Writing a Marketing Plan for Your Small Business

A Home Business Article Contributed by Elizabeth Fox-Wise

What Should a Small Business Marketing Plan Include?

If this is the first time you are completing a marketing plan for your small business, the plan process can seen a bit overwhelming. However, it can be broken down into pieces to make the chore easier to manage.

The depth and the extent of your small business marketing plan will depend on your resources and skills as well as the individual needs of your small business.

If your resources are limited, a broad marketing plan may be sufficient for your small business marketing needs. However, if your marketing plan needs to support the validity of your business or your marketing approach, then it may be necessary to include more details in your small business marketing plan.

There are Some Things That Every Small Business Marketing Plan Should Include

Irregardless of your resources and your small business needs, all effective marketing plans should include a few basic things.

There should be a summary at the beginning of your small business marketing plan. The traditional executive summary is often enough. Some small business marketing plans will also include a one page table. This is often helpful for others trying to follow your plan.

Your small business marketing plan should also explain, in detail, your reasoning behind choosing the objective(s) and strategies in your plan.

Your plan should also identify who your target market is and should include at least one positioning statements. A positioning statement must specify what customer needs your small business product or service are meeting, the benefits that your product or service offers, and features of your product or service that delivers those benefits to the customer.

Your small business marketing plan should also explain key issues and opportunities as you have identified them by market analysis.

It is also important that your marketing plan includes preliminary budgets and projected time frames for the plan to be implemented.

There are Other Things You Might Want to Include in Your Small Business Marketing Plan

Depending on your small business needs, you may also want to expand your plan to include additional details.

Your marketing plan could identify the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for your small business.

Your small business marketing plan could also identify your competitors strategies and your small business plan for competing with them.

Your plan could also include trends and future projections for your industry and how these fit into your small business marketing plan.

You may also want to provide details of the financial aspects. Include a break even analysis for your small business and for the marketing approaches included in your small business marketing plan.

Your plan could show how implementing this marketing plan will be profitable to your small business.

In conclusion, a marketing plan must be written determinant by the needs of the small business. If you need help developing a marketing plan, there are several online business mentoring programs where you can get assistance from those who have gone before you.