Marketing plan. Marketing Plan: Development Instructions and Detailed Example

Step 1. PAY ATTENTION!

When determining how to promote your products, there are four main factors to consider: the size of your target market, its features, the type of your product or service, and such an important detail as the size of the budget allocated for promotion.

Target market size. If the size of the target market is large enough (many target consumers) and / or they live far enough from each other, it is more appropriate to use advertising (mostly) to promote your product or service. If there are few consumers, and they are concentrated within the same area (city, region - depending on the scale of the business), which is most often the case in the business goods market, then personal sales can be successfully used.

Target market features. Learning about the characteristics of your customers can tell you the best way to connect with them.

For example, if it turns out that the majority of your dry cleaner's customers are residents of the neighborhood, the most logical way to promote it would be to send flyers to their addresses or advertise on cable TV.

Product type. To promote consumer goods, as a rule, advertising is used; personal selling is better for promoting complex and expensive products.

The size of the allocated budget. It is quite logical that the set of ways to promote your product should be determined in such a way as to make the most efficient use of the allocated funds. For example, it makes sense to consider the expediency of using expensive means of promotion - advertising on television and radio, only if there is enough big budget for promotion. If you think you can't allocate a lot of money for promotion, it is better to opt for more cost-effective ways to promote your products: press advertising, mail advertising, etc.

Consider the size and characteristics of the target market, the type of your product and the amount of budget you can allocate for promotion.

Step 2: SET GOALS

The goals of promotion can be divided into two main areas: stimulating demand and improving the image of the company (which, again, is ultimately done to increase sales). The demand for your product consists of three main parts:

The number of people who bought your product at least once (so-called initial market penetration);

Shares of those who buy your product again (percentage of repeat purchases);

The intensity of consumption (consumption ratio) of your product (i.e. how often consumers purchase your product on average).

In order to maximize the volume of demand in each of the listed areas, a model of the impact hierarchy was developed (See Fig.).

Rice. Hierarchy of impact and promotion goals

According to this model, each buyer, before purchasing your product, goes through six stages, from realizing the need for it to buying it. In the first two stages (comprehension - knowledge), the main goal of promotion is to provide information about your company or product. At the third and fourth stages (attitude - preference), it is necessary to form a positive attitude towards your company / product in the consumer. In the fifth and sixth stages (persuasion - purchase), you need to convince the consumer that your product better goods competitors and he should buy your product.

However, this customer-specific model is easy to implement only if you work with large customers, each of whom you know personally and can provide information to each in accordance with the stage at which he is. If you are selling your product to many small buyers, then there will be people at different stages of the buying decision who will need different information. However, the same model can be applied to the stages of bringing your product to market, starting from the assumption that at each stage your customers will be dominated by people who are at the same stages of this model.

1. The first stage (comprehension - knowledge). At the first stage, when you are just starting to sell your product (or introducing an old product to a new market - you start selling it in another region or another group of consumers), most people do not know anything about it and have never bought it, and your task is to form primary demand. To do this, you need to inform as many of your potential buyers as possible about your product, its features, and encourage them to make a trial purchase. In other words, you need to ensure that people know about your offer, i.e. The main goal of promotion at the first stage is INFORMATION.

Tell the market about your new products / services / offers;

Suggest new ways to use your products /

Explain the purpose of goods / services;

Tell your customers about price changes.

2. The second stage (attitude - preference). In the second stage, when most of your potential buyers already know about your product and have made a trial purchase, your main goal is to encourage them to buy your product again, i.e. make them regular customers. To do this, with the help of promotion, it is necessary to ensure that consumers have a positive attitude towards your product, and they begin to give it preference over competitors' products. In other words, the main goal of moving forward in the second stage is to CREATE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND PREFERENCE.

Main goals at this stage:

Ensure a good relationship with your company / brand / product / store;

Persuade customers to buy the product;

Convince your customers that your products are better than those of your competitors.

3. The third stage (persuasion - purchase). In the third stage, when you have already managed to attract a sufficient number of regular buyers of your product, in order to increase demand, you should ensure that your potential buyers purchase your products more often or in larger quantities. The main goal of the promotion is to STIMULATE MORE PURCHASES AND KEEP THE INTENTION of the buyers to continue to purchase your product.

Main goals at this stage:

Remind your customers of the existence of your company/products/services;

Remind your customers what products they can buy from you;

Remind your customers of the characteristics of your products.

Define promotional goals: Decide whether you will inform,

to convince or remind your customers about the product.

Step 3: IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

The target audience is the group of your real and potential buyers to whom you address your messages.

If your products are bought by several groups of consumers that differ greatly from each other, then you have several target audiences. For each of them, you need to develop your own informational message, focusing on the qualities that are most important to them in your product and the benefits that they want to get from buying it. In other words, we are talking about the different focus of competition for your client groups.

To determine your target audience, answer yourself the question: who uses (will use) your products or services? Find out what they already know about your product, what are the motives for purchasing it (this can be done by surveying your potential and / or actual consumers). If it turns out that when purchasing your goods, different consumers pay attention to different parameters of the product / service (for example, for pensioners important role the price of a haircut at your hairdresser plays a role, and young women are interested in the professionalism of hairdressers and the opportunity to get advice on choosing a hairstyle), divide them into groups and prepare a message for each group.

At the third stage, identify the target audience and determine what they already know about your company, product or service.

Step 4. DEFINE THE CONTENT OF THE MESSAGE The topic of your appeal should correspond to the goals of promotion, your product, service, company, and should be traced in all the activities you take to promote your product. The process of choosing a message subject consists of three steps:

Stage 1. "List of proposals". Make a list of everything you can offer the buyer;

Stage 2. "Motivational analysis". Imagine yourself in the place of a consumer of your product and answer the questions: why would I use (not use) this product, why is it better (worse) than other products, what characteristics of the product convince me to make a purchase, which ones make me doubt buying it. The result of this stage will be a list of the main motives leading to the purchase and preventing it.

Note that it is better to do such an analysis not only on the basis of your own conclusions, but also using the results of a survey of your consumers.

Stage 3. "Market Analysis". Compare the characteristics of your product with the characteristics of competitors' products and market requirements, and highlight the characteristics of your product that are important to your consumers and absent from competitors' products - formulate your unique selling proposition (USP).

After that, you can formulate the main theme of activities to promote your product based on the USP.

Determine what you want to communicate to your consumers.

Step 5. DEFINE THE FORM OF THE MESSAGE

In your message, not only its content is important, but also its form. Of course, each promotional medium has its own characteristics, but there are some general tips for the form of your message:

Speak simply: use everyday words and brief expressions, avoid professional expressions;

Speak interestingly: try to arouse curiosity, focus not on the product, but on the benefits that the buyer will receive with its acquisition;

Speak directly: do not overload the text with unnecessary words;

Speak affirmatively: replace negative

sentences with affirmative statements of a motivational nature;

be guided common sense: try to be convincing and understandable to the average person;

Be brief: small texts read more often because reading them is faster and easier;

Be truthful: false claims may initially attract buyers, but once convinced of the deception, they will no longer believe you;

Be original: express your thoughts in an original way, try not to repeat the messages of other companies in your messages;

Repeat the most important points: focusing on them, you make the consumer remember the main idea of ​​your promotion program. Arguments can be repeated in different ways, in different formulations;

Strive to attract and hold attention: break your text into paragraphs, blocks, add headings;

Avoid mentioning the names of competitors: firstly, comparative advertising is prohibited, and secondly, do not remind your consumers of them once again;

Pay attention to the last phrase: it is she who is remembered;

Address the message not to the void, but to the person: address your consumers;

Offer an action plan: give your customers clear instructions on what exactly they should do after reading this text (contact you for more information, make a purchase, etc.)

Decide what form your message should take.

Step 6. CALCULATE YOUR BUDGET

After you have determined why, to whom, what and how you want to communicate about your product or service, you need to determine how much money you can spend on it - what will be your promotion budget.

The promotion budget is the amount of funds allocated for all activities to promote your product.

To date, there are five main methods for setting a promotion budget, namely: the residual method, the increment method, the parity method, the share of sales method, and the target method.

remainder method. Under this method, the entrepreneur first allocates funds for all elements of marketing, and the balance goes to the promotion budget. This method is sometimes referred to as "whatever you can afford". It is the simplest, but also the weakest of all, but it is the one most often used by small, production-oriented companies. Disadvantages of this method: little attention paid to promotion, lack of connection of expenses with the set goals, the danger of a "zero" budget for promotion in case there are no funds left.

growth method. In case of use this method the company builds its promotion budget, focusing on the budgets of previous years, increasing or decreasing them by a certain percentage. The advantages of this method: the presence of a reference point, the ease of determining the budget, the use of past experience of the company. Disadvantages of the method: the size of the budget is determined largely intuitively and is rarely linked to goals.

Method of parity with competitors. The promotion budget in this case is determined on the basis of estimates of the budgets of competing firms. This method is used by both large and small companies. The advantages of this method: it provides a starting point, is market-oriented and quite conservative, sets clear limits on promotion costs. However, it is quite difficult to determine the costs of competitors for promotion. If there are significant differences between your firm, goods and services from firms, goods and services of competitors, this method is not applicable.

share of sales method. When using this method, a certain percentage of the income from the sale of goods is allocated for promotion. The advantages of this method: the relationship between sales and promotion, the use of a clear base, and, as a result, the simplicity of budgeting. Weaknesses of the method: promotion follows sales, and not vice versa; promotion costs are automatically reduced during periods of poor sales (when their increase can be beneficial). Therefore, when opening a company, releasing a new product, or during a losing streak, it is better not to use this method.

target method. When using this method, the company first determines what goals need to be achieved with the help of promotion, then formulates the tasks that need to be solved for this, and only then determines how much it will cost to complete these tasks. This amount is included in the promotion budget. This is the best of the five methods. Its advantages: a clear definition of goals, linking costs with the implementation of tasks, adaptability, the ability to relatively easily evaluate success or failure. Weak side- the complexity of calculating the budget using this method: you need to set goals and objectives, determine the means of promotion, the use of which will allow you to solve these problems, find out how much it will cost you to use these funds.

Calculate the budget you need to allocate for promotion.

Step 7: MAKE A PROGRAM

A promotion program is a set of promotional tools used by a firm (advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, and public relations).

In order not to experience disappointment, having implemented a promotion program that seems to have been developed according to all the rules, first draw up a work schedule, clearly defining who, what and when should be done. With such a plan in hand, you will drastically reduce the likelihood of running into a situation where a new product that has already been announced flyers residents of all nearby houses will appear at your place only in two weeks.

In addition, the work plan will help you not only implement the promotion program without any problems, but also evaluate the results of its implementation.

Determine which promotional tools will be most effective for promoting your product, and draw up a work schedule.

Step 8. DEFINE HOW TO EVALUATE RESULTS

The issue of measuring the effectiveness of promotion is quite complicated. On the one hand, without knowing how effective your promotion program is, you can neither improve it nor correct errors. From this point of view, the measurement of efficiency is simply necessary, it will fully pay off and bring undoubted benefits.

On the other hand, the methods used to measure performance (for example, measuring your market share before and after a promotion program) tend to be costly and time-consuming, and the cost of evaluating performance can be comparable to the amount spent on the promotion program itself.

Therefore, if your budget is limited, then use the simplest and cheapest methods for evaluating effectiveness. The easiest way, used almost everywhere, is to contact customers with the question “How did you hear about us?”. You can also compare the volume of sales of your products / services (let's say per week) before and after the release of advertising, sales promotion campaigns. Another way to evaluate the effectiveness of promotion is to conduct a simple telephone survey of consumers, which will allow you to find out how the attitude of buyers towards your company, product or service has changed.

So, to develop a program to promote your company, product or service, you need to:

Take into account the size of your target market, its features, features of your product or service, as well as the size of the budget allocated for promotion;

Set promotion goals;

Determine the target audience;

Select the subject of the message and determine its form;

Draw up a promotion program and work schedule;

Evaluate the results of the promotion program.

More on the topic PROMOTION PLAN:

1. The purpose and objectives of forecasting the company's activities. Business plan. Financial plan as part of a business plan
2. Factors influencing the formation of promotion programs
3. Factors influencing the formation of promotion programs

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Alexander Kaptsov

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The formation of a stable array of buyers, finding their niche in the market, suppressing competitors, building a plausible reputation - this is not a complete list of issues that entrepreneurs have to solve. Without a clear marketing plan, it is almost impossible to achieve stable demand for products, brand recognition, and a large number of loyal customers. How to properly compose this important document for any business?

Marketing plan of the company - what is it?

Under the company's marketing plan should be understood the details of all its actions that are focused on achieving its optimal position in the market. It does not affect the production and technological aspects of the functioning of the company and only affects the sale of products and profit.

Benefits of developing a marketing plan for a company:

• Firstly , determines which part of its funds will have to be spent on marketing activities.
• Secondly , to form a policy of promotion on the market of specific types of goods and services.
• Third , draw up a strategy and tactics for working with the target market, including the procedure for setting prices.
• Fourth , certain goods, sales proceeds and profits.

Important point: Since the marketing plan draws in detail all marketing activities and expected results, it is possible to trace the effectiveness of certain approaches in the company's activities in the market.

Types of the company's marketing plan and the purpose of their preparation

There are many criteria for classifying marketing plans, including:

1. Duration of validity - strategic (more than 3 years), tactical (up to 3 years), operational (up to 1 month).
2. Coverage - a plan for turnover, sales, promotional activities, market research or integrated (comprehensive plan).
3. Depth of study - detailed or general.
4. Field of activity - a plan of goals, pricing policy, product policy, marketing communications, control and revision, finance, warehousing, ordering, supply (logistics), etc.

A marketing plan is a very serious internal document, which is focused on achieving certain goals:

• Maintaining the company's position in the market.
• Development and implementation of a new product.
• Coverage of new niches and segments (diversification), etc.

Important point: In connection with such a wide range directions for using marketing plans, it seems necessary to draw up a separate document for each goal, since the methods and tools for each of the goals are different.

It should be remembered that a marketing plan is not an analogue of a business plan. It covers only the activities of the company in the market.

Structure and content of the company's marketing plan

The marketing plan is an internal document that is used to make decisions by the company's management. However, it has a fairly clear structure.

It can take several months to complete, as it requires:

1. Collecting information about buyers.
2. Studying supply and demand in the market.
3. Definitions of competitive advantages.
4. Competitive ratings, etc.

Important point: The marketing plan should not be just a "collection of facts", but a document containing analysis, recommendations, alternatives for the company's further work in the market.

All 3-4 months during which the marketing plan will be formed will be spent as follows: 50% of the time will be spent on collecting all the necessary information, 40% on analysis and evaluation, and only 10% on creating the document itself.

In order not to be mistaken in the formation of a marketing plan, it is advisable to focus on the following structure:

1. Resume . This section includes a description of the main points outlined in the marketing plan. Here the goal is necessarily prescribed and the ways to achieve it are listed. The expected results of the implementation of the plan are also prescribed.

Important point: Paradoxically, the first section of a marketing plan is always the last section because it is summary the entire marketing plan.

2. Market overview and forecast . This section describes the market (size, growth opportunities, trends, features) and shows the specific behavior of consumers and competing firms in it. Here it is important to indicate how many competitors are in the selected segment, what share they cover, and also what are the opportunities for market growth.

3. SWOT analysis and competitive advantages . This part analyzes the weak and strengths firm, threats and opportunities for its functioning.

Based on the results of the SWOT analysis, the marketer should determine:

• The main competitive advantage of the company.
• Positioning of the product in relation to consumers (preferably with a forecast for 3-5 years ahead).
• Tactical measures to seize opportunities and reduce the impact of threats.
• A strategy to fight competitors and increase customer loyalty.

4. Purpose and objectives of the marketing plan . The marketing plan should contribute to the development of the business, which is why it contains business goals within the chosen planning horizon (month, year, three years) and marketing goals for the same period of time. Only after that, the tasks of marketing activities are drawn up.

5. Marketing mix (marketing mix). The core of any marketing plan is the so-called marketing mix, which is based on the 5P model for goods and the 7P model for services.

Model 5R. Any marketing event is built on the basis of five components:

• Product (Product) or product policy – ​​logo and corporate identity, appearance And physical properties product range, product quality.
• Price (Price) or pricing policy - wholesale and retail price, the procedure for determining the cost of goods, discounts and promotions, price discrimination.
• Place of sale (Place) or marketing policy - the sale of goods in the markets, in stores, the basics of distribution, the display of goods, inventory management and logistics.
• Promotion (Promotional) or promotion policy - promotion strategy, promotional activities, PR activities, event marketing, communication channels, media strategy.
• People (People) – motivation and stimulation of staff, corporate culture, work with loyal customers and VIP clients, feedback.

Model 7P is supplemented by two more "P", namely:

• Process (Process) - the conditions of interaction with the client, the order of service, the creation of a favorable atmosphere, the speed of the service, etc.
• Physical environment (physical evidence) - furnishings, interior, background music, image, etc.

Thus, when developing a marketing plan, each of the above positions is worked out in detail, which makes it possible to form a comprehensive idea of ​​the company's functioning in the market.

6. Choice of company behavior in the market . This part of the marketing plan describes the specific actions of the company in the market to achieve the goal and solve the identified problems.

7. Activity budget . Includes a detailed list of costs for marketing activities, which can be presented in the form of a table.

8. Risk assessment . This part describes the risks that a company may face in the course of implementing a marketing plan.

The main stages of developing a marketing plan: an example of drafting

Obviously, a marketing plan is a complex and complex document, which is not easy to form. However, even a specialist with basic knowledge in the field of marketing can do it. Where should you start?

First of all, you should collect information about the market, the selected segment, competitors, consumers, and then implement the following sequence of actions:

• Stage 1 . Analysis of market trends. Identification of customer requirements for quality, price of goods, packaging design, communication channels.
• Stage 2 . Product analysis. Evaluation of quality, price, packaging design, communication channels for an existing product.
• Stage 3 . Target market selection. Determination of the category of consumers who are more suitable for the proposed product.
• Stage 4 . Positioning and competitive advantages. Establishing the position of the company's product in relation to competitors (average in quality, lower in price, etc.) and its beneficial aspects.
• Stage 5 . Creating a strategy. Formation of promotions and special offers for the target audience, the procedure for promoting the brand to the market, etc.
• Stage 6 . Tactical action plan. Actions to achieve the ideal position of the product in the market.

It is advisable to give a simplified example of creating a marketing plan for a company selling fresh juices through five specialized outlets located in different parts cities.

Stage 1. Analysis of market trends

1. Customers want to buy juices that are squeezed out of fruits and vegetables in their presence, sold in containers that are convenient for drinking (paper cups and plastic bottles).
2. Sale is carried out in places of rest and near large offices.
3. The price may be higher than the cost of draft carbonated drinks and coffee, but cheaper than fresh juices offered by cafes and restaurants in the city.

Stage 2. Product analysis

1. The company produces fruit juices in plastic bottles and on spill.
2. All five points of sale are located in places large cluster people, including near places of rest.
3. The price of juices is similar to the cost of fresh juices in cafes and restaurants of the city.

Stage 3. Selecting a target market

1. Taking into account the properties of the product and its price, the main target audience will be working representatives of the middle class who monitor their health.

Stage 4. Positioning and competitive advantages

1. The company will offer customers a product of excellent quality and high cost.
2. Natural ingredients, ease of drinking, proximity to the consumer are the main competitive advantages of the company.

Stage 5. Creating a strategy

1. Targeting an array of regular customers.
2. Retention of the audience in the cold season.

Stage 6. Tactical action plan

1. Formation of a cumulative system of points for customers and a system of seasonal discounts.
2. Proposal of the delivery of juices in plastic containers around the city.
3. Expansion of the assortment by selling diet cookies and bars.

The above blank should be considered as a kind of basis for drawing up a marketing plan. In fact, having such information in hand, the marketer can only distribute it into the appropriate sections.

Problems of effective application of the marketing plan of the organization

Many marketers ask a completely natural question: why do marketing plans drawn up according to all the rules do not work and do not bring the desired effect?

The fact is that often quite accurate and meaningful documents include such shortcomings as:

• Use of information from one source . When leaving a marketing plan, you should use information from industry surveys, expert opinions, statistical bulletins, customer surveys, competitor reports, etc.
• Overgeneralization . The document should operate with data, and not endlessly “pour water” and write speculative, unsupported assumptions.
• Lack of flexibility . Despite its detail, the marketing plan must be flexible so that any of its parameters can be adjusted when the market situation changes.
• Lack of connection with the company's strategy . If the overall strategy of the company defines the sale of goods to middle-aged people, and marketing activities are focused on teenagers and young people, the marketing plan will not bring the expected effect.
• Inconsistency . If the marketing plan first considers the means of advertising and only then analyzes the product and customers, then the goals will not be achieved.

Important point: The finished marketing plan should be re-examined for the above problems.

A well-designed marketing plan is half the company's success in the market. With its help, you can create a clear, structured, consistent picture of the company's position in the industry and in a separate segment. It allows you to create a list of effective tactical marketing activities that will help achieve the company's goals.

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A company's marketing plan is a blueprint that outlines its overall marketing strategy for the coming year. It must indicate for whom you are positioning your products, how you will sell it to the target category of buyers, what techniques you will use to attract new customers and increase sales. The purpose of a marketing plan is to outline in detail how to market your products and services to your target market.

Steps

Part 1

Consider the goals of your company. The purpose of a situational analysis is to understand the current marketing situation your company is in. Based on this understanding, you can think through and implement the necessary changes in the business. Start by addressing the company's mission and goals (if your company doesn't already have these, they need to be defined first) and see if your current marketing plan is helping you achieve those goals.

• For example, your company performs snow removal and other related winter views works. You have set yourself the goal of increasing revenue by 10% through the conclusion of new contracts. Do you have a marketing plan that describes how you can attract additional contracts? If a plan exists, is it effective?

1. Examine your current marketing strengths and weaknesses. How is your company currently attractive to customers? What makes competing companies attractive to customers? It is very likely that it is your strengths that attract buyers to you. Knowing your strengths gives you an important marketing advantage.

   Gather information about external opportunities and threats to your company. They will be external characteristics companies that depend on competition, fluctuations in market factors, as well as on customers and buyers. The goal is to identify various factors that can impact the business. This will then allow you to adjust your marketing plan accordingly.

   Appoint responsible persons. When preparing your marketing plan, you will need to assign individuals responsible for specific aspects of your company's market promotion. Think about which employees will be best able to perform specific functions of the marketing policy, and determine their responsibilities. You will also need to consider a system for assessing the success of these official duties.

   Announce your marketing goals. What do you want to achieve with your marketing plan? Do you see the end goal as expanding your customer base, informing existing customers about new services and quality improvements, expanding into other regions or demographics, or something entirely different? It is your goals that will form the basis for preparing the plan.

   Develop marketing strategies to achieve your goals. Once you have clearly defined your marketing goals and perspectives, you will need to consider specific actions to achieve them. There are many various types marketing strategies, but the most common ones are listed below.

   Approve the budget. You may have great ideas to promote your business and expand your customer base, but with a limited budget, you may need to partially rethink your strategy. The budget should be realistic and reflect how Current state business and its potential growth in the future.

Part 4

Start with an explanatory note. This section of the marketing plan should include basic information about your products or services, as well as a summary of the overall content of the entire document in one or two paragraphs of text. The priority preparation of an explanatory note will allow you to subsequently expand and describe in more detail certain points in the main text of the document.

• Know that the prepared marketing plan is extremely useful to give for familiarization both to the direct employees of your company and its consultants.

1. Describe the target market. The second section of the marketing plan will address the results of your research and describe the company's target market. Text must not be written difficult language, indicating simple key points will suffice. You can start by describing the demographics of your market (including the age, gender, location, and industry of your customers, if applicable), and then move on to identifying your customers' top preferences for your products or services.

2. List your goals. This section should not exceed one page of text. It must indicate the marketing goals of the company for the coming year. Remember that the goals you set must satisfy five qualities: be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.

   • When reviewing your marketing plan annually, be objective. If something is not working or someone in charge is not acting in the best interests of the company, you can openly discuss with the staff the existing problems and non-performance of duties. If things are going really badly, you may need to prepare a completely different marketing plan. It is in this situation that it is useful to hire an outside consultant to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the old marketing plan and restructure it in the right direction.

• Be sure to include in your marketing plan the needs and ideas for each department in your company (and even an employee, if appropriate). It is also very important that the marketing plan is linked and well integrated with the business plan and mission of the company, its public image and core values.
• Include in the marketing plan any tables, graphs, etc. that you needed to create during the collection process important information. In addition, it will be useful to include tables explaining its key provisions in the plan.

Warnings

• Revise the marketing plan at least once a year to check the success of the strategies used and to redo those parts of the plan that were unsuccessful.
• Many are critical important factors marketing plan are dynamic. If they change over time, the marketing plan needs to be revised.

Work in advertising agency implies a large number of various projects and subprojects that need to be prepared and implemented in a fairly short period of time. Another feature is that today you are preparing an advertising campaign for the store household appliances, tomorrow for a recreation center, the day after tomorrow you need to hand over a website for cosmetics, etc. (therefore, I know such terrible words as polycarbonate, and that greenhouses are built from it, that my whim is not a spoiled girl, but TM cosmetics, and that rest in the village. Resort on the seashore costs from 40 USD per day).

And despite the fact that all projects are different in nature, as a rule, they pursue the same global goals(increase in sales, increase awareness trademark, increasing customer loyalty, launching a new product on the market). In this article I will try to describe the process of creating a standard Internet promotion project, which later turns into Commercial offer, and ideally - in the work plan.

This scheme is used for almost all types of work, including for our own projects, and for creating or promoting client sites, and for any advertising campaign in general. So, let's start everything in order.

1. Finding out all the details of the task.

Those who worked directly with clients have probably come across a situation when a request comes in, such as: “How much does advertising cost for you?”, Or “I want a website, what is the cost and terms?”. This can apply to any other area: I want mobile phone, I want a car, I want to rent an apartment… It doesn’t matter what the client is interested in, often they don’t know what exactly they want. Moreover, they do not know what, in principle, can be there and what cannot be. And if, when creating a site, this can still be understood (technical aspects can be really complex and optional), then regarding the promotion of a product or service, the new ones are simply amazing.

Just the other day, a request came in to conduct an advertising campaign, where the budget was indicated with a run-up twice, there were no deadlines, and when I called to clarify the purpose of the advertising campaign, I realized that my question had stumped the customer's marketers. And really, what else could be the purpose? You just need to spend money on advertising! Alas, these are not scary tales, but the realities of modern business.

So, where does the preparation of a promotion project begin? From clarification of all aspects of the task. First of all, you must find out:
- goals and objectives of the advertising campaign;
- timing;
- the budget of the event;
– possible changes deviations (by budget, by deadlines);
– promotion region;
- description of the target audience.

In addition, ideally, it would be nice to get some information about previous advertising campaigns, their effectiveness, statistics, sources, etc. (but in practice this is extremely rare. If such information exists, then it is considered confidential. But in fact, usually it simply does not exist).

I want to note that the customer sends replies to the questions posed with reluctance, and most often it looks like a reply. But still, such data is necessary. Usually I send a letter with clarifying questions and call back with a request to answer as soon as possible (most often, such requests for promotions come with a note - answer as soon as possible, there is very little time left before the start of the advertising campaign).
This correspondence and clarification of all the nuances usually takes 1-2 days. And only now, when you know about everything, you can begin to proceed directly to your work on drawing up an advertising campaign plan.

2. Definition of advertising campaign tools.

The second step is to decide How exactly are we going to achieve our goals?. We know exactly what the customer wants, we have the experience and knowledge of our tools (speaking of the Internet, this is context, media, media context, portals, blogs, mailing lists, forums ...). If we are talking about offline, then these are Bigboards, TV, Radio, newspapers and magazines (both general and specialized), perhaps some kind of handout, etc. In any case, we know the pros and cons of each of them, the approximate cost and effectiveness for each task. Well, I will continue about Internet advertising, but I think everyone can translate this into their own direction.

So, in a particular case, we had the task of bringing a new product model to the market. We have decided to split the entire advertising campaign into four stages, each of which had its own term, its purpose and its tools:
- initial information about a new product;
- attracting interest;
– attraction to the primary purchase;
- consolidation in the market.

This approach is the most reasonable and logical, since each promotion tool has its own function. I write all this briefly on a piece of paper in order to receive overall structure advertising campaign. It turns out, albeit not very beautiful, but quite understandable (I still blurred out the names and numbers)

The next step is to determine the timing and budget for each of the stages, so far approximately and in general, by large categories. Now we have a general plan for all promotional activities, broken down by weeks and an approximate budget for each of the stages.

3. Budgeting for an advertising campaign.

So, now we know what and when to use. It remains to allocate the budget. in such a way that it corresponds to each specific instrument in each specific period of time. To do this, a table is built, where all the tools are recorded in stages. Then, in accordance with each goal, a budget is put down (you can immediately in money, you can as a percentage). Of course, it turns out in total something like 115% (or vice versa, 97%), so you have to recalculate several times and see what comes out. It looks something like this:

Well, when by common efforts you get a total of 100% (taking into account 2-3% reserve fund), we can assume that the backbone is already ready.

4. Calculation of the expected effect from the company.

Now that we have a budget for each specific promotion tool, we can easily calculate what effect should be expected. For example, we plan to spend on contextual advertising in Direct 100,000 rubles at the second stage, 150,000 at the third and 200,000 at the fourth.
At the same time, we keep in mind the peculiarities of the goals at each stage (and, therefore, keywords and ads will have their own weight and value). Knowing approximately the average cost of one click in a given topic (and if you don’t know, you can always look), we calculate the number of clicks. For example, in the second step average price will be 4.5 rubles, on the third - 7, on the fourth - 5 rubles.

As a result, we get that the number of clicks for the entire advertising campaign via Direct will be: 100,000/4.5+150,000/7+200,000/5=22,700+21,500+40,000=84,200 clicks.

If everything is more or less clear with transitions, then with sales it is much harder. The conversion of a visitor into a buyer depends on many factors. and can vary by orders of magnitude: from 0.05% to 5-7%. You can determine the conversion only by studying competitors, or having experience and data on working in this topic in the past (therefore, data on past promotions is simply necessary).

But still, it is necessary to make such a calculation. It is clear that the conversion at the third stage will be higher than at the second and fourth, because. advertising will be made specifically to sell... Etc.
In a similar way, calculations are made for each instrument at each stage, then a general final table (the form is free, for whom it is more convenient to display this data, and what goals are you pursuing in the first place).
Well, that's about all.

I want to note that sometimes the calculation is done from the opposite, i.e. specific sales are set as goals, and based on them, the budget for each instrument is determined. Alas, this approach does not always justify itself, mainly due to the approximate calculations (it is impossible to say exactly the conversion, CTR and cost of the transition). And it turns out that by making a mistake at the very beginning, as a result, we get huge discrepancies between the planned indicators and the real ones. But still, it should be recognized that sometimes this approach is more correct. It all depends on the specific situation. In this example, the main goal was not sales, so this approach was completely redundant.

5. Making an action plan.

On last step all these pieces of paper, notes and stickers should be organized and a normal, readable document should be prepared, according to which absolutely all aspects can be understood. The degree of registration depends on who the document is directed to. and who will work with him in the future (this may be a commercial offer of another campaign, and therefore everything should be painted as much as possible, or it will be your boss who can clarify something, or just you). In any case, you should not leave everything at this level. Now, when you have just finished working on the project plan, it seems to you that everything is obvious here, and no additional explanations are needed - these drafts are enough for you. But believe me, after 2-3 days, marginal notes will cause you confusion ... Of course, if this is an internal document that only you will work with, the design may be minimal, but it should still be. Written by hand, or typed in Word / Excel is already your own business, but it should be a self-sufficient document that contains all the necessary data for further work.
If it is planned that someone else will work with this document, then it must be made on letterhead. All terms should be disclosed, and the columns in the tables should be deciphered ...
Such a design usually takes from several hours to several days.

What describes simple truths, is not written in one day, and can increase sales hundreds of times? Yes, this is a marketing plan for promoting a company. Your customers will buy from you again and again, and your competitors will envy you. Want to learn how to create an effective marketing plan? Then this article is for you.

Marketing plan: why do most companies ignore the development of a marketing strategy?

Because they spend more time on financial and production plans, while it is the marketing plan that determines what your revenue will be this year.

A well-written marketing plan for a company answers the following questions:

• how to reduce production costs;
• how and where to attract new customers;
• how not to miss old customers;
• what new directions the company should master, etc.

A marketing promotion plan is a real tool to reduce costs and increase company profits! Officially, a market promotion plan can be described as follows: a marketing plan is a set of planned decisions, drawn up in the form of a document, compatible with other plans of the company and included in the business plan of the company.

This plan can have both short-term and long-term goals, and the plan itself can be written on either 1 or 50 pages, depending on the size of the company and the goals pursued.

If the company lacks marketing, then this leads to:

• failures caused by spontaneous and thoughtless decisions;
• conflicts between departments;
• uncertainty in development (the company simply does not know who its target audience is);
• randomness in procurement, diversification of forces and concentration of efforts.

The goal of a promotional marketing plan is to deliver and achieve the company's goals. Without customized marketing, the company lacks an elementary systematization of ideas.

It all depends on the size of the company. Large firms develop a marketing plan annually, and its development itself is included in the company's strategic plan. The plan is drawn up for 3-6 years and is adjusted every year taking into account changes in the market. The advertising plan is especially strongly adjusted.

If your company is small, then you can determine the frequency of the marketing plan yourself and it depends on the needs of your company in it. For small firms, a SWOT analysis is usually sufficient.

The elements of the strategy, which are approved in the plan every year, undergo annual changes, supported by new tactics, goals and methods of implementation. With any major changes in the market, the company always changes the position of the product, and the position of the product, in turn, changes the entire marketing plan.

How to draw up a marketing plan for promoting a product

Let's look at what the process of compiling a marketing plan for promoting a company consists of. It is worth noting that it always includes several stages and almost all of them are mandatory, because the market needs to be considered from all sides.

If you do everything right, then your plan will solve the following tasks:

• will give complete description the situation in which the company is now, including SWOT analysis (analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the product);
• action plan regarding product promotion for the next 1-5 years with detailed description actions by month;
• budget for promotion;
• control over the implementation of the plan.

How to evaluate the effectiveness of the plan? It's not nearly as easy as you might think. On the one hand, if you do not know how effective the promotion according to the plan turned out to be, you cannot help but improve, correct the plan. And it is necessary to improve and adjust it, because the plan is rewritten and adjusted every year. On the other hand, those methods that are easiest to measure performance will hit your company's budget very hard. If you are not ready to spend money on evaluating the plan, then you can use cheaper methods.

For example, you can conduct a survey among your customers about how they heard about you. This way you can evaluate how advertising campaign was successful, as well as how well you chose the target audience. Another type of survey is a telephone survey, during which you can find out from customers such points as their attitude towards the product, and whether they want to purchase the product from you again or not.

If you don't want to conduct a survey, then try comparing sales before and after implementing your marketing plan strategies. You can compare costs, scrap rates and other financial aspects of the company - changes in them can also be caused by the implementation of techniques according to the product development plan.

Outsourcing is not always profitable. Of course, if you absolutely lack the competence to make a plan on your own, or if you don’t have a marketing department that should deal with it, then you should think about contacting an outsourcing company. Remember how to choose it correctly:

• check how long the company has been on the market;
• read the reviews, it's important;
• evaluate the number of employees and the scale of the business: the larger the outsourcing company, the better.

Interesting fact: Even if the reviews about the outsourcing company are only laudatory, this does not mean that your project will be completed with a bang. Most likely, the specialist will follow the pattern, and although the marketing plan will look solid, in reality it may not work. Moreover, having trained for you, tomorrow the outsourcer will offer services to your competitor (see).

Drawing up a marketing plan on the side is preferable if your company is not going to be in the market long years. An outsourcer is just right for “one-time” projects.

So, if you decide that you have somewhere to raise profits, then drawing up a marketing plan will be the surest step. You make it yourself, or entrust it to specialists - it's up to you. However, do not forget that the company's market presence plan must be combined with financial and production plans.