You have developed a brand strategy with your start-up or scale-up and thus an answer to how you want to position yourself in the minds of your customers in the future. But how can you spread your message in a targeted and continuous manner? Through your marketing, where a marketing plan will help you know how to proceed. In this article we will present our favorite method of creating a marketing plan.
A marketing plan does not have to be complex
When you think of a marketing plan, many people think of a multifaceted document described down to the smallest detail. But there is, we think, a much simpler method that leads to focusing on the essentials. But how should you proceed with your plan? First and foremost, you should always start with your brand strategy, which identifies what your brand stands for, who it is for, so that you can translate this foundation into your marketing strategy.
From marketing strategy to 12-month plan
Once you’ve created a brand strategy, you know how to communicate and to whom. You also have an answer to where your target customer group is located. Now you can use your subsequent marketing strategy to look specifically at how you can win over interested parties and increase awareness of your brand. The plan we are going to present you with, however, simplifies your planning. After the brand strategy, as we create it in our Brand Strategy Sprint, the simplified method brings together the marketing strategy and the marketing plan.
This is how the plan is structured
The marketing plan does not come from our forge, but from Allan Dib. In his book „The 1-Page Marketing Plan“ he describes how this can be created easily and reduced to the essentials. Moreover, you can download the template for free on his website here.
But what exactly is included in the plan and how is it structured? The Marketing Plan goes through 9 different phases, which are divided into 3 levels. The first level is the „Before“ level and is focused on how you will be visible and found by your customers. The first three phases in the level describe who your target customer group is, what the brand message is to them and where these people are.
The second level is the „During“ level, which is about lead generation. In this level, you define in the first phase how to acquire prospects and with what approach, in the second how to nurture them and build trust, and in the last phase how to win them as customers.
The last level is the „After“ level and focuses on your new and existing customers. The first phase describes how you can create a first-class experience for your customers, the second how you can stay in touch with them in the long run and the last how they can recommend you to others.
Through your previously created brand strategy, many phases will be easy for you to answer and you will get a clear structure where you direct your marketing. We have been using the plan very successfully for several years and always plan it ahead for the next 12 months. At the end of the year we see what works well and what doesn’t, so we can make adjustments.
Summary
You see, it doesn’t need a plan that feels like a book where no one can see through it afterwards. You can, however, elaborate the individual phases on another document. However, the 1-Page Marketing Plan will help you focus on the essentials. We would suggest that if you haven’t already done so, you download Allan Dib’s template here.
Need help with your planning?
Contact us and let’s have a meeting to see where you currently stand and what goals you want to achieve. We start with our Brand Strategy Sprint, which helps us to develop your marketing plan in such a way that you become visible with your brand, you win customers and turn them into loyal fans.
