How to write a marketing plan

Once you have decided what your marketing objectives are, and your strategy for meeting them, you need to plan how you will make the strategy a reality.

Many businesses find it helpful to think in terms of the four Ps:

• Product - what your product offers that your customers value, and whether/how you should change your product to meet customer needs.
• Pricing - for example, you might aim simply to match the competition or charge a premium price for a quality product and service. You might have to choose either to make relatively few high-margin sales or sell more but with lower unit profits. Remember that some customers may seek a low price to meet their budgets, while others may view a low price as a sign of quality levels
• Place - how and where you sell. This may include using different distribution channels. For example, you might sell over the Internet or sell through retailers.
• Promotion - how you reach your customers and potential customers. 

Some examples of promotion include: 

• advertising: the basics
• public relations (PR)
• direct marketing: the basics 
• social media
• pay-per-click and paid search advertising
• email marketing
• telemarketing

For a more comprehensive approach, you can extend this to seven Ps:

• People - for example, you need to ensure that your employees have the right training.
• Processes - the right processes will ensure that you offer a consistent service that suits your customers.
• Physical evidence - the appearance of your employees and premises can affect how customers see your business. Even the quality of paperwork, such as invoices, makes a difference.