If marketing is the art and science of making sure your company maximizes its ability to give the customer what he or she wants, the marketing plan is the blueprint for making sure that gets done. As such, the marketing plan is an integral part of your overall small business plan.
Marketing is, indeed, an art as well as a science. That means there’s no such thing as a “one size fits all” marketing plan. Your plan must be tailored to fit your firm’s products, talents and resources, and it must reach into every facet of your business. Ideally, you’ll put in your share of strategic thinking when you put your plan together.
But you shouldn’t do it alone. Get some small business help—preferably a business management consultant who has written more than a few plans and can guide you through the pitfalls and potholes of creating your own marketing plan. That’s where Ron Sturgeon, Mr. Mission Possible, can lend a hand. He covers marketing plans in his speaking engagements, peer benchmarking groups and consulting assignments.