Execute for Success: The Ultimate Marketing Plan Template

by Blackwood Impact Group

When it is time to grow their revenue, small to medium-sized businesses (SMB) can sometimes find themselves between a rock and a hard place from a marketing standpoint.  Smaller teams are known for being scrappy, bootstrapping, and having a “whatever it takes” approach to bringing in clients and generating cash flow. This can often lead to what we call in the industry “random acts of marketing,” or RAMs. RAMs are tactics that are randomly initiated and not strategically aligned with growth goals.

So when it is time to take your company to the next level, expand into new markets or begin employing a game plan designed to grow revenue, these teams encounter a startling reality. Many of the techniques which worked to get them to their current level often won’t successfully take them to their new destination.  Companies that were light on strategy while heavily relying on approaches such as word of mouth, client referrals, or personal networking can feel overwhelmed when trying to create a new marketing plan or revise an existing one that is no longer serving their goals.

Introducing The Ultimate Marketing Plan Template

If your small enterprise is ready to grow into the mid-market area or higher, you will need to update your current approach in marketing.  If you want to bring in higher quality and quantity of leads, but you don’t know where to start, we’ve got you covered.  Blackwood Impact Group has created The Ultimate Marketing Plan Template with you in mind.

Our interactive tool is designed to take you through a series of steps that will result in you transforming your company’s revenue.  You’ll want to involve your whole marketing team and any stakeholders responsible for revenue so that your entire team is clear about your goals and the approaches you will take to achieve them.  The Ultimate Marketing Plan Template tool goes beyond a surface-level fill-in-the-blank worksheet or a simple checklist of “to-dos.” Below is a sample of questions your team will be exploring and the areas of your company you will be examining to create your ultimate marketing plan.

Market Positioning

The first thing we will begin assessing is your company’s position in your marketplace with a SWOT Analysis.  If you have never performed one before, SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.  Here are some questions you can expect to explore:

  • What products or services does your company excel at providing?
  • What are some untapped opportunities you have yet to take advantage of?
  • What factors are causing disadvantages for your company?
  • What potential industry challenges or factors (i.e., competitors, regulatory bodies, or shifting consumer behaviors) have the power to disrupt your company’s revenue?

Next up, The Ultimate Marketing Plan Template will help you explore your market a little deeper as well as size up your competition.  Here are some questions you can anticipate diving into with your team:

  • Who is your target market?
  • What niches can you explore?
  • Who are your top competitors?
  • What is unique about what your company has to offer?
  • What are your market penetration goals?

Lead Generation and Sales Alignment

If your company has both a sales and a marketing team, then you might already know from experience that these two groups do not always see eye to eye. Even though their functions are like two sides of the same coin, their approaches are different. Each team tends to have a myopic view of their individual team’s goals without considering how to work together with the other departments towards achieving the company’s overall objectives.

If your sales and marketing teams have been at odds in the past, now is the perfect time to begin collaborative efforts—as you revise your marketing strategy.  Be sure you understand their needs so that the marketing team can deliver the high-quality leads they expect. As you work your way through The Ultimate Marketing Plan Template, you and your team should anticipate asking questions such as the following:

  • What are your sales teams’ top five goals?
  • What initiatives will you use to help them achieve their target?
  • What are your lead generation tactics?

Brand Messaging

At the heart of any solid marketing plan is the message you wish to communicate to your prospects. The Ultimate Marketing Plan Template will help you think through the essential components of your message and how you intend to share it. You will brainstorm on questions such as the following:

  • What is your brand promise?
  • What are your slogan and tagline?
  • What other entities can your company align with to strengthen your brand?
  • How do you communicate and nurture relationships with prospects online and off?
  • Do you know your cost per lead and the return on investment (ROI) for your marketing efforts?

What we’ve shared here is just the tip of the iceberg. If you know these are the types of questions your team should be exploring to develop an effective marketing strategy that will shift your business, and you are ready to take the deep dive, then download the full Ultimate Marketing Plan Template for free today.