtual format, resulting in high engagement levels and positive stakeholder feedback.

Citing Studies and Guidelines for Virtual Presentation Success

To reinforce the effectiveness of these strategies, citing relevant studies and guidelines can be very helpful. Research on virtual communication, and marketing presentation examples such as studies showing the impact of visual complexity on viewer retention in webinars, can provide valuable insights. Additionally, guidelines from reputable sources on best practices for virtual presentations can offer actionable tips that presenters can apply to improve their performance in virtual settings.

Storing and Sharing Presentations Securely

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Importance of Secure Storage and Sharing in Marketing

In today's digital landscape, the secure storage and sharing of marketing presentations are critical to protecting sensitive company information and maintaining stakeholder trust. Effective security measures prevent unauthorized access and ensure that proprietary strategies and data are only accessible to intended audiences. This is particularly important in a world where data breaches can have significant financial and reputational consequences.

Evolution of Security Practices in Document Sharing

The evolution of security practices in document management and sharing has been driven by the increasing risks associated with digital information storage. Historically, presentations were shared physically or via simple digital files with minimal security. However, with the advancement of cloud technologies and sophisticated encryption methods, the standards for secure document sharing have significantly improved. Today, businesses can utilize advanced permissions, end-to-end encryption, and secure cloud services to protect their marketing presentations.

Case Studies Demonstrating Effective Security Measures

Illustrating this sub-topic with real-world examples can help underline the practical applications of robust security measures. For instance, a multinational corporation might share how implementing advanced DRM (Digital Rights Management) on their marketing materials helps control who views and edits their documents. Another example could involve a marketing agency that uses secure cloud-based platforms to share large files with clients, ensuring that sensitive campaign details remain confidential.

Referencing Authoritative Sources on Data Security

To bolster the credibility of the security measures discussed, referencing authoritative sources on data security is essential. Including insights from cybersecurity firms or citing studies from security conferences can provide a solid foundation for the recommendations made. For example, quoting a report by a renowned cybersecurity firm about the best practices for data protection in digital presentations can lend expert validation to the security strategies outlined.

What should be in a marketing plan presentation?

Answer: A marketing plan presentation should effectively communicate the strategic vision, key objectives, and detailed tactics of your company's marketing strategy and campaign. It typically includes an executive summary, analysis of the target market, marketing objectives, marketing strategies, a detailed overview of the marketing mix (product, price, place, promotion), budget breakdown, key performance indicators (KPIs) for measuring success, and timelines for implementation. The goal is to provide stakeholders with a clear and actionable outline of how marketing efforts will contribute to the company's overall business goals.

What are the 7 elements of a marketing plan?

The seven essential elements of a marketing plan include:

Business Summary: A brief overview of the company, including its name, location, and mission statement.

Business Initiatives: Specific projects or segments of the broader business strategy.

Target Market: A detailed description of the demographic and psychographic characteristics of the audience you intend to reach.

Market Strategy: The approach you will take to reach and appeal to your target market.

Budget: An outline of the marketing budget including all costs for social media marketing plan itself, promotions, marketing materials, and other expenses.

Marketing Channels: The platforms or methods you will use to communicate with your target audience, such as social media, email marketing, content marketing, etc.

Marketing Mix: A plan for the four Ps (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) that outlines how you will offer a product or service to the market.

How do you structure a marketing presentation?

Structuring a marketing presentation involves organizing information in a clear, logical, and persuasive manner. Begin with an introduction that sets the context and outlines what will be covered. Follow with a section on market analysis to establish the need for your product or service. Then, detail your marketing objectives and strategies, providing specifics on how you intend to achieve these goals. Include a segment on the marketing mix and budget, and conclude with a summary and call to action. Utilize visual aids such as charts, graphs, and images to enhance understanding and engagement.

What is a 5 point marketing plan?

A 5-point marketing plan simplifies the planning process for event marketing plan by focusing on five key aspects:

Defining the Target Market: Identifying and understanding the specific group of consumers you will target.

Establishing Clear Objectives: Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives.

Developing Strategies: Outlining the approaches you will take to achieve your objectives.

Allocating Resources: Determining the budget and other resources necessary to implement the strategies.

Measuring Success: Defining how you will measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts through KPIs and metrics.

How do you present a comprehensive marketing plan?

To present a marketing plan effectively, start by setting the context and explaining the importance of the various marketing plan outlines. Outline your research and the insights you've gathered about the market. Present your marketing objectives and strategies clearly and concisely. Use visuals like slides, charts, and graphs to make data easier to understand. Be prepared to discuss how the plan aligns with overall business goals, and be ready to answer questions and provide additional details as needed. Ensure your presentation style is engaging, and consider your audience's knowledge level and interests to make the content relevant and compelling.

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The Future of Talk Tracks in Presentations

Emerging Trends in Communication Introduction to Emerging Trends in Communication As we navigate through the digital age, the landscape of communication continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace. Emerging trends in communication technology are reshaping how we connect, interact, and share information across various platforms and environments. These technology trends

Handling QA Sessions with Effective Talk Tracks

Q&A sessions, an essential element of many events, serve as a dynamic platform where speakers can engage directly with the audience. They allow for a lively exchange of ideas and are critical in enhancing understanding and deepening discussions on the presented topics. Effective management of Q&A

The Role of Non-Verbal Communication in Talk Tracks

The Basics of Body Language Understanding the Silent Language Body language, a pivotal form of non-verbal communication, conveys much about our intentions and true feelings without the need for words. This aspect of communication includes various nonverbal signals like facial expressions, body posture, and gestures. Understanding body language is essential

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How to Write a Property Management Business Plan (Free Template)

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If you’re looking to start a property management business, you’ve come to the right place. The success of property management companies—or any companies, for that matter—absolutely depends on first creating a well-researched and thorough business plan .

Luckily, this guide aims to help you do just that. First, we’ll explain what a property management business plan encompasses, why you need one, and tips for going about it the right way. Then, we’ll walk you through the recommended business plan outline step-by-step and share details of what to include in each section.

Finally, we’ll send you off with a free template you can download and update with your business’s own information. Creating a business plan was never so easy!

Let’s dive in.

Don’t see the form to download our free property management business plan template? Click here .

What is a property management business plan?

A property management business plan is a document that summarizes your property management business: its current operations, goals for the future, strategies for achieving those goals, and other supporting details.

While you’ll want to create your business plan before launching your businesses, it’s not a one-and-done document. Instead, you should update it yearly and after major company and industry changes.

Why do you need a property management company business plan?

Whether you’re looking to start a new property management company or grow your existing one, you’re probably eager to get started. But while it can feel productive to hit the ground running, a business plan is crucial to drive your strategy and decision-making . It will serve as a roadmap you can refer back to as you get started and grow your business.

Moreover, business plans are also crucial as tools to help sell your property management agency to potential partners, investors, and banks . There’s no point in asking for their support if you can’t show you know what you’re doing, and business plans are one of the best ways to do that.

Finally, beyond mere financial gains, a thorough property management business plan enables you to measure your success accurately and pinpoint areas for improvement . It empowers you to zero in on critical indicators like your budget, local market insights, and expansion opportunities.

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How do you write a property management business plan?

Do your research first.

It’s easy to spot the differences between a well-researched business plan and one that was written haphazardly. And those differences will be just as easy to mark in the results your business sees once it’s up and running.

Tailor it to your type of property management business

Chances are, you’re going to start your business plan from a standard template. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s recommended, and we provide a free property management business plan template at the end of this article, if you’re still looking for one.

However, as you fill in your information, be sure to tailor your plan to your specific business. For example, what type of properties does your business manage? Common types of property management include:

  • Residential rental property management , including both single-family and multifamily residences
  • HOA property management , which typically involves working directly with homeowners’ associations
  • Commercial property management , including office, retail, and industrial buildings
  • Vacation rental property management , involving managing vacation rentals such as Airbnbs for their owners

Remember your goals

You might wonder whether you really need to include this much detail in your business plan, but remember what you’re hoping to achieve. And we don’t just mean a successful property management agency, but the specific things you’ll use your business plan for.

For example, if you’re hoping to find a partner for your business, your prospects will certainly appreciate a high level of detail in your operations plan. Similarly, potential investors will want to see solid financials.

Use a property management business plan template

Finally, don’t make it harder for yourself than you have to! You’re already going to have to do a significant amount of research, calculations, and brainstorming. Make it easier for yourself by starting with a template you can input specifics to, like the one pictured below:

Free property management business plan template

Don’t have a template already? Scroll to the bottom of the article to download ours!

What is the outline of a property management plan?

Business plans, whether for property management or other industries, tend to follow this standard format:

Executive summary

Company overview, market analysis, marketing plan, operations plan, management team, financial plan, growth opportunities.

Keep reading for more information on what to include in each section. Or scroll to the bottom of the page to download our business plan template for property management and get started.

What to include in a business plan for property management

Your business plan should begin with an executive summary. This section serves as an introduction to both your business plan and your business , and should include information such as:

  • The type of property management you plan to do
  • How far along your business is
  • Your target market
  • Your strategy for achieving these goals

Depending on how thorough you want to be, you could even include a brief overview of every section of your business plan. Your goal should be to give a snapshot of your business that compels your readers—whether they be potential partners, investors, or banks—to finish reading your plan.

Pro tip: Because your executive summary needs to sum up your overall business plan, it’s often easiest to write it last. That way, you’ll have all the details ironed out and won’t forget to include anything.

In this section, you’ll give an overview and analysis of your property management company itself.

To start, explain how your company got started and which of the property management niches we explained above you fit into. You’ll also want to share your legal business structure (for example, sole proprietorship, LLC, C corporation, or S corporation).

The majority of this section, however, should be devoted to your competitive differentiators. What core competencies are you bringing to the market?

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A market analysis isn’t only an important addition to your business plan. It’s also absolutely essential that you understand your market inside and out before you even consider launching a property management agency.

To be as thorough as possible, make sure that your market analysis includes specific analyses of your industry, target customers, and competitors.

Industry analysis

Provide an overview of your specific niche of the property management industry. Include as much detail as you can to help you become an expert in your industry, such as:

  • Market size (in dollars)
  • History of the industry
  • Prospected growth

Customer analysis

Who are your target customers? Start with your property management niche, and then get even more specific:

  • Residential rental property management → Will you target single-family or multifamily residences? Apartment buildings or individual homes? Affordable housing or high-end residences?
  • HOA property management → Do you have specific HOAs in mind?
  • Commercial property management → Will you manage office, retail, or industrial buildings?
  • Vacation rental property management → Do you want to work with a specific type of vacation rental property or owner?

Be sure to include your target customers’ specific needs, goals, and any other information you can find to build a robust profile. The more detailed you can be, the easier it will be to target them with your services!

Competitive analysis

This is where you analyze your competitors, both direct and indirect:

  • Your direct competitors include other property management companies in the same niche as you. These companies will likely be located nearby as well.
  • Your indirect competitors include other options your customers have outside of property management agencies. This might include property owners who decide to manage their properties themselves, in-house managers, and even automated tools that claim to take the place of property managers.

After identifying the competition, you’ll want to provide additional information about your direct competitors. Who are their target customers? What services do they offer, and how much do they charge?

advertising business plan template

Gather as much information as you can, and then perform a SWOT (strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats) analysis to identify potential competitive advantages. Your goal is to determine how you’ll outperform your competitors—whether via superior or additional services, lower prices, greater efficiency, or something else.

Remember: If you can’t identify any clear competitive advantages, your customers won’t be able to, either.

So, you have superior property management services at competitive rates. But how do you plan on getting in front of your target customers?

This is where your marketing plan comes in. Think about what marketing channels you’ll use, prioritizing those which will best reach your target customers. Consider both online and offline marketing, including the following options:

  • Business cards
  • Advertising in local newspapers and relevant magazines
  • SEO marketing
  • Email marketing
  • Social media marketing
  • Paid advertising

Creating your business plan has forced you to set some specific goals. How do you plan on meeting them?

This is exactly what your operations plan sets out to cover, with details on both short- and long-term processes.

advertising business plan template

Your short-term processes will include everything involved in the day-to-day running of your property management business . Again, these tasks will vary drastically depending on your property management niche. However, the following questions are a good starting point:

  • Who will be in charge of running the business?
  • Do you need to hire any additional staff? If so, how many people and for which roles?
  • How will you structure your team?
  • What are your service standards?
  • Which manuals will you need to develop?
  • What property management software will you use?

Once you’ve defined your daily operations, take a step back and think long-term. At any point in your business’s trajectory, do you plan to:

  • Hire additional employees?
  • Reach a certain sales figure?
  • Grow your portfolio?
  • Expand to a new location?

Having these long-term goals documented will not only show potential partners and investors that you’re thinking about the future. It will also give you something to refer back to in order to measure your progress.

Your property management business will only be as strong as the team leading it. So, once you’ve assembled the dream team, you’ll want to highlight its strengths in your business plan, paying specific attention to each member’s background, skills, and relevant experience.

If no one on your management team has property management or real estate experience, or your team is lacking in any way, it might be worthwhile to put together an advisory board. This board consists of a handful of mentors who have the experience necessary to guide your business in the right direction (and reassure any potential investors).

And now for everyone’s favorite part: the financial plan.

Specifically, your financial plan should consist of a five-year financial statement. The first year of your financial statement should include monthly and quarterly projections, with the remaining years including annual figures.

advertising business plan template

What goes in a financial statement? Let’s break it down:

  • Profit and loss statement: Also referred to as an income statement, a profit and loss statement subtracts your costs from your revenue to find your profit. As you can imagine, you’re going to be making a lot of calculated assumptions at this point. Try to be as accurate as possible when predicting your costs and revenue. Otherwise, your profit and loss statement won’t paint a very accurate picture.
  • Balance sheet: A balance sheet details your business’s assets (what you own) and liabilities (what you owe) in order to provide a snapshot of its finances. Your assets might include office space or software solutions, whereas liabilities would include any loans you’ve taken out to start your business.
  • Cash flow statement: A cash flow statement shows how changes in your income and balance sheet affect your cash flow—and your ability to operate in the short- and long-term. Its goal is to show how much money you need to run your business so that you don’t run out of cash.

If you’re just getting started, it may feel too soon to consider growth opportunities. But thinking about your business’s long-term goals and plans is essential to set yourself up for success. After all, you don’t only want to succeed now. You want to make sure you have what’s necessary to succeed for years to come.

On that note, analyze the property management and real estate market in your area to identify growth opportunities for your business over the next five to 10 years, such as:

  • Upgrades to your tech stack
  • Strategic partnerships
  • Expansion plans
  • Opportunities to take advantage of new market trends

If you have any supporting documentation that could strengthen your business plan, such as buyer personas for your target customers or more complete financial projections, feel free to attach them in the appendix. That way, the additional information is there for anyone who wants to see it, but it doesn’t clutter up your business plan.

Property management business plan example

Curious about what a business plan for property management looks like? We’re including a property management business plan sample (the company overview, specifically) below to give you an idea:

Property management business plan example

Want a customizable version? Scroll to the bottom of the article to download our free template!

Download our free property management business plan template

Ready to get started? We’re here to help!

Download our free template below and simply fill in your own information. Our straightforward guide includes all the details you need to cover before starting your new business.

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Butcher Shop Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

butcher shop business plan

Butcher Shop Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their butcher shops. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a butcher shop business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is a Butcher Shop Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your butcher shop as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Butcher Shop

If you’re looking to start a butcher shop, or grow your existing butcher business, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your butcher shop in order to improve your chances of success. Your business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Butcher shops

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a butcher shop are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, you will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Personal savings and bank loans are the most common funding paths for social media marketing businesses.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

How to write a business plan for a butcher shop.

Below we detail what should be included with each section of your business plan for a butcher shop.

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of meat shop you are operating and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a butcher shop that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of independent butcher shops?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the meat industry. Discuss the type of butcher shop you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target market. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.  

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of butcher shop you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types of butcher businesses:

  • Deli Butcher Shop : this type of meat shop specializes in cutting deli meats in small quantities for single or family size servings.
  • Specialty Butcher Shop: this type of meat shop focuses on cutting specific meats such as wild game animals; their clients are usually hunters or fishermen.
  • Abattoir Butcher: this type of meat shop specializes in cutting meats in wholesale sizes at abattoir/slaughterhouse.

In addition to explaining the type of butcher business you will operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to question such as:

  • When and why did you start the business?
  • What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of customers served, number of positive reviews, total weight of fresh meat cuts, etc.
  • Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the meat industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the meat industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy, particularly if your research identifies market trends.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your meat shop business plan:

  • How big is the meat and poultry industry (in dollars)?
  • Is the market declining or increasing?
  • Who are the key competitors in the market?
  • Who are the key suppliers in the market?
  • What trends are affecting the industry?
  • What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
  • What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your butcher shop? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: individuals, families, deli shops, grocery stores, restaurants and fast food suppliers.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of business you operate. Clearly, a family would respond to different marketing promotions than fast food supplier, for example.

Try to break out your target market in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve. Because most butcher shops primarily serve customers living in their same city or town, such demographic information is easy to find on government websites.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other butcher shops.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t direct competitors. This includes delis, supermarkets and grocery stores.

With regards to direct competition, you want to describe the other butcher shops with which you compete. Most likely, your direct competitors will be house flippers located very close to your location.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

  • What types of customers do they serve?
  • What types of meats do they specialize in?
  • What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
  • What are they good at?
  • What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

  • Will you provide a wider variety of meat options?
  • Will you provide special discounts or perks for new or returning customers?
  • Will you provide the highest quality meat?
  • Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.  

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. Your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of meat shop that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific meat products you will be offering. For example, will other food options such as side dishes?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of your marketing plan, you are presenting the services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the location of your business. Document your location and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, is your business located in a busy retail district, or a highly trafficked area? Discuss how your location might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions: The final part of your marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

  • Advertising in local papers and magazines
  • Reaching out to local websites
  • Social media marketing
  • Local radio advertising

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your meat shop business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your butcher shop, including cutting meats, tracking inventory, and completing orders and sales for customers.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to have X number of customers, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your business to a new city.  

Management Team

To demonstrate your butcher shop’s ability to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally you and/or your team members have direct experience in food service management. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in overseeing supermarkets or grocery stores or successfully running their own business.  

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Income Statement : an income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenues and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you only cut meats in small portions or in large quantities for other businesses such as a supermarket? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets : Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your meat shop, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement : Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a meat shop:

  • Location build-out including design fees, construction, etc.
  • Cost of equipment and supplies
  • Payroll or salaries paid to staff
  • Business insurance
  • Taxes and permits
  • Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your office location lease or blueprints for your shop.  

Putting together your own business plan for your butcher shop is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will have an expert business plan (download it to PDF to show banks and investors). You will really understand the meat and poultry industry, your competition, and your customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful butcher shop.  

Butcher Shop Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my butcher shop business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily complete your Butcher Shop Business Plan.

What is the Goal of a Business Plan's Executive Summary?

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of butcher shop you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a butcher shop that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of butcher shops?

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your Butcher Shop business plan?

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Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

Business Plan Template

635th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment

635-й зенитно-ракетный полк

Military Unit: 86646

Activated 1953 in Stepanshchino, Moscow Oblast - initially as the 1945th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment for Special Use and from 1955 as the 635th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment for Special Use.

1953 to 1984 equipped with 60 S-25 (SA-1) launchers:

  • Launch area: 55 15 43N, 38 32 13E (US designation: Moscow SAM site E14-1)
  • Support area: 55 16 50N, 38 32 28E
  • Guidance area: 55 16 31N, 38 30 38E

1984 converted to the S-300PT (SA-10) with three independent battalions:

  • 1st independent Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion (Bessonovo, Moscow Oblast) - 55 09 34N, 38 22 26E
  • 2nd independent Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion and HQ (Stepanshchino, Moscow Oblast) - 55 15 31N, 38 32 23E
  • 3rd independent Anti-Aircraft Missile Battalion (Shcherbovo, Moscow Oblast) - 55 22 32N, 38 43 33E

Disbanded 1.5.98.

Subordination:

  • 1st Special Air Defence Corps , 1953 - 1.6.88
  • 86th Air Defence Division , 1.6.88 - 1.10.94
  • 86th Air Defence Brigade , 1.10.94 - 1.10.95
  • 86th Air Defence Division , 1.10.95 - 1.5.98

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    Main page; Contents; Current events; Random article; About Wikipedia; Contact us; Donate; Help; Learn to edit; Community portal; Recent changes; Upload file

  25. 635th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment

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