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How to Create a Marketing Plan

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It's important to be clear on the difference between your goals (what you want to achieve) and tactics (the actions you'll take to realize those goals).

4. Set tactics

It's important to be clear on the difference between your goals (what you want to achieve) and tactics (the actions you'll take to realize those goals). At the start of this process, you set your goals. Now it's time to drill down into the actual tactics you will use. For example, if your goal is to increase brand awareness, you might:

  • Send out a weekly email newsletter (email marketing).
  • Write authoritative blog posts (content marketing).
  • Engage with your customers on social media (social media marketing).
  • Run ads to highlight your brand (paid social media advertising).

For each tactic, identify who's responsible for carrying it out, how long the campaign will run, what your budget is, and how you'll measure success. Don't worry; you can get results even with a small marketing budget.

 

5. Determine KPIs

Once you know your goals and your tactics, it's important to determine how you're going to measure success. That success should be expressed with actual numbers, known as key performance indicators (KPIs). This will help you track how your marketing is going.

For example, with goal of increased lead generation, include the number of leads you want to get via marketing, as well as a realistic timeline for generating them. You'll need KPIs for each of your goals so you can see if you're achieving them.

 

Review regularly

Once you've started marketing, it's essential to review your marketing plan regularly to make sure it's working. In a fast-moving world, you need to be able to pivot quickly if a particular tactic isn't achieving the desired results. What you should review and at what intervals varies by the business. For example, Databox5 shows that almost 40% of marketers review their SEO KPIs weekly, while around 30% review those daily and another 30% reviewed monthly.

Follow these five steps, and do a regular review, and you'll be set for an effective marketing strategy that connects you with customers and brings you business.

Important disclosure information

This content is general in nature and does not constitute legal, tax, accounting, financial or investment advice. You are encouraged to consult with competent legal, tax, accounting, financial or investment professionals based on your specific circumstances. We do not make any warranties as to accuracy or completeness of this information, do not endorse any third-party companies, products, or services described here, and take no liability for your use of this information.

  1. Joseph Johnson, "Number of internet users in the United States from 2015 to 2025," Statistica, published January 27, 2021, accessed March 24, 2021. Back
  2. Adam Enfroy, "How to Conduct a SWOT Analysis for Your Small Business," SCORE, published May 22, 2020, accessed March 17, 2021. Back
  3. Jennifer Yesbeck, "The Importance of Targeting in Marketing (And How to Include It in Your Strategy), " Alexa.com, accessed March 17, 2021. Back
  4. Hubspot, "HubSpot Make My Persona Tool," accessed March 17, 2021. Back
  5. Elise Dopson, "11 Tips for Creating An Actionable SEO Marketing Dashboard," published February 24, 2020, accessed March 24, 2021. Back