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How to create a winning marketing plan, with 3 examples from world-class teams

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A marketing plan helps leaders clearly visualize marketing strategies across channels, so they can ensure every campaign drives pipeline and revenue. In this article you’ll learn eight steps to create a winning marketing plan that brings business-critical goals to life, with examples from word-class teams.

quotation mark

To be successful as a marketer, you have to deliver the pipeline and the revenue.”

In other words—they need a well-crafted marketing plan.

Level up your marketing plan to drive revenue in 2024

Learn how to create the right marketing plan to hit your revenue targets in 2024. Hear best practices from marketing experts, including how to confidently set and hit business goals, socialize marketing plans, and move faster with clearer resourcing.

level up your marketing plan to drive revenue in 2024

7 steps to build a comprehensive marketing plan

How do you build the right marketing plan to hit your revenue goals? Follow these eight steps for success:

1. Define your plan

First you need to define each specific component of your plan to ensure stakeholders are aligned on goals, deliverables, resources, and more. Ironing out these details early on ensures your plan supports the right business objectives, and that you have sufficient resources and time to get the job done. 

Get started by asking yourself the following questions: 

What resources do I need? 

What is the vision?

What is the value?

What is the goal?

Who is my audience?

What are my channels?

What is the timeline?

For example, imagine you’re creating an annual marketing plan to improve customer adoption and retention in the next fiscal year. Here’s how you could go through the questions above to ensure you’re ready to move forward with your plan: 

I will need support from the content team, web team, and email team to create targeted content for existing customers. One person on each team will need to be dedicated full-time to this initiative. To achieve this, the marketing team will need an additional $100K in budget and one new headcount. 

What is the vision?  

To create a positive experience for existing customers, address new customer needs, and encourage them to upgrade. We’ll do this by serving them how-to content, new feature updates, information about deals and pricing, and troubleshooting guides. 

According to the Sales Benchmark Index (SBI) , CEOs and go-to-market leaders report that more than 60% of their net-new revenue will come from existing customers in 2023. By retaining and building on the customers we have, we can maintain revenue growth over time. 

To decrease the customer churn rate from 30% to 10%, and increase upgrades from 20% to 30% in the next fiscal year. 

All existing customers. 

The main channel will be email. Supporting marketing channels include the website, blog, YouTube, and social media. 

The first half of the next fiscal year. 

One of the most important things to do as you create your marketing strategy is to identify your target audience . As with all marketing, you need to know who you’re marketing to. If you’re having a hard time determining who exactly your target audience is, try the bullseye targeting framework . The bullseye makes it easy for you to determine who your target audience is by industry, geography, company size, psychographics, demographics, and more.

2. Identify key metrics for success 

Now it’s time to define what key marketing metrics you’ll use to measure success. Your key metrics will help you measure and track the performance of your marketing activities. They’ll also help you understand how your efforts tie back to larger business goals. 

Once you establish key metrics, use a goal-setting framework—like objectives and key results (OKRs) or SMART goals —to fully flush out your marketing objectives. This ensures your targets are as specific as possible, with no ambiguity about what should be accomplished by when. 

Example: If a goal of your marketing plan is to increase email subscriptions and you follow the SMART goal framework (ensuring your objective is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound) your goal might look like this: Increase email subscription rate from 10% to 20% in H1 . 

3. Research your competition 

It’s easy to get caught up in your company’s world, but there’s a lot of value in understanding your competitors . Knowing how they market themselves will help you find opportunities to make your company stand out and capture more market share.

Make sure you’re not duplicating your competitors’ efforts. If you discover a competitor has already executed your idea, then it might be time to go back to the drawing board and brainstorm new ways to differentiate yourself.  By looking at your competitors, you might be surprised at the type of inspiration and opportunities you’ll find.

To stay ahead of market trends, conduct a SWOT analysis for your marketing plan. A SWOT analysis helps you improve your plan by identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. 

Example: If your competitor launches a social media campaign identical to what you had planned, go back to the drawing board and see how you can build off their campaign. Ask yourself: How can we differentiate our campaign while still getting our message across? What are the weaknesses of their campaign that we can capitalize on? What angles did they not approach?

4. Integrate your marketing efforts

Here’s where the fun comes in. Let’s dive into the different components that go into building a successful marketing plan. You’ll want to make sure your marketing plan includes multiple supporting activities that all add up into a powerful marketing machine. Some marketing plan components include: 

Lead generation

Social media

Product marketing

Public relations

Analyst relations

Customer marketing

Search engine optimization (SEO)

Conversational marketing

Knowing where your consumer base spends the most time is significant for nailing this step. You need to have a solid understanding of your target audience before integrating your marketing efforts. 

Example: If your target audience is executives that spend a lot of time on LinkedIn, focus your social media strategy around placing branded content on LinkedIn. 

5. Differentiate with creative content

Forty-nine percent of marketers say visual images are hugely important to their content strategy. In other words, a clear brand and creative strategy is an essential component to every marketing plan. As you craft your own creative strategy, here are some tips to keep in mind: 

Speak to your audience: When defining your creative strategy, think about your audience—what you want them to feel, think, and do when they see your marketing. Will your audience find your creative work relevant? If your audience can’t relate to your creative work, they won’t feel connected to the story you’re trying to tell. 

Think outside the box: Find innovative ways to engage your audience, whether through video, animations, or interactive graphics. Know what screens your creative work will live on, whether desktop, mobile, or tablet, and make sure they display beautifully and load quickly across every type of device. 

Tie everything back to CTAs: It’s easy to get caught up in the creative process, so it’s important to never lose sight of your ultimate goal: Get your audience to take action. Always find the best way to display strong Calls to Action (CTAs) in your creative work. We live in a visual world—make sure your creative content counts.

Streamline creative production:   Once you’ve established a strong creative strategy, the next step is to bring your strategy to life in the production stage. It’s vital to set up a strong framework for your creative production process to eliminate any unnecessary back and forth and potential bottlenecks. Consider establishing creative request forms , streamlining feedback and approval processes, and taking advantage of integrations that might make your designers’ lives easier.

Example: If your brand is fun and approachable, make sure that shows in your creative efforts. Create designs and CTAs that spark joy, offer entertainment, and alleviate the pressure in choosing a partner.

6. Operationalize your marketing plan

Turn your plan into action by making goals, deliverables, and timelines clear for every stakeholder—so teams stay accountable for getting work done. The best way to do this is by centralizing all the details of your marketing plan in one platform , so teams can access the information they need and connect campaign work back to company goals.  

With the right work management tool , you can: 

Set goals for every marketing activity, and connect campaign work to overarching marketing and business objectives so teams focus on revenue-driving projects. 

Centralize deliverables for your entire marketing plan in one project or portfolio .

Mark major milestones and visualize your plan as a timeline, Gantt chart, calendar, list, or Kanban board—without doing any extra work. 

Quickly loop in stakeholders with status updates so they’re always up to date on progress. This is extremely important if you have a global team to ensure efforts aren’t being duplicated. 

Use automations to seamlessly hand off work between teams, streamlining processes like content creation and reviews. 

Create dashboards to report on work and make sure projects are properly staffed , so campaigns stay on track. 

With everything housed in one spot, you can easily visualize the status of your entire marketing plan and keep work on track. Building an effective marketing plan is one thing, but how you operationalize it can be your secret to standout marketing.

Example: If your strategy focuses on increasing page views, connect all campaign work to an overarching OKR—like “we will double page views as measured by the amount of organic traffic on our blog.” By making that goal visible to all stakeholders, you help teams prioritize the right work. 

See marketing planning in action

With Asana, marketing teams can connect work, standardize processes, and automate workflows—all in one place.

See marketing planning in action

7. Measure performance

Nearly three in four CMOs use revenue growth to measure success, so it’s no surprise that measuring performance is necessary. You established your key metrics in step two, and now it’s time to track and report on them in step eight.

Periodically measure your marketing efforts to find areas of improvement so you can optimize in real-time. There are always lessons to be learned when looking at data. You can discover trends, detect which marketing initiatives performed well, and course-correct what isn’t performing well. And when your plan is complete, you can apply these learnings to your next initiative for improved results. 

Example: Say you discover that long-form content is consistently bringing in 400% more page views than short-form content. As a result, you’ll want to focus on producing more long-form content in your next marketing plan.

Marketing plan examples from world-class teams

The best brands in the world bring their marketing plans to life every day. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out these examples from successful marketing teams.

Autodesk grows site traffic 30% three years in a row

When the Autodesk team launched Redshift, it was initially a small business blog. The editorial team executed a successful marketing plan to expand it into a premier owned-media site, making it a destination for stories and videos about the future of making. 

The team scaled content production to support seven additional languages. By standardizing their content production workflow and centralizing all content conversations in one place, the editorial team now publishes 2X more content monthly. Read the case study to learn more about how Autodesk runs a well-oiled content machine.

Sony Music boosts creative production capacity by 4X

In recent years the music industry has gone through a pivotal transition—shifting from album sales to a streaming business model. For marketing and creative teams at Sony Music, that meant adopting an “always on” campaign plan. 

The team successfully executed this campaign plan by centralizing creative production and approvals in one project. By standardizing processes, the team reduced campaign production time by 75%. Read the case study to learn more about how Sony Music successfully scaled their creative production process.

Trinny London perfects new customer acquisition 

In consumer industries, social media is crucial for building a community of people who feel an affinity with the brand—and Trinny London is no exception. As such, it was imperative that Trinny London’s ad spend was targeted to the correct audience. Using a work management tool, Trinny London was able to nail the process of creating, testing, and implementing ads on multiple social channels.

With the help of a centralized tool, Trinny London improved its ad spend and drove more likes and subscriptions on its YouTube page. Read the case study to learn more about how Trinny London capitalized on paid advertising and social media. 

Turn your marketing plan into marketing success 

A great marketing plan promotes clarity and accountability across teams—so every stakeholder knows what they’re responsible for, by when. Reading this article is the first step to achieving better team alignment, so you can ensure every marketing campaign contributes to your company’s bottom line. 

Use a free marketing plan template to get started

Once you’ve created your marketing strategy and are ready to operationalize your marketing plan, get started with one of our marketing templates . 

Our marketing templates can help you manage and track every aspect of your marketing plan, from creative requests to approval workflows. Centralize your entire marketing plan in one place, customize the roadmap, assign tasks, and build a timeline or calendar. 

Once you’ve operationalized your entire marketing plan with one of our templates, share it with your stakeholders so everyone can work together in the same tool. Your entire team will feel connected to the marketing plan, know what to prioritize, and see how their work contributes to your project objectives . Choose the best marketing template for your team:

Marketing project plan template

Marketing campaign plan template

Product marketing launch template

Editorial calendar template

Agency collaboration template

Creative requests template

Event planning template

GTM strategy template

Still have questions? We have answers. 

What is a marketing plan.

A marketing plan is a detailed roadmap that outlines the different strategies your team will use to achieve organizational objectives. Rather than focusing solely on the end goal, a marketing plan maps every step you need to reach your destination—whether that’s driving pipeline for sales, nurturing your existing customer base, or something in-between. 

As a marketing leader, you know there’s never a shortage of great campaign and project ideas. A marketing plan gives you a framework to effectively prioritize work that aligns to overarching business goals—and then get that work done. Some elements of marketing plans include:

Current business plan

Mission statement  

Business goals

Target customers  

Competitive analysis 

Current marketing mix

Key performance indicators (KPIs)

Marketing budget  

What is the purpose of a marketing plan?

The purpose of a marketing plan is to grow your company’s consumer base and strengthen your brand, while aligning with your organization’s mission and vision . The plan should analyze the competitive landscape and industry trends, offer actionable insights to help you gain a competitive advantage, and document each step of your strategy—so you can see how your campaigns work together to drive overarching business goals. 

What is the difference between a marketing plan and a marketing strategy? 

A marketing plan contains many marketing strategies across different channels. In that way, marketing strategies contribute to your overall marketing plan, working together to reach your company’s overarching business goals.

For example, imagine you’re about to launch a new software product and the goal of your marketing plan is to drive downloads. Your marketing plan could include marketing strategies like creating top-of-funnel blog content and launching a social media campaign. 

What are different types of marketing plans? 

Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish, what your timeline is, or which facet of marketing you’re driving, you’ll need to create a different type of marketing plan. Some different types of marketing plans include, but aren’t limited to:

General marketing plan: A general marketing plan is typically an annual or quarterly marketing plan that details the overarching marketing strategies for the period. This type of marketing plan outlines marketing goals, the company’s mission, buyer personas, unique selling propositions, and more. A general marketing plan lays the foundation for other, more specific marketing plans that an organization may employ. 

Product launch marketing plan: A product launch marketing plan is a step-by-step plan for marketing a new product or expanding into a new market. It helps you build awareness and interest by targeting the right audience, with the right messaging, in the right timeframe—so potential customers are ready to buy your new offering right away. Nailing your product launch marketing plan can reinforce your overall brand and fast-track sales. For a step-by-step framework to organize all the moving pieces of a launch, check out our product marketing launch template .

Paid marketing plan: This plan includes all the paid strategies in your marketing plan, like pay-per-click, paid social media advertising, native advertising, and display advertising. It’s especially important to do audience research prior to launching your paid marketing plan to ensure you’re maximizing ROI. Consult with content strategists to ensure your ads align with your buyer personas so you know you’re showing ads to the right people. 

Content marketing plan: A content marketing plan outlines the different content strategies and campaigns you’ll use to promote your product or service. When putting together a content marketing plan, start by identifying your audience. Then use market research tools to get the best insights into what topics your target audience is most interested in.

SEO marketing plan: Your SEO marketing plan should work directly alongside your content marketing plan as you chart content that’s designed to rank in search results. While your content marketing plan should include all types of content, your SEO marketing plan will cover the top-of-funnel content that drives new users to your site. Planning search engine-friendly content is only one step in your SEO marketing plan. You’ll also need to include link-building and technical aspects in order to ensure your site and content are as optimized as possible.

Social media marketing plan: This plan will highlight the marketing strategies you plan to accomplish on social media. Like in any general or digital marketing plan , your social media strategy should identify your ideal customer base and determine how they engage on different social media platforms. From there, you can cater your social media content to your target audience.  

MARKETING INSIGHTS

Marketing plan template: step-by-step guide plus examples

  • Rebecca Strehlow
  • Feb 21, 2021
  • 12 min read

Marketing plan template

If you have a business you want to promote, there are so many directions you can go with your marketing efforts - build your own website , post on social media, send out email blasts and more. With a plethora of both free and paid options for promoting your business online, marketing has become easy and accessible for everyone.

Still, it’s no secret that marketing requires time and money. You’ll need to use your resources wisely if you want to scale efficiently and have a high return on investment. For that reason, it’s wise to avoid haphazard promotional efforts, and come up with a marketing plan: a cohesive operation that aligns all your marketing efforts and directly ties back to your business’s goals.

Here’s everything you need to know about how to create a marketing plan - including a template you can use to write your own. By outlining your objectives as a company, defining your KPIs , and then unifying your marketing strategies accordingly, this type of plan streamlines your promotional efforts and yields results.

Start building your online presence with Wix .

What is a marketing plan?

A marketing plan is a roadmap that helps you manage, implement and track your various marketing efforts. In other words, it’s a structured framework that links together all your marketing activities into a single, cohesive operation.

Typically, a marketing plan takes the form of a report that gives an overview of your marketing strategy for the upcoming year, quarter or month. The report defines your company’s goals over a given period of time, and clearly outlines the steps you’ll need to take to achieve them. It's an essential part of any SMBs marketing efforts.

Here’s just a taste of what a marketing plan includes:

An analysis of your competitors and your stance in the market

A description of your target audience and their needs

Your company’s unique selling proposition

An overview of your marketing and advertising goals

A timeline of the various tasks that need to be completed

The key performance indicators (KPIs) that you’ll be tracking to measure success

Creating a marketing plan is the most efficient way to generate demand for your product. Whether you’re running an online T-shirt store, working as a business consultant, or launching a blog for moms, mapping out your strategy in advance will help you drive people through the marketing funnel and get customers.

Types of marketing plans

Before we dive into the specific elements of a marketing plan template, let’s briefly touch on the different types of marketing plans, which can vary depending on your company. They include:

Annual, quarterly or monthly marketing plan: Marketing plans are typically annual, but they can be quarterly or monthly depending on your business’s goals. This type of plan will highlight all your promotional activities within the specified period of time.

New product launch marketing plan: This is a specific type of marketing plan that focuses on the strategies and tactics you’ll use to promote a particular product.

Social media marketing plan: This kind of marketing plan provides a comprehensive outline of your goals, channels, and tactics for promoting your business on social media.

Content marketing plan: Similarly, this type of plan provides a comprehensive outline of your various content marketing strategies and goals.

Media marketing plan: This focuses on building a strategy using all media types: owned media (your own website, app or email marketing tools), paid media (advertising campaigns), and earned media ( word of mouth marketing , organic traffic, viral content) to support an integrated marketing approach.

In this article, we’ll talk about the broadest type of marketing plan. This will outline all of your small business marketing efforts and help you map out a clear strategy.

Using this marketing plan as a guide, you can then create more specific plans - such as a content marketing or social media marketing plan - based on the areas you want to focus on.

How to create a marketing plan in 7 steps

Analyze your market and competition

Research your target audience

Set goals and KPIs

Write a unique selling proposition

Choose strategic marketing channels

Brief your team

Monitor your analytics

01. Analyze your market and competition

The first step in writing a marketing plan is to identify your competitors. This is important so that you know who you’ll be marketing against, and how you can outshine them with your promotional strategy.

Take into account that different competitors will be stronger in different areas. Your biggest competitor on social media, for instance, might be different from your competitor with the best SEO.

With that in mind, do a SWOT analysis of your competition. Using this acronym - which stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats - gives you a systematic way to identify your competitors’ performance in your field:

Strengths: What are the competitors’ advantages in the industry? What are they excelling in?

Weaknesses: What could this company be doing better? What processes of theirs could be improved?

Opportunities: Are there any new trends or upcoming events that are relevant to your industry? Identify them, and seize the marketing opportunity before your competition does.

Threats: Are there external factors such as new government regulations, declining customer interest, or industry shifts that are threats to your competitors’ success? If so, find a way to navigate these threats and avoid making the same mistakes as your competition.

Even if you’ve already done a SWOT analysis in the past, it’s important to reassess the playing field as you write your marketing plan. In particular, anticipate whether anything new is about to happen in the coming year or quarter, such as a change in government policy or the emergence of a new competitor in your market.

And, of course, keep an eye out for niches your competitors haven’t gotten to yet. For instance, if you’re selling products to new moms, a SWOT analysis might reveal that none of your competitors are creating products for new dads. In this case, that would be an opportunity for you to expand your audience, attract new customers, and grow your revenue.

As you create your SWOT analysis, use this free SWOT analysis template to guide you, and make it a part of your marketing plan:

SWOT analysis downloadable template

02. Research your target audience

Just as you research your competitors, you’ll need to look into your target audience . This is the specific group of people at which your product or service is aimed - and, as such, they’re the primary audience of your marketing strategy.

If you’re unsure of who your target audience is, there are a few different ways to gather this information. First, think about which needs your product fulfills and which types of people it caters to. You can also use your SWOT analysis to point you in the right direction. Look at competitors’ websites, blogs and social media channels to determine the types of people they’re marketing to.

To hone in on your audience even further, analyze your existing customers to understand which kinds of people you’ve attracted in the past. Talk to your current and potential customers as much as you can. Get their feedback, use focus groups, and analyze the data to figure out their shared behaviors and characteristics:

Age: Does your product seek to address the needs of people of a certain age - for example, older adults or millennials?

Location: Are your target customers within a specific country or region? Where are they, and what languages do they speak?

Spending power: How much money are your target customers able to spend? Are they seeking out luxury, or could money be an issue when deciding whether to purchase?

Stage of life: Can you identify your target customers based on their stage of life, such as new parents, college students or retirees?

Hobbies and career: Can you group them based on certain hobbies, career paths, or other lifestyle interests?

Track this information in an orderly way by creating buyer personas , or detailed descriptions of specific types of customers. Each buyer persona should reflect both existing or potential customers, based on the factors above: demographics, location, job title and more.

Be sure to include this information at the beginning of your marketing plan, side-by-side your SWOT analysis, to provide a thorough assessment of the market in which your company is operating. Ultimately, these various audience types will represent customer segments - groups of people you can target with different marketing materials depending on their interests.

03. Set your goals and KPIs

Next, set your business’s goals. What do you want to achieve next quarter? How about by the end of this year? 5 years from now?

The more ambitious the goal, the more time, effort and money you should dedicate to it. Determine each goal, and break it down into small steps, either by month, quarter or year, depending on your time frame. Not only will this help you build a clear timeline, but it will also help you allocate your budget.

Once you divide up your big goals into small goals, consider how to measure them. In other words, how will you know whether you’re meeting your goals, or falling short?

This is where KPIs - key performance indicators - come into play. Essentially, KPIs are the specific metrics used to monitor your progress in achieving your goals.

For instance, if you want to create an active online forum for pop music creators, then your KPIs should be site visits, your number of active visitors, and your number of returning visitors. Your position in Google search results for niche keywords, such as “pop music creator” or “music production software,” would also be a relevant KPI.

Whichever KPIs you choose, include them in your marketing plan alongside your goals and write down the metrics you’ll use to measure your success. For example, if your KPI is to make more sales, you might want to track metrics like lead generation and conversion rate .

By checking your achievements every quarter compared to your KPIs, you’ll learn about the pace and abilities of your businesses. If you achieve your KPIs relatively easily, you can set more ambitious goals. On the other hand, if you’re falling short of your KPIs, you might consider recruiting more people to help you get there.

04. Write a unique selling proposition

If you were to give a 30-second marketing spiel to a potential customer, what would you say? Come up with a statement that would appeal to your target audience’s interests and increase demand for your business.

If you’re already a market leader that offers high-quality products, you can claim that you’re “the best solution for” a particular need. On the other hand, if you’re still a relatively small player in the market, you can position yourself as being innovative and groundbreaking - the brand that offers fresh, modern solutions. Many smaller businesses tend to find that creative, funny, or even unorthodox branding gives them the attention boost they need from their audience.

When targeting multiple audiences, you may find it challenging to create a single message that resonates with everyone. One tip for attracting many types of customers at the same time is to create slightly different messages for each buyer persona. Going back to the product lines for new moms and dads, you may find that you need to split your messaging between a few different customer types:

New moms: Target them with the message that they need high-quality products for their babies.

New moms who want their spouse to be involved in childcare: Target them with a new message that they’d have more time to relax if their spouse also used the product.

New dads: Target them with a different message that these products can help them become good fathers and supportive partners.

Be sure to record this messaging in your marketing plan so that you can use it throughout your various promotional efforts.

05. Choose strategic marketing channels

Once you come up with your core messages, decide which marketing strategies you’ll use to spread the word. There’s an abundance of options here, both paid and free. Some popular paid channels include:

Social media ads (Facebook, Instagram and more)

Online ads on other sites

Press releases

Partnerships with other companies

Outreach marketing

Guerilla marketing

Email campaigns

Offline media such as magazine, billboard and radio ads

Facebook ads are a particularly effective option because they reach almost every type of audience and can be targeted based on demographics and interests. They’re fairly simple to make, especially if you already have a Facebook business page. And, depending on your website platform, you can even create Facebook ads directly through your site .

Paid channels are a reliable choice, but it’s also worthwhile to couple these efforts with free promotional options as well. These take a little more time to develop, but they’re also a valuable way to get more exposure and build a loyal audience. They include popular inbound marketing tactics such as:

Website SEO

Creating company social media pages

Being active in online forums and Facebook groups

When choosing what channels to use, it’s important to think about which ones will actually reach your target audience. If you’re marketing to elderly folks, for instance, then Instagram ads may not be the way to go.

Similarly, build a strategy for the timeline of your campaigns. Take into account any holidays and other special events, such as elections or the Super Bowl, that you can use to your advantage when crafting marketing content.

And remember - not all your campaigns will be planned in advance. You’ll need to set aside budget for on-the-fly campaigns, also known as real-time marketing (RTM). This involves taking advantage of precious opportunities like global events and new internet trends. For instance, the January 2021 Bernie Sanders meme was a great chance for companies to get easy attention, earn free media coverage, and go viral. Ikea even used the meme to promote its folding chair and oven mitts.

Pro tip: Once you’ve established the right channels and timeline, you may be eager to launch your campaigns right away - especially if unexpected marketing opportunities arise. Resist the temptation until you’re absolutely sure your product is ready, with at least 85% positive feedback from users. Asking for a second chance will cost you much more than nailing a great impression the first time around.

06. Brief your team

One of the main reasons to create a marketing plan is to develop a unified operation that your whole marketing department can participate in. For this reason, it’s critical that you keep everyone in the loop.

Update your marketing team, as well as the suppliers that create the marketing materials for you. The best way to ensure everyone is aligned is to create a marketing brief - a one-page document that summarizes the market research, company goals, messaging, and action items established in your plan.

You can use the marketing brief template below to create a quick, efficient overview of your plan. It includes guiding questions to help you analyze your competitors, determine your target audience, identify your KPIs, and craft a compelling company message. Fill out this document, and share it with anyone who works with you so that they’re on the same page about your strategy and goals:

Marketing plan downloadable template

07. Monitor your analytics

Once you start implementing your marketing campaigns, you’ll need to closely monitor the results. To ensure your strategy is effective, continuously track your KPIs and see how the numbers stack up against your goals. That will allow you to adapt the marketing plan based on the goals you’re achieving and those you aren’t. Customer analytics can help you in this process.

Marketing plan: Customer analytics

There are two places to monitor analytics: Google Analytics and your website.

Google Analytics can easily be connected to your company website, and it’s a helpful way to track your site visitors and evaluate the performance of marketing campaigns.

Wix Analytics is another useful tool that provides a comprehensive analysis of your performance, and it’s conveniently located within the Wix website dashboard. This tool allows you to create custom audiences based on their demographics, geographic location, or other defining features, and you can access it directly from your website.

Using these two tools, look at the data. If the numbers indicate that you aren’t meeting your objectives, brainstorm action items for how to improve. If, for instance, you notice that some of your website visitors are located in Europe, try creating a multilingual website; it may just help convert them into customers. Likewise, if you’re getting traffic to your website or blog but are lacking in conversions, try creating content campaigns around specific products.

Don’t be discouraged if, after two quarters, you aren’t reaching your goals. This happens to the best of us, and it’s simply an indicator that you’ll need to refine your marketing plan and go back to Step 1.

Marketing plan template

Now that you know how to create a marketing plan, use this marketing plan template to walk you through the process. It’s free for download and use, and can easily be adapted for any business.

Marketing plan examples

While the marketing plan template above provides you with everything you need, it may also be helpful to look at other examples for inspiration. If you’re seeking additional resources, use these marketing plan examples to guide you:

01. Marketing Plan Template from SBA

The Small Business Administration provides a highly detailed marketing plan template that can be downloaded as a PDF and easily adapted to suit your company. The plan covers all the must-haves, like an explanation of your products and an analysis of your target market, but it supplements those with finer details like location analysis and product packaging.

02. Marketing Plan Template Generator from HubSpot

Unlike most marketing plan examples, this isn’t a file that you print out and fill in. Instead, it’s an online generator - a fill-in-the-blank template that walks you through the creation process page-by-page. The generator feels almost like an AI bot, asking you to fill in your name and then replying “Awesome! It’s great to meet you, [Name]!” This is a great way to make the marketing plan process more dynamic and fun.

Marketing plan example

03. Marketing Plan Microsoft Word Template from More Business

The advantage of More Business’s marketing plan template is that it’s downloadable for Microsoft Word, allowing you to fill in each section directly on the document. The document not only contains different strategies that you can use to inspire your own marketing efforts, but it also comes with examples of tables and charts for your marketing plan.

04. One-Page Marketing Plan Template from SmartSheet

This template is available for download on Microsoft Word, Google Docs and SmartSheet, but we particularly like that it’s available as an Excel version. As a one-pager, it’s short and sweet - ideal for getting your marketing plan started without getting lost in too much detail from the beginning. It’s a helpful sheet for brainstorming, or for summarizing your marketing plan once it’s complete.

05. Marketing Plan Slide Deck Template from Slidesgo

This marketing plan template comes in yet another format - an attractive slide deck that’s downloadable for both PowerPoint and Google Slides. This includes all the essentials, but in a more visual format, making it a useful asset for turning your marketing plan into a presentation.

Related Posts

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Small business marketing: 25 low-budget marketing strategies

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HubSpot

MARKETING PLAN GENERATOR

This high-level template will help you outline your annual marketing strategy, identify your most important initiatives, and track the right metrics all year long. Tell us a little about your marketing goals and you’ll receive a 12-month plan in less than 10 minutes.

Press enter/arrow keys (or swipe on mobile) to continue

You smart planner, you. We're so excited to help you create a marketing plan that will drive big results!

Let's start by getting acquainted. What's your name?

Awesome. it's great to meet you .

We'll be diving into some questions about your company, what you do there, and what your team's goals are for this year. These questions will help us customize your plan to fit your company's exact needs. If you're not 100% sure how to answer a question, that's okay. Just put in a quick answer for now — you can always go back in and edit your answers later.

Where do you work?

Very cool how many employees work at your company .

A written mission helps align your team around common goals. Patagonia's mission is to "build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis." Want another example? Click here.

What's your company 's mission?

Just add a few words outlining your direction. You can always change this answer later.

Sounds like a great place to be . What exactly do you do at your company ?

74% of marketers say that converting leads into customers is their company's top priority over the next 12 months.

State of Inbound 2016

What's your team's main focus this year?

What key objectives do you want to achieve? Remember: You can always come back and change this answer later.

Select up to 3 initiatives your team should prioritize this year to help carry out that focus:

(Scroll for more options)

  • Build Brand Awareness
  • Close Deals
  • Create a High-Quality Pipeline
  • Create Content
  • Create Paid Advertisement Program
  • Decrease Churn
  • Decrease Customer Acquisition Cost
  • Define or Update Personas
  • Differentiate Brand From Competitors
  • Diversify Promotion Efforts
  • Grow Event Attendance
  • Grow International Brand
  • Grow Paid Users
  • Grow Revenue
  • Grow Social Media Reach
  • Improve Customer NPS
  • Improve Lead Quality
  • Improve Sales Rep Productivity
  • Increase Clickthrough Rate
  • Increase Conversion Rate
  • Increase Leads
  • Increase Product Adoption
  • Increase Traffic
  • Introduce New Product/Service
  • Optimize Sales Cycle
  • Recruit Top Talent
  • Scale Company Culture
  • Shorten Sales Cycle
  • Unify Products/Services

What are your goals for these initiatives?

Example: Grow lead generation by 1,000 leads per month

( Enter options on previous slide to view content )

Which initiatives would you consider for a future year?

Now that you have your top priorities in place, it’s time to select 1-3 initiatives that, while valuable, will only distract you from achieving this year’s goals. These could be considered later on, but for now, you don’t have the resources in place to focus on them.

Well, would you look at that! You're almost finished. That wasn't so hard, was it?

One final thing: How do we get in touch to discuss your goals for next year?

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12-Month Marketing Campaign Plan Template by HubSpot

What is in the Marketing Plan Template?

HubSpot's marketing plan generator offers a template displaying your company's mission, strategy, and initiatives following the information entered in the tool while also identifying future opportunities. The project planner tool delivers a 12-month marketing plan template dividing actions for your team into initiatives, measurement metrics, and goals. This free resource for your business can be downloaded as a CSV file and shared with your team.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the marketing plan template generator do.

The Marketing Plan Generator uses the information you provide about your marketing goals to create a personalized 12-month plan that will help your business reach new heights of success.

How Does the Marketing Plan Template Generator Work?

As a marketing plan software, it uses the answers you provide in the assessment to generate your company marketing priorities for the year to come. It identifies relevant initiatives to prioritize following the goals entered and delivers a practical template.

Why is a Marketing Plan Important?

Developing a marketing plan is crucial as it allows you to determine what to focus on by setting clear objectives. It also helps in managing resources better and maximize the impact of every marketing action. This is in a nutshell why you need a marketing plan.

When Do You Need to Use a Marketing Plan?

When your product is ready to be marketed, which is most likely right now as you are reading these lines! Instead of an example, why not spend some time taking our MPTG assessment and discover what you can do today to improve your marketing?

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Marketing | How To

How to Create a Small Business Marketing Plan (+ Free Template)

Published February 19, 2024

Published Feb 19, 2024

Michael DeVault

WRITTEN BY: Michael DeVault

  • 1 What’s in a Small Business Marketing Plan
  • 2 How to Create a Marketing Plan in 6 Steps
  • 3 Why You Should Invest in Marketing Your Small Business
  • 5 Bottom Line

Whenever I’m tasked with launching a new small business or helping an existing business increase sales, I sit down with the owner to develop a small business marketing plan. You might be surprised how many small businesses overlook the importance of creating a marketing plan, opting instead to thrust blindly into one advertising medium or another.

Taking a few moments to familiarize yourself with the components of a small business marketing plan will help you navigate the process. It’ll also set you up to maximize your brand presence .

What’s in a Small Business Marketing Plan (+ Free Marketing Plan Template)

When assembling a plan for marketing and advertising your small business, you’ll be pulling together several diverse components from across your small business and the industry in which you’re operating. The parts of your plan may vary slightly, but overall they should include:

  • Customer personas: If you can’t identify your core customers, how do you plan to talk to them? Customer personas help you accomplish this.
  • Marketing and advertising goals: Without setting goals, how do you know what’s working? Setting trackable and achievable goals will guide your planning.
  • Unique value proposition: What sets your business apart from the competition? This is your unique value proposition, which is what drives customers to buy your product.
  • Types of marketing: Where will you market and advertise your products or services? Whether it’s on a small business website or in the local newspaper, you should consider all your options.
  • Marketing budget: How much can you afford to spend on marketing and advertising your company? Setting a realistic budget and sticking to it is key to a successful campaign.

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Marketing Plan Template

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To get expert advice and guidance with your marketing plan, get a free consultation from Straight North. Branding and marketing experts will outline effective strategies to build and grow your business without the hassle of running your own marketing plan.

How to Create a Marketing Plan for a Small Business in 6 Steps

Creating a plan to launch and manage your marketing campaign is straightforward. You can create an effective plan in just six steps. See the steps below to learn more about what you’ll need to do.

Step 1: Identify Your Target Customers

You can’t do a good job talking about your product or service without knowing who you’re talking to. And you certainly don’t want to waste time and money talking to people who aren’t potential customers for what you’re selling. Think about it: If you own a landscaping company, you don’t want to advertise to people living in a condo, right? That’s where identifying your customers comes into play.

The first thing you’ll do is make a list of attributes you think your core customers share. These attributes include age, demographic information, geographic location, and general interests. You can even divvy up customers by age bracket—known as generational marketing . Here are a few key details you should identify about your customers:

  • Service area: Where do your customers live and work? Without knowing this, you won’t be able to adequately target ads to them.
  • Demographics: Are your customers predominately one gender? Maybe they fit into an age bracket. Understanding the demographics of your customers allows you to tailor a message to them.
  • Economic factors: Will customers be able to afford your products or services? You’ll need to consider the income level of potential customers and weigh that against how many people meet those criteria.

This is a good start. But gathering information about potential customers is just a start. You can go a step further with customer personas. A customer persona is a fictional “perfect customer” you create from the information you’ve gathered. The goal is to have a specific individual you’re crafting each marketing message for. Creating a customer persona is easy, especially once you’ve identified some key details about your customer.

Step 2: Set the Right Goals for Your Campaign

It may seem like a given—the notion that you should set goals for your campaign. However, many businesses fail to set proper goals in their marketing plan and, as a result, fail miserably. So what makes the “right” kind of goal? Goals for your campaign should meet four criteria:

  • Be achievable: Your goals should be reasonably achievable with the marketing tools and resources available to your business.
  • Be specific: Each goal you set should have a specific target attached to it. It’s not good enough to say the goal is to “increase sales.” Instead, specify your program will “increase sales by 20%.”
  • Be quantifiable: Even if you set a specific target, you need to be able to measure it. Your goals should be based on things you measure, such as per-ticket sales or new customer counts.
  • Be justifiable: You might set a goal to double your sales, but if doubling your sales costs more in marketing budget than profits generated, you’ve missed the mark. The finish line should justify the effort.

Step 3: Differentiate Yourself From the Competition

With millions of small businesses operating in thousands of industries, it’s a crowded marketplace. How you stand out will greatly affect how your marketing impacts people who may be looking for what you are selling. Ask yourself this question: What makes my product different and better than my competitors?

The answer to this question is your unique value proposition (UVP). Also known as a unique selling position (USP), this differentiating factor drives customers away from your competitors and to you. For example, for a catering company, a unique selling proposition might be “the best vegan food in town.”

The point of a unique value proposition is to set yourself apart from literally everyone else. This question could well be the most important question to ask yourself before opening a small business. Every business should have a unique selling position. After all, if you’re not bringing something unique to the table, why would customers choose you? Ultimately, your unique selling proposition will drive a large part of a startup marketing strategy .

Researching Your Competitors

It probably goes without saying, but in order to differentiate yourself from your competition, you’ll need to learn a little bit about the companies you’ll be competing with. That means spending time on their websites, social media profiles, and the web to understand their positions in the market, how they’re reaching customers, and their value propositions.

Competitor research provides you with insights on pricing and buyers as well as details you can use to create customer personas or help plan your advertising campaign.

Step 4: Choose the Types of Marketing You’ll Do

Armed with your customer personas, a list of achievable goals, and a unique selling position, you’re now ready to pick the kinds of marketing you’ll want to do. Since the ultimate goal is to reach as many potential buyers as possible, you’ll want to focus your efforts where you can reach the most of them.

Generally speaking, there are four types of marketing to consider. Each type of marketing requires different resources and impacts customers in unique ways. Here is a broad overview of each of the four areas:

Internal Marketing

You’ve already done some thinking about internal marketing. Internal marketing includes that unique value proposition, which is part of your brand identity . Additional components of internal marketing include:

  • Mission statement
  • Vision statement
  • Core values statement

Internal marketing shapes everything you’ll say in the rest of your marketing efforts. Start with your internal marketing positions and you’ll have a strong message to share with customers.

Online Marketing

Online marketing includes literally every activity your business undertakes online. Over the years, online marketing has become an increasingly important part of a small business digital marketing plan. This includes:

  • A well-designed website
  • Search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Online advertising through Google, Bing, and more
  • Social media marketing on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and more
  • Email marketing
  • Press releases
  • Online reviews and ratings

Each of these types of marketing requires attention and planning of its own. Consider how you’ll establish a website for your small business. Will you pay someone to create a website for you? Or will you do as many small business owners do and choose to do it yourself with the help of a drag-and-drop website builder ?

Online marketing through social media, SEO, email, and a small business website requires specialized tools. These tools include data tracking and analytics, design, and more. They make up part of your marketing technology—or MarTech—stack. Learn more about how to build a MarTech stack with our how-to guide.

Offline Marketing

Not all marketing happens on the interwebs. Depending on the type of business you own and the market you’re in, you’ll probably need to invest in some offline marketing as well. Offline marketing includes those “traditional” types of advertising like newspaper and print ads, as well as some of the newer practices, like vehicle wraps.

While it’s true offline marketing plays a lesser role than it has in the past, it’s nevertheless important to consider what resources you want to devote to this medium. Billboards and direct mail continue to be remarkably effective and affordable ways to reach clients who aren’t at a computer, with the cost-per-impression (CPI) of billboards ranging from $2 to $9.

Offline marketing also includes materials and activities you might not think of as marketing. Business cards, flyers, and brochures are just some of the kinds of marketing materials at your disposal.

Broadcast Marketing

Broadcast marketing is the most familiar form of advertising and marketing. It’s also among the most expensive. Broadcast media includes television, radio, and most recently, podcasting and streaming.

For some small businesses, broadcast will play a role in getting your message out. However, many small businesses find tremendous success without ever investing a dime in broadcast advertising. Only you can determine what forms of advertising are right for your business.

Step 5: Craft a Marketing Budget & Calendar

Now that you’ve got a handle on what you want to say, who you want to say it to, and where, you’re ready to book your ads. Unless your budget is unlimited, it’s not as simple as just picking up the phone and placing orders. You need to decide how much money you can spend and where you can get the most bang for your buck.

That’s where a marketing calendar comes in. Working with local ad representatives, you can determine how much offline advertising will cost you. You can also get a reasonable idea of how much you’ll spend on pay-per-click (PPC) ads on Google and Facebook. To help maximize your budget, spread out your ad spend over the course of each month with a media calendar.

Below is a link to our local marketing media calendar template. You can use this template to map out your advertising efforts.

Marketing Calendar Template

Step 6: Track Progress & Update Your Campaigns

With your advertising and marketing efforts now up and running, you’ll want to keep tabs on three core metrics: how much you’re spending, how many people are seeing your ads, and how much your sales are increasing. Measuring each of these relies on different tools, and in many cases, you’ll have to rely on specific tools for individual types of advertising.

For example, if you’re measuring the reach of your Google Ads placements, you’ll spend time in the Google Ads control panel, tracking how many clicks each ad receives—as well as how much each click is costing you. For broadcast advertising, your ad reps will provide you with the estimated number of impressions each ad gets.

Fine-tuning Your Advertising & Marketing

The most important metric to track will be your revenues. You’re advertising to gain business, right? It only makes sense to track how much business you’re receiving. While you can take a top-line view and assume your ads are driving increased revenues, you can and should try to determine which ads are producing the best results and which ones are falling short.

Online advertising makes this easy because you’ll receive reports from Google and Facebook about how many clicks they’ve sent your website. Your website is also a powerful tool to track where customers are coming from. Email marketing is another easily trackable advertising form, as email marketing platforms provide ample data to quantify how well your message is landing.

For offline marketing, it can be more challenging to measure the effectiveness of a campaign. However, it’s not impossible. Offering pricing specials or coupons can help you measure where customers are hearing about you. Also, many broadcast outlets provide tools to help track the success of your program.

Why You Should Invest in Marketing Your Small Business

Now that you’ve developed a marketing plan, you’re ready to get started growing your business. However, you may still be wondering why you should invest the time and money into marketing efforts that may or may not work. The answer is simple: Marketing is the only way customers have to find out about your business and what you’re offering.

Put another way, everything you do to spread the word to potential customers that you can fill their needs—from television ads to handing out business cards at a trade show—is all marketing. Plan well and your efforts will bear fruit.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is a marketing plan.

A marketing plan is a written strategy outlining target customers, sales and revenue goals, the kinds of marketing you’ll use, and when you’ll run the ads based on that plan. Marketing plans control everything from billboards to Facebook ads. With an effective marketing plan, you can control expenses, grow your customer base, and drive sales.

How do you create a marketing plan?

To create a marketing plan, you must identify your target audience, set goals for your marketing campaign, and differentiate yourself from your competition. Then, you’ll choose the kinds of marketing and advertising you want to use, such as running ads on television or launching a website. Set a budget you can afford—a good rule of thumb is 10% of gross revenues—and track the progress of your marketing efforts, updating your plan as you go.

Do I have to make a marketing plan for my small business?

While no one is forcing you to create a marketing plan, it’s still a good idea to make one. A marketing plan guides the message you create and provides a framework for sharing that message to potential customers. It also gives you the ability to control expenses, maximize return on investment (ROI), and modify marketing plans that aren’t working.

Bottom Line

Creating a marketing plan for your small business doesn’t have to be a challenge. In fact, it’s really quite simple. Identify your customers, craft your message, and decide where you should share that message. Once your marketing plan is up and running, remember to take some time to make sure it’s producing the results you want, and make adjustments to help maximize return on your investment.

About the Author

Michael DeVault

Find Michael On LinkedIn

Michael DeVault

Michael DeVault is a career journalist with more than 20 years in media and marketing. He has an extensive background in franchise marketing, having worked with some of the biggest names in franchising, including iconic names like SONIC, Captain D’s, and Fantastic Sam’s.

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Simple Business Plan Templates

By Joe Weller | April 2, 2020

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In this article, we’ve compiled a variety of simple business plan templates, all of which are free to download in PDF, Word, and Excel formats.

On this page, you’ll find a one-page business plan template , a simple business plan for startups , a small-business plan template , a business plan outline , and more. We also include a business plan sample and the main components of a business plan to help get you started.

Simple Business Plan Template

Simple Business Plan Template

Download Simple Business Plan Template

This simple business plan template lays out each element of a traditional business plan to assist you as you build your own, and it provides space to add financing information for startups seeking funding. You can use and customize this simple business plan template to fit the needs for organizations of any size.

One-Page Business Plan Template

business plan marketing template

Download One-Page Business Plan Template

Excel | Word | PDF  | Smartsheet

Use this one-page business plan to document your key ideas in an organized manner. The template can help you create a high-level view of your business plan, and it provides easy scannability for stakeholders. You can use this one-page plan as a reference to build a more detailed blueprint for your business. 

For additional single page plans, take a look at " One-Page Business Plan Templates with a Quick How-To Guide ."

Simple Fill-in-the-Blank Business Plan Template

Simple Fill In The Blank Business Plan Template

Download Simple Fill-in-the-Blank Business Plan Template

Use this fill-in-the-blank business plan template to guide you as you build your business plan. Each section comes pre-filled with sample content, with space to add customized verbiage relevant to your product or service.

For additional free, downloadable resources, visit " Free Fill-In-the-Blank Business Plan Templates ."

Simple Business Plan for Startup

Start-Up Business Plan Template

‌ Download Startup Business Plan Template — Word

This business plan template is designed with a startup business in mind and contains the essential elements needed to convey key product or service details to investors and stakeholders. Keep all your information organized with this template, which provides space to include an executive summary, a company overview, competitive analysis, a marketing strategy, financial data, and more. For additional resources, visit " Free Startup Business Plan Templates and Examples ."

Simple Small-Business Plan Template

Small Business Plan Template

Download Simple Small-Business Plan Template

This template walks you through each component of a small-business plan, including the company background, the introduction of the management team, market analysis, product or service offerings, a financial plan, and more. This template also comes with a built-in table of contents to keep your plan in order, and it can be customized to fit your requirements.

Lean Business Plan Template

Lean Business Plan Template

Download Lean Business Plan Template

This lean business plan template is a stripped-down version of a traditional business plan that provides only the most essential aspects. Briefly outline your company and industry overview, along with the problem you are solving, as well as your unique value proposition, target market, and key performance metrics. There is also room to list out a timeline of key activities.

Simple Business Plan Outline Template

Simple Business Plan Outline Template

Download Simple Business Plan Outline Template

Word  | PDF

Use this simple business plan outline as a basis to create your own business plan. This template contains 11 sections, including a title page and a table of contents, which details what each section should cover in a traditional business plan. Simplify or expand this outline to create the foundation for a business plan that fits your business needs.

Simple Business Planning Template with Timeline

Simple Business Planning Template with Timeline

Download Simple Business Planning Template with Timeline

Excel | Smartsheet

This template doubles as a project plan and timeline to track progress as you develop your business plan. This business planning template enables you to break down your work into phases and provides room to add key tasks and dates for each activity. Easily fill in the cells according to the start and end dates to create a visual timeline, as well as to ensure your plan stays on track.

Simple Business Plan Rubric Template

business plan marketing template

Download Simple Business Plan Rubric

Excel | Word | PDF | Smartsheet

Once you complete your business plan, use this business plan rubric template to assess and score each component of your plan. This rubric helps you identify elements of your plan that meet or exceed requirements and pinpoint areas where you need to improve or further elaborate. This template is an invaluable tool to ensure your business plan clearly defines your goals, objectives, and plan of action in order to gain buy-in from potential investors, stakeholders, and partners.

Basic Business Plan Sample

Basic Business Plan Sample

Download Basic Business Plan Sample

This business plan sample serves as an example of a basic business plan that contains all the traditional components. The sample provides a model of what a business plan might look like for a fictional food truck business. Reference this sample as you develop your own business plan.

For additional resources to help support your business planning efforts, check out “ Free Strategic Planning Templates .”

Main Components of a Business Plan

The elements you include in your business plan will depend on your product or service offerings, as well as the size and needs of your business. 

Below are the components of a standard business plan and details you should include in each section:

  • Company name and contact information
  • Website address
  • The name of the company or individual viewing the presentation
  • Table of Contents
  • Company background and purpose
  • Mission and vision statement
  • Management team introduction
  • Core product and service offerings
  • Target customers and segments
  • Marketing plan
  • Competitive analysis
  • Unique value proposition
  • Financial plan (and requirements, if applicable)
  • Business and industry overview
  • Historical timeline of your business
  • Offerings and the problem they solve
  • Current alternatives
  • Competitive advantage
  • Market size
  • Target market segment(s)
  • Projected volume and value of sales compared to competitors
  • Differentiation from competitors
  • Pricing strategy
  • Marketing channels
  • Promotional plan
  • Distribution methods
  • Legal structure of your business
  • Names of founders, owners, advisors, etc.
  • Management team’s roles, relevant experience, and compensation plan
  • Staffing requirements and training plans
  • Physical location(s) of your business
  • Additional physical requirements (e.g., warehouse, specialized equipment, facilities, etc.)
  • Production workflow
  • Raw materials and sourcing methods
  • Projected income statement
  • Projected cash flow statement
  • Projected balance sheet
  • Break-even analysis
  • Charts and graphs
  • Market research and competitive analysis
  • Information about your industry
  • Information about your offerings
  • Samples of marketing materials
  • Other supporting materials

Tips for Creating a Business Plan

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed at the thought of putting together a business plan. Below, you’ll find top tips to help simplify the process as you develop your own plan. 

  • Use a business plan template (you can choose from the variety above), or refer to the previous section to create a standard outline for your plan.
  • Modify your outline to reflect the requirements of your specific business. If you use a standard business plan outline, remove sections that aren’t relevant to you or aren’t necessary to run your business.
  • Gather all the information you currently have about your business first, and then use that information to fill out each section in your plan outline.
  • Use your resources and conduct additional research to fill in the remaining gaps. (Note: It isn’t necessary to fill out your plan in order, but the executive summary needs to be completed last, as it summarizes the key points in your plan.)
  • Ensure your plan clearly communicates the relationship between your marketing, sales, and financial objectives.
  • Provide details in your plan that illustrate your strategic plan of action, looking forward three to five years.
  • Revisit your plan regularly as strategies and objectives evolve.
  • What product or service are we offering?
  • Who is the product or service for?
  • What problem does our product or service offering solve?
  • How will we get the product or service to our target customers?
  • Why is our product or service better than the alternatives?
  • How can we outperform our competitors?
  • What is our unique value proposition?
  • When will things get done, and who is responsible for doing them?
  • If you need to obtain funding, how will you use the funding?
  • When are payments due, and when do payments come in?
  • What is the ultimate purpose of your business?
  • When do you expect to be profitable?

To identify which type of business plan you should write, and for more helpful tips, take a look at our guide to writing a simple business plan .

Benefits of Using a Business Plan Template

Creating a business plan can be very time-consuming, especially if you aren’t sure where to begin. Finding the right template for your business needs can be beneficial for a variety of reasons. 

Using a business plan template — instead of creating your plan from scratch — can benefit you in the following ways:

  • Enables you to immediately write down your thoughts and ideas in an organized manner
  • Provides structure to help outline your plan
  • Saves time and valuable resources
  • Helps ensure you don’t miss essential details

Limitations of a Business Plan Template

A business plan template can be convenient, but it has its drawbacks — especially if you use a template that doesn’t fit the specific needs of your business.

Below are some limitations of using a business plan template:

  • Each business is unique and needs a business plan that reflects that. A template may not fit your needs.
  • A template may restrict collaboration with other team members on different aspects of the plan’s development (sales, marketing, and accounting teams).
  • Multiple files containing different versions of the plan may be stored in more than one place.
  • You still have to manually create charts and graphs to add to the plan to support your strategy.
  • Updates to the plan, spreadsheets, and supporting documents have to be made in multiple places (all documents may not update in real time as changes are made).

Improve Your Business Plan with Real-Time Work Management in Smartsheet

Empower your people to go above and beyond with a flexible platform designed to match the needs of your team — and adapt as those needs change. 

The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed. 

When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time.  Try Smartsheet for free, today.

Discover why over 90% of Fortune 100 companies trust Smartsheet to get work done.

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How To Create A Small Business Marketing Plan In 9 Simple Steps (with Templates)

A small business can use a marketing plan to guide their entire marketing efforts. Follow our step-by-step roadmap to reach your business objectives, increase revenue, and grow your company.

How to create a small business marketing plan (9 simple steps)

Imagine there are two T-shirt companies. Their shirts are both handcrafted and are of the exact same quality and style.

T-shirt seller A has never created a marketing plan and strictly relies on word of mouth to sell their shirts.

T-shirt seller B has put plenty of time into its marketing efforts. They’ve created a website, uses a variety of digital tools,  posted regularly on social media , and even built an email list.

Which company do you think sells more shirts?

Regardless of the size of your company, the core marketing principles are the same. Even if you have a small business, you can create a marketing plan to help you grow your business. In fact, the smaller your business is, the more important it is to put time and energy into creating a marketing roadmap.

In this in-depth guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about creating a small business marketing plan to help you reach your goals. We’ll break down the nine simple steps you need to take to craft a marketing plan that works in the digital age. Plus, you’ll get a template you can follow to craft your own strategy and some best practices to follow to ensure it’s a success.

What Is Small Business Marketing?

Small business marketing is the process small businesses use to get their products and services in front of potential customers to generate sales. This type of marketing typically includes a variety of marketing channels, disciplines, and tactics to gain exposure.

The primary goal of small business marketing is to not only connect with new prospects to acquire new customers but also to build and nurture relationships with existing customers to keep them coming back.

Small business marketing can consist of a variety of offline and  online strategies . Regardless of the marketing tactics you use, the end goal is typically to generate more revenue, expand market share, improve profitability, and grow.

What Is a Small Business Marketing Plan?

A small business marketing plan is a roadmap small businesses can use to reach their marketing objectives, increase revenue, and grow their overall business. A small business can use a marketing plan to guide their entire marketing efforts to ensure they meet their company’s objectives.

In 2021, the most prominent  small business marketing challenges  were:

  • Not having enough time and resources to focus on marketing
  • A small marketing budget, and
  • Lack of clear marketing strategy and objectives

2021 small business marketing challenges

Without a clear marketing strategy and objective, your marketing efforts will be a waste. But, if you implement a small business marketing plan, you’ll be well to see your company or department succeed.

9 Steps to Create a Small Business Marketing Plan

Every small business marketing plan will be different as each business is different. But there’s a simple framework you can use to come up with a plan that’s actionable and effective. Follow these nine steps to set your marketing team up for success:

1. Establish your goals

First off, you need to set your marketing goals. But you can’t just set a random, vague goal like “Make more money.” You need to set clear, actionable goals.

The best way to come up with marketing goals is to use the “SMART” formula. This stands for:

  • S: Specific
  • M: Measurable
  • A: Achievable
  • R: Relevant
  • T: Time-bound

The SMART goal strategy is a tried and true method of goal setting to help you achieve what you’re aiming for. Here’s an example of a SMART small business marketing goal:

“Increase return customer rate from 5% to 20% in 12 months.”

Let’s see how it lines up with the SMART formula:

  • S: Specific (about retention)
  • M: Measurable (includes real numbers)
  • A: Achievable (not too far out of reach)
  • R: Relevant (aligns with your overall business objectives)
  • T: Time-specific (in 12 months)

If you’re having trouble coming up with your goals, you could start by identifying some broader small business objectives before getting specific.

Here are a few common small business marketing goals:

  • Build a greater online presence
  • Generate more leads (and customers)
  • Increase brand awareness
  • Connect with a broader audience
  • Engage with your audience more
  • Generate more recurring revenue

It’s up to you to figure out which of these goals makes the most sense for your team and your business. Try and come up with 3-5 SMART goals now and write them down.

2. Understand your target audience

Now that you’ve established your primary marketing goals, it’s time to focus on your audience. Ultimately, they’re going to be the ones to help you reach your goals.

Before you can achieve any sort of success with your marketing efforts, you need to know who you’re targeting. Your target audience can vary based on a variety of different factors like geographical region, your business type, and demographics.

Oftentimes, your audience will dictate the type of marketing tactics you implement later on, so it’s crucial you take the time to research so you can understand them better.

For instance, if your target audience is in their 70s, then TikTok might not be the best place to invest your marketing resources. On the other hand, if you’re targeting Gen-Zs, then you should probably avoid print ads and, instead, get on TikTok and Instagram asap.

Here are a few questions you should ask yourself to help understand your audience:

  • Who are your past customers?  Look at demographics like age, location, and gender.
  • Who are your returning customers?  This is important to understand, especially if one of your goals is to generate recurring revenue through increased retention.
  • Who do you want to reach?  While you may have a specific past customer base, it’s crucial to know the type of customer you’re after so you can adjust your marketing strategy to target them better.
  • What products or services are people buying from you the most?  Look at sales data to help understand what your customers are interested in, their pain points, and the problems they’re looking to solve.
  • Why did your past customers buy from you?  Look into primary driving factors for their purchase decisions. You can email customers directly, conduct surveys, and look at reviews and testimonials to understand the intent behind their purchases.

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3. Set your budget

Now that you’ve set your goals and understand your target audience, it’s time to establish your marketing budget.

You should take the time to assess the current financial health of your business—including your current and future cash flow—to determine your marketing budget. If you’re not running the finances in your small business, sit down with your CFO to come up with a budget you can both work within.

It’s crucial to figure out your budget ahead of time, as it’ll help guide the remainder of your marketing plan.

You should be realistic about how much money you’re able to invest into your marketing efforts every month.

If you’re scratching your head wondering where to start, you can start with around 10-20% of your overall revenue. This is a typical budget allocation for small businesses to invest in their marketing efforts.

While this may seem like a lot to invest, the return on investment (ROI) will be well worth it (if you implement the right marketing plan).

If you’re thinking you have almost nothing to spend on marketing as you’re brand new, that’s alright! Any little bit helps. Whatever you can invest in your marketing will help fuel future business growth.

Don’t forget that when budgeting, you should also take into consideration your  time  budget. In other words, you should look at not just the money you can put into marketing but the overall resources, including work hours. How much time are you able to devote to your marketing strategy every day, week, or month?

Write it down alongside your monetary budget. It can be easy to let other business activities take priority over your marketing efforts. Make sure you craft a time budget as well to ensure your marketing gets done. This will help you see your goals through to the end.

4. Create a website

Now that you’ve set your time and money budget, it’s time to spend it!

This is the fun part (at least for most people). Now that you know what you’re working with in terms of your resources, you can get to work on your marketing.

Your website is the digital headquarters for your business. It’s the place where you establish your branding, where you convert prospects into leads, and where you generate new sales.

You need to ensure your website is both professional and tactical. It’s the place where you show off who you are and what you offer. It’s the place of first impressions, so you need to ensure it’s designed well and functions in alignment with your goals.

The most effective websites will be much more than a digital brochure. When crafted properly, they can be 24/7 salespeople for your business.

If you have the budget, you should hire a web designer and developer to help you craft a professional site. If you have a limited budget, there are plenty of cheap and free website-building tools you can use to create your own site, even if you know nothing about design or coding.

5. Build a social media presence

Now that your headquarters is established, it’s time to set your brand up on social media. Nowadays, social media is an essential part of any small business marketing plan (whether your business is online or offline). The reality is that every type of customer is on social media (regardless of age).

If your audience skews younger, then chances are they’re on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. If they’re older, they’re likely on Facebook. If you have a B2B brand, then you might want to check out LinkedIn.

You probably think all the different platform choices are overwhelming. You’re right—it can definitely be a confusing process trying to figure out how you’ll manage to post on dozens of social platforms consistently.

The truth is, you don’t have to, and you shouldn’t—at least not at the start.

The best way you can get started with your social media plan is to focus on one platform (two at max) when you’re first starting‌ out. Take a look back at number two—your audience. Where are they? Chances are, they hang out on one social media platform more than the others. Try to determine where they hang out. If you’re unsure, you can conduct surveys, ask customers one-on-one, or you can try testing out paid ads on a few platforms to see if there’s a winner early on (we’ll touch more on this at number 7).

There are two secrets to winning with social media:

  • Post consistently.
  • Engage with your followers.

That’s it. Yes, there are dozens of other tactics you can use to increase your social media marketing efforts. But you should spend 80% of your social media efforts focusing on these two things—especially when first starting out.

Just remember:  Even if you’re not going to start posting regularly on all the additional social media platforms, it’s important that you at least make a profile on each one to establish consistent branding if you do decide to branch out to them in the future.

6. Create content

Ever heard the term content marketing? It’s one of the most powerful forms of digital marketing in 2023. While content marketing primarily refers to blog posts and articles that help drive traffic to websites, it encompasses a wide variety of different mediums and content types.

In 2021,  video content actually surpassed blog content  in terms of the type of content created in content marketing strategies.

Main types of media used in content marketing strategies in 2021

Businesses primarily use content marketing as part of an overall inbound marketing strategy—which includes creating content as a means to draw people to your site. Inbound marketing is all about providing your potential customers with helpful information and resources and providing value that both attracts and converts them into customers.

Nowadays, your  content marketing strategy  can include a variety of content types:

  • Social media marketing
  • Video content
  • Blog posts and articles

Similar to choosing a social media platform, it can be confusing where to start with content types. You should consider two things: the ways your audience consumes content and the content you like producing.

For instance, you may find that your audience loves video content the best, and they hang out on YouTube and Instagram. But you’re really not into creating long-form videos. Instead, you could create stories on YouTube and Instagram—short-form videos you like creating that also engage your audience.

Just remember, it’s more important to consider how your audience likes consuming content ‌than what you actually enjoy creating. If you despise writing but you know your audience loves reading blogs, then you may want to outsource your content writing or hire a content agency to help you create content.

7. Invest in paid ads & influencers

All the marketing tactics we’ve mentioned above so far are primarily longer-term tactics to grow your audience and build a brand for the long haul.

However, there are two primary marketing tactics you can use to grow your audience and convert customers quickly—if you have the budget.

Those two are paid ads and influencers.

With enough money, you can access any audience. This could be paying for Facebook ads, or it could be paying an influencer to review your product to their audience of 300,000 engaged followers.

Either way, if your goal is to grow or convert new customers quickly, then you can leverage paid ads, influencers, or a combination of the two to reach your goals. To get started, you don’t need to have tens of thousands to spend. With even the smallest of budgets, you can focus on micro-influencers and run pay-per-click ads on Google or Instagram.

8. Consider traditional marketing tactics

The world, in 2023, is super digital. Everyone has a digital marketing strategy. You can use that to your advantage. As digital marketing has become the dominant form of marketing over traditional efforts, traditional marketing has become less expensive and less crowded.

A well-rounded small business plan will often include both online and offline marketing strategies. If you want to diversify your marketing efforts, then you may want to consider implementing some traditional tactics as well, such as:

  • Print advertising

If you have a business that’s primarily targeting a local audience, then you will definitely want to consider some of these tactics. These traditional marketing efforts can be incredibly powerful for community and brand-building. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, then implementing at least a few of them is essential to thriving in your community.

9. Track & measure your results

Now that you’re taking action and working on the different marketing tactics outlined in this comprehensive plan, it’s time to focus on perhaps the most important step of them all: tracking and measuring your results.

This is a critical step—and one that will essentially evaluate how close you are to your targets set in step number one. Did you reach your goals? Did you surpass them? Did you fall short?

If you want to succeed with your marketing plan, you need to analyze your efforts. You may be posting on Facebook every day only to get a couple of likes here and there. Or maybe you've built a blog that’s generating thousands of visitors every month.

Perhaps your in-person workshops have turned into a thriving repeat customer base.

You should go back to your original goals at the end dates you set for them (since you crafted SMART goals). Where did you land? If you didn’t reach your goal, analyze why. What tactics and specific steps of action did you take (or not take).

What channels are serving you the most?

What channels are performing the worst?

The best way to close out step nine is to re-establish new goals and essentially start your marketing plan over again. Except this time, you’re not starting from scratch. You’ve built up a solid plan and simply need to shift course a bit. You’ve seen what’s working and what’s not, so you can allocate more time, money, and resources to improve your plan even more.

Remember, building your marketing plan isn’t a one-time event. The best small business marketers know that continually monitoring their efforts and optimizing them is how they will find success in the long term.

Small Business Marketing Plan Templates

If you’re looking for a marketing plan template , you can follow steps 1–9 above to create your roadmap. But, if you want something easy—where you can simply fill in the blanks, then there are hundreds of free or paid marketing plan templates available online.

Whether you’re looking to start from scratch with a comprehensive marketing plan template or a simple one-page template, or you want a practical project-based roadmap, there are plenty of resources available.

Comprehensive marketing plan template

Business.com created a  free marketing plan template  you can use built right within Google Docs. It’s a comprehensive template you can use to build your marketing plan in a day. Each section includes in-depth explanations as well as free resources to learn more so you can build a clear roadmap.

Business.com free marketing plan template

One-page marketing plan template

If you don’t have a lot of time available to work on an in-depth plan, then you’ll want to consider Smartsheet’s template. Smartsheet offers a ton of free marketing templates, including a simple  one-page marketing plan  that you can get done in under 30 minutes.

Smartsheet one-page marketing plan template

Project-based marketing plan template

If you’re looking for a template that’s more of an action plan for your upcoming campaigns, then you’ll want to check out  Monday.com’s marketing plan templates . While you’ll have to get a paid plan to use Monday.com, you get access to a variety of impressive marketing plan templates that are project-based and actionable to help you meet your goals.

Monday.com marketing plan template

4 Best Practices When Crafting a Marketing Plan

1. center everything around your value proposition.

What makes you stand out from the crowd? Why should customers choose you over the competition?

When building your marketing plan, you always need to keep your value proposition top of mind. It has to take center stage when crafting every piece of content, creating new campaigns, and establishing your buyer personas.

Your value proposition is the thing that differentiates your brand from others in the space. If you’re not sure what yours is, try looking at what you do better than everyone else in your industry. If you can’t figure it out, then you need to establish the thing that does make you different. It could be your product, customer service, content plan, branding, or even price.

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11 marketing campaign types to try (+ examples and tips), fractional cmos vs. agencies vs. contractors: what’s the difference (+ hiring costs), building successful creator partnerships in 2024 (5 tips), the top priorities and challenges of cmos in 2024: report, 2. stay focused on your primary goals.

There are dozens of different paths you can take with your marketing. Within the marketing world, it can be easy to get distracted by new, shiny marketing tactics that are “guaranteed” to convert. While it can be tempting to give in to them, it’s best to stick to your core tactics.

Once you have your marketing plan set up, you need to stick to it to ensure the highest odds of success in reaching your goals. Once you’ve reached your primary objectives (or you’re on the trajectory to do so), then—and only then—should you even consider shifting your marketing efforts to other tactics.

3. Be consistent with your branding

Your branding is your business, and your business is your branding.

When it comes to building the right marketing plan, it’s important to measure the results of your efforts. One of the more challenging aspects of marketing success is measuring how well you are branding yourself. How powerful is your brand?

Your brand image has the power to turn customers off forever with a bad first impression or create raving fans who tell all their friends to buy from you.

One of the key elements to establishing your branding is to ensure you’re consistent. You need to know what type of brand you want to be, then ensure you’re congruent with it everywhere—on your website, social media, ads, in your voice, and even in your customer support.

4. Build a tool stack

In the digital age, you’ll only get so far with your marketing plan without the right tools. Even if you don’t consider yourself tech-savvy, you need to have the right technology at your disposal in order to make a dent with your marketing—even if you lean heavily on traditional marketing tactics.

Here are a few different types of marketing tools you should consider using:

  • Marketing strategy software
  • Email marketing software
  • Content marketing software
  • Social media software
  • Project management software
  • Analytics software

If you have a lean budget, don’t worry. There are plenty of tools in nearly every tool category that won’t cost you a thing.

Level Up Your Marketing Strategy

No matter how great your product or service is, you won’t be able to create consistent growth without a proper marketing plan.

Remember, ‌marketing plans with the greatest odds of success start with the end in mind. Stay focused on your business objectives, and pay attention to what’s working. By staying flexible, you’ll be able to optimize your strategy over time and find success in your industry.

If you want to stay up to date on the latest marketing strategies and trends, then  sign up for The CMO newsletter today . Our email newsletter offers practical advice and software recommendations from industry experts you can use to level up your marketing strategy and grow your business.

Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing

Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is a fast-paced and ever-evolving field, making it crucial for entrepreneurs and businesses to have a solid plan in place. With ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing, you can easily map out your objectives, target audience, marketing channels, budget allocation, and key performance indicators, ensuring that your digital marketing efforts are focused and effective. Whether you're a seasoned marketer or just starting out, this template provides the structure and guidance you need to promote your products or services online and achieve measurable business growth. Get started today and watch your digital marketing strategy soar!

Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing Benefits

A business plan template for digital marketing offers a range of benefits to entrepreneurs and businesses looking to excel in the digital space:

  • Provides a strategic roadmap for achieving business goals and objectives
  • Helps identify and target the right audience for maximum impact
  • Guides the selection and optimization of marketing channels for effective promotion
  • Assists in allocating budget resources efficiently and maximizing ROI
  • Enables tracking and measuring key performance indicators for continuous improvement
  • Facilitates collaboration and alignment within the marketing team
  • Allows for regular evaluation and adjustment of digital marketing strategies to stay ahead of the competition.

Main Elements of Digital Marketing Business Plan Template

ClickUp’s Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing is the perfect tool to help entrepreneurs and businesses set clear objectives and track progress in their digital marketing efforts. Here are the main elements of this template:

Custom Statuses: Keep track of the progress of each task with statuses like Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, and To Do, ensuring that every aspect of your digital marketing plan is accounted for.

Custom Fields: Use custom fields like Reference, Approved, and Section to add important details to your tasks, such as relevant documents, approval status, and specific sections of your business plan.

Custom Views: Access different views to gain a comprehensive understanding of your digital marketing plan. Explore the Topics view to see all the different areas of your plan, the Status view to track the progress of each task, the Timeline view to visualize your plan over time, the Business Plan view to get an overview of your entire strategy, and the Getting Started Guide view to help you navigate the template effectively.

Collaboration and Tracking: Utilize ClickUp's collaboration features, such as task assignments, comments, and attachments, to collaborate with your team and ensure everyone is on the same page. Track your progress, set due dates, and receive notifications to stay on top of your digital marketing plan.

With ClickUp's Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing, you can streamline your digital marketing efforts, stay organized, and achieve your business goals effectively.

How To Use Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing

Crafting a comprehensive business plan for your digital marketing efforts is essential for success. Follow these four steps to effectively utilize the Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing in ClickUp:

1. Define your objectives and target audience

Start by clarifying your business goals and objectives. Are you looking to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or drive sales? Once you have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve, identify your target audience. Understanding their demographics, preferences, and pain points will help you tailor your digital marketing strategy to effectively reach and engage them.

Utilize custom fields in ClickUp to outline your business objectives and create personas for your target audience.

2. Conduct a thorough competitor analysis

Research and analyze your competitors to gain insights into their digital marketing strategies. Identify their strengths, weaknesses, and unique selling propositions. This analysis will help you identify opportunities for differentiation and areas where you can outperform your competition.

Use the Board view in ClickUp to create cards for each competitor and track their key marketing strategies, such as social media presence, content marketing, and SEO efforts.

3. Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy

Based on your objectives, target audience, and competitor analysis, create a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. This should include specific tactics for each digital marketing channel, such as social media marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, email marketing, and paid advertising.

Utilize the Gantt chart in ClickUp to visually map out your marketing strategy and set deadlines for each tactic.

4. Implement, track, and optimize your campaigns

Once your strategy is in place, it's time to implement your campaigns. Launch your digital marketing efforts across various channels, monitor their performance, and track key metrics such as website traffic, conversion rates, and engagement. This data will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your campaigns and allow you to make data-driven optimizations.

Use the Dashboards in ClickUp to track and analyze your digital marketing metrics in real-time, allowing you to make informed decisions and continually optimize your campaigns for maximum results.

By following these steps and utilizing the Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing in ClickUp, you'll be well-equipped to create a comprehensive and effective business plan for your digital marketing efforts.

Get Started with ClickUp’s Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing

Entrepreneurs and businesses can use the ClickUp Business Plan Template for Digital Marketing to effectively plan and execute their digital marketing strategies.

First, hit “Add Template” to sign up for ClickUp and add the template to your Workspace. Make sure you designate which Space or location in your Workspace you’d like this template applied.

Next, invite relevant members or guests to your Workspace to start collaborating.

Now you can take advantage of the full potential of this template to create a comprehensive digital marketing plan:

  • Use the Topics View to outline the key sections of your business plan, such as objectives, target audience, marketing channels, budget allocation, and key performance indicators
  • The Status View will help you track the progress of each section, with statuses like Complete, In Progress, Needs Revision, and To Do
  • Utilize the Timeline View to set deadlines and milestones for each section of your business plan
  • The Business Plan View provides a holistic overview of your entire digital marketing strategy, allowing you to see how all the sections fit together
  • Create a Getting Started Guide View to provide step-by-step instructions and resources for team members to follow when executing the digital marketing plan
  • Customize the template with custom fields like Reference, Approved, and Section to add more context and organization to your business plan
  • Update statuses and custom fields as you progress through each section to keep team members informed and on track
  • Monitor and analyze the progress of your digital marketing plan to ensure you're achieving your business goals
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Powerful business plan templates

Plan for the future, no matter what your business plans are or the size of your business with these designs and templates. whether it's just one big project or an entire organization's worth of dreams, these templates will keep you and your company on track from ideation to completion..

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Put your ideas to work with simple templates for every business plan

Every successful business took a lot of planning to get there, and these templates will be cornerstones of your future success. Whether you're looking to attract new business, pitch your services or reimagine your company, with these simple, customizable templates at your fingertips you can turn complexity into something tangible. These templates can become marketing assets or simply remain internal touchpoints for your team. And as your dreams change, you'll always have this template to refer to – it's easy to change what exists on paper. If you're a small business, focusing on your niche can help you dominate in your field, and you can forge a plan to figure out exactly what that niche might be and how to target your ideal customer . When it's time to share your vision with stakeholders, craft a presentation that outlines your plan succinctly and with style. Let these templates from Microsoft Designer be your partner in business strategy for years to come.

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Sample Clothing Store Business Plan

Growthink.com Clothing Store Business Plan Template

Writing a business plan is a crucial step in starting a clothing store. Not only does it provide structure and guidance for the future, but it also helps to create funding opportunities and attract potential investors. For aspiring clothing store business owners, having access to a sample clothing store business plan can be especially helpful in providing direction and gaining insight into how to draft their own clothing store business plan.

Download our Ultimate Clothing Store Business Plan Template

Having a thorough business plan in place is critical for any successful clothing store venture. It will serve as the foundation for your operations, setting out the goals and objectives that will help guide your decisions and actions. A well-written business plan can give you clarity on realistic financial projections and help you secure financing from lenders or investors. A clothing store business plan example can be a great resource to draw upon when creating your own plan, making sure that all the key components are included in your document.

The clothing store business plan sample below will give you an idea of what one should look like. It is not as comprehensive and successful in raising capital for your clothing store as Growthink’s Ultimate Clothing Store Business Plan Template , but it can help you write a clothing store business plan of your own.

Example – StyleSaga Boutique

Table of contents, executive summary, company overview, industry analysis, customer analysis, competitive analysis, marketing plan, operations plan, management team, financial plan.

StyleSaga Boutique, situated in the vibrant heart of Columbus, OH, is a fashion-forward retail initiative designed to meet the diverse sartorial needs of our local community. Our boutique prides itself on offering a wide range of unique and fashionable clothing options that cater to individuals looking for pieces that reflect their personal style. We are committed to sustainability, ensuring that a significant portion of our inventory is eco-friendly and ethically sourced. Our goal is to provide a one-stop-shop for fashion enthusiasts, environmentally conscious shoppers, and young professionals seeking trendy yet professional attire.

Our boutique’s success can be attributed to several key factors and accomplishments. First and foremost, our dedication to offering a curated selection of unique, fashionable, and sustainable clothing has set us apart in the local market. We’ve built strong relationships with suppliers and vendors, ensuring we provide high-quality merchandise at competitive prices. Our adeptness at forecasting and adapting to fashion trends has allowed us to consistently meet our customers’ needs and preferences. Additionally, our commitment to exceptional customer service and community engagement has fostered a loyal customer base and established StyleSaga Boutique as a prominent and respected presence in Columbus, OH.

The fashion retail industry is experiencing a significant shift towards sustainability and ethical production practices, driven by increasing consumer awareness and demand for transparency. The rise of digital marketing and e-commerce platforms has also transformed how boutiques engage with their customers, making online visibility and social media engagement crucial for success. Despite these challenges, the industry presents ample opportunities for growth, especially for businesses like StyleSaga Boutique that prioritize unique, sustainable fashion and harness the power of both online and offline marketing strategies to build a strong brand identity.

Our primary target market includes local residents in search of distinctive clothing that reflects their individual style. We cater to fashion enthusiasts who value uniqueness and quality, as well as environmentally conscious shoppers looking for sustainable and ethically produced apparel. Additionally, we aim to attract young professionals seeking versatile, trendy attire suitable for both office and social settings. By offering a diverse range of styles and sizes, along with eco-friendly options, StyleSaga Boutique addresses the varied preferences and values of our customer segments, ensuring a broad appeal.

Top competitors include local boutiques with similar target markets and large retail chains offering fast fashion at lower price points. Despite this competition, StyleSaga Boutique’s competitive advantages lie in our focus on sustainability, unique product offerings, and exceptional customer service. Our commitment to ethical fashion and ability to quickly adapt to changing trends allow us to meet customer demands in ways that many competitors cannot, setting us apart in the Columbus market.

Our marketing plan revolves around highlighting our unique selling propositions, such as our sustainable and ethically sourced products, through various channels. We leverage social media platforms, email newsletters, and in-store promotions to engage with our target audience and drive traffic to our boutique. Our product range is carefully curated to ensure diversity in style, size, and price, catering to a broad customer base without compromising on quality. Competitive pricing strategies are employed to offer value while maintaining profitability. Promotions and discounts are strategically used to attract new customers and reward loyalty among existing ones.

At StyleSaga Boutique, our daily operations are focused on inventory management, exceptional customer service, maintaining an inviting store presentation, and executing targeted marketing campaigns. We monitor sales data to understand customer preferences, manage financial transactions to ensure boutique health, and invest in employee training for superior service. Strong supplier relations and compliance with legal requirements are also key. Our milestones include expanding our product line, enhancing our online presence, and further engaging with the Columbus community to strengthen our brand and customer base.

The management team at StyleSaga Boutique brings together a group of passionate individuals with extensive experience in retail, fashion, and business management. Our team’s expertise in trend forecasting, customer service, and financial management positions us to successfully navigate the competitive landscape of fashion retail. We are united in our commitment to sustainability and innovation, driving StyleSaga Boutique towards a future of continued growth and success in the fashion industry.

Welcome to StyleSaga Boutique, a fresh and vibrant clothing store now gracing Columbus, OH. As a local establishment, we’ve recognized a significant gap in the market for high-quality, local clothing stores – a gap we are here to fill. Our commitment is to provide an unparalleled shopping experience, offering a diverse range of products that cater to the unique styles and needs of our community.

Our product lineup is both comprehensive and exclusive, featuring everything from casual T-shirts and jeans to more formal dresses and skirts. We also offer a selection of outerwear, including jackets and coats, designed to keep you stylish and comfortable regardless of the weather. Additionally, our activewear range ensures that you look your best, even during the most intense workouts. Each piece in our collection is carefully selected to ensure the highest quality and the latest trends, ensuring that our customers always find something that resonates with their personal style.

Located in the heart of Columbus, OH, StyleSaga Boutique is perfectly positioned to serve the local community. Our presence in Columbus allows us to understand and cater to the unique tastes and preferences of our customers, providing a personalized and immersive shopping experience.

Our confidence in the success of StyleSaga Boutique stems from several key factors. Firstly, our founder brings invaluable experience from previously running a successful clothing store, providing a solid foundation for our operations. Moreover, our commitment to quality and variety sets us apart from the competition. We take pride in offering better clothing options and a wider variety of styles than any other store in the area, ensuring that our customers always find something they love.

Since our inception on January 3, 2024, StyleSaga Boutique has made significant strides as a business. We are officially registered as a S Corporation, a testament to our commitment to professionalism and growth. Our accomplishments to date include designing our unique logo, developing our distinctive company name, and securing a prime location for our store. These milestones mark just the beginning of our journey, and we are excited about the future of StyleSaga Boutique in Columbus, OH.

The Clothing Store industry in the United States is a significant and thriving market. According to recent data, the market size was estimated to be around $292 billion in 2020. This demonstrates the immense opportunity and potential for growth within the industry. Furthermore, it is projected that the industry will experience a steady growth rate of 3.6% annually over the next five years. This optimistic outlook indicates that the Clothing Store industry is poised for further expansion.

Several trends have emerged in the Clothing Store industry that bode well for StyleSaga Boutique. One notable trend is the increasing demand for eco-friendly and sustainable fashion. Consumers are becoming more conscious of the environmental impact of their clothing choices and are actively seeking out brands that prioritize sustainability. StyleSaga Boutique can capitalize on this trend by offering a range of ethically sourced and environmentally friendly clothing options, setting itself apart from competitors and appealing to a growing market segment.

Another trend that favors StyleSaga Boutique is the rising popularity of online shopping. In recent years, there has been a significant shift towards e-commerce in the retail sector, and the Clothing Store industry is no exception. With its online platform, StyleSaga Boutique can tap into the growing number of consumers who prefer the convenience and ease of online shopping. By providing a seamless online shopping experience and leveraging digital marketing strategies, the boutique can reach a wider customer base and drive sales.

Below is a description of our target customers and their core needs.

Target Customers

StyleSaga Boutique will target a diverse clientele, with a primary focus on local residents who are seeking unique and fashionable clothing options. This group is expected to have a keen interest in fashion trends and will appreciate the boutique’s curated selection of apparel. Their purchasing decisions are often influenced by quality and exclusivity, making them ideal customers for StyleSaga Boutique.

The boutique will also cater to young professionals in Columbus, OH, who are aiming to enhance their wardrobes with stylish yet professional attire. This segment values convenience and quality, and will seek out StyleSaga Boutique for its unique offerings that cannot be found in larger retail stores. They are likely to become repeat customers, relying on the boutique for seasonal updates to their wardrobes.

Furthermore, StyleSaga Boutique will tailor its offerings to attract fashion-forward students from local colleges and universities. This demographic is always on the lookout for the latest trends at affordable prices. The boutique will leverage this by offering a mix of high-quality yet budget-friendly pieces, ensuring it becomes a go-to destination for students aiming to maintain a stylish appearance without breaking the bank.

Customer Needs

StyleSaga Boutique emerges as a beacon of high-quality clothing for those residents in Columbus who prioritize excellence in their wardrobe. They can expect a curated selection of apparel that not only meets but exceeds their expectations in terms of fabric quality, craftsmanship, and durability. This commitment to quality ensures that customers have access to pieces that not only look stunning but are also built to last, providing them with value for their investment.

In addition to quality, StyleSaga Boutique understands the importance of offering unique and trendy options for its customers. Shoppers can find themselves enveloped in the latest fashions that cater to a variety of tastes, from the classic and timeless to the avant-garde. This wide array of choices guarantees that customers can express their individual styles while remaining on the cutting edge of fashion trends.

Moreover, StyleSaga Boutique addresses the need for personalized and attentive customer service. Customers can expect a shopping experience that is tailored to their needs, with staff members who are knowledgeable and eager to assist in the selection process. This level of service not only makes the shopping experience enjoyable but also ensures that customers feel valued and understood, fostering a sense of community and loyalty to the boutique.

StyleSaga Boutique’s competitors include the following companies:

Tigertree is a well-regarded competitor known for its unique blend of clothing and lifestyle products. It offers a carefully curated selection of apparel, accessories, gifts, and home decor items. The price points at Tigertree cater to a mid-range budget, making it accessible to a broad segment of customers. Tigertree’s revenues stem from both its brick-and-mortar location in Columbus, OH, and its online store, which extends its reach beyond local customers. The store’s key strengths include its distinctive product selection and strong brand identity. However, its reliance on non-essential, discretionary items could be seen as a weakness in economically challenging times.

Second Chance Consignment Boutique specializes in high-quality, gently used clothing and accessories for women. This store appeals to budget-conscious consumers looking for designer brands at a fraction of the cost. Price points vary widely depending on the brand and condition of items, but are generally significantly lower than retail prices for new goods. Located in Columbus, OH, Second Chance Consignment Boutique serves a local customer base. The store’s key strength is its ability to offer luxury brands at affordable prices, attracting both bargain hunters and environmentally conscious shoppers. A potential weakness is the inconsistency of inventory, which can vary greatly in size, style, and brand availability.

College Traditions focuses on apparel and merchandise for fans of Ohio State University. It offers a wide range of products from clothing and accessories to home decor and gifts, all branded with OSU logos and colors. The store’s price points are designed to be accessible to a broad audience, including students, alumni, and sports fans. Situated near the OSU campus in Columbus, OH, College Traditions benefits from a loyal customer base of students, alumni, and local sports enthusiasts. Its key strength is its niche focus on OSU-branded merchandise, which capitalizes on the strong community spirit and sports culture in Columbus. A potential weakness is its limited appeal to non-OSU fans, which could restrict its market reach.

Competitive Advantages

At StyleSaga Boutique, we pride ourselves on offering superior quality clothing that clearly stands out from what our competition can provide. Our commitment to excellence is evident in every piece of garment we produce, ensuring that each item not only meets but exceeds the expectations of our discerning customers. This dedication to quality is a cornerstone of our competitive advantage, allowing us to attract a loyal customer base that values craftsmanship and durability in their clothing. We understand that in the fashion industry, the quality of the materials and the finesse in the manufacturing process can make a significant difference in the end product. Therefore, we meticulously select premium fabrics and employ skilled artisans who share our passion for creating exceptional clothing.

Furthermore, we offer an unparalleled variety of clothing options to cater to the diverse tastes and preferences of our customers in Columbus, OH. We believe that variety is key in keeping our offerings fresh and exciting, ensuring that every visit to our boutique presents a new opportunity for discovery. Our extensive range includes the latest trends, timeless classics, and unique pieces that can’t be found anywhere else. This variety not only sets us apart from our competitors but also positions us as a one-stop-shop for all fashion needs. Our ability to provide a wide array of choices means that every customer can find something that perfectly matches their personal style and occasion, making us a go-to destination for fashion enthusiasts seeking quality and diversity in their wardrobe.

Our marketing plan, included below, details our products/services, pricing and promotions plan.

Products and Services

Embarking on a new journey in the fashion industry, StyleSaga Boutique emerges as a beacon of style, offering a diverse range of clothing options that cater to the fashion-forward individuals of today. With a commitment to quality and the latest trends, StyleSaga Boutique ensures that every customer finds something that not only resonates with their personal style but also adds a touch of uniqueness to their wardrobe.

At the heart of StyleSaga Boutique’s collection are the T-Shirts, a staple in everyone’s wardrobe. These aren’t just any T-shirts; they are a blend of comfort, style, and statement. Customers can expect to find a variety of designs, from minimalist to graphic tees, ensuring there’s something for every taste. The average selling price for these T-shirts is set at a competitive $25, making fashion accessible without compromising on quality.

Understanding the importance of versatility in clothing, StyleSaga Boutique offers an extensive selection of Jeans and Bottoms. From high-waisted jeans to comfortable leggings, the range is meticulously curated to cater to different occasions and preferences. The boutique takes pride in providing pieces that are both stylish and durable, with prices averaging around $50. This ensures that customers are investing in items that are not only trendy but also offer value for money.

For those looking to elevate their wardrobe with feminine flair, the Dresses and Skirts section is a treasure trove of options. Whether it’s a casual day dress or an elegant skirt for a night out, StyleSaga Boutique has something to match every mood and event. With an emphasis on quality fabrics and flattering fits, the average selling price for these items is thoughtfully set at $60, allowing customers to indulge in premium fashion at reasonable prices.

Recognizing the need for versatile outerwear, StyleSaga Boutique presents a collection of Jackets and Coats that are both functional and fashionable. From cozy winter coats to lightweight jackets perfect for transitional weather, the boutique ensures customers are prepared for any season. With prices averaging at $100, these outerwear pieces are an investment in style and comfort, designed to last through the seasons.

Last but not least, the Activewear section caters to the modern lifestyle, combining fashion with functionality. Understanding the dynamic needs of today’s consumers, StyleSaga Boutique offers activewear that is perfect for the gym, outdoor activities, or simply for those who prefer a sporty aesthetic. With an average price of $40, customers can expect high-quality, durable pieces that don’t compromise on style.

In summary, StyleSaga Boutique stands as a one-stop fashion destination in Columbus, OH, offering a wide range of clothing items that cater to various tastes and occasions. With competitive pricing and a focus on quality, the boutique is poised to become a favorite among those who appreciate fashion that’s both accessible and distinctive.

Promotions Plan

StyleSaga Boutique leverages a multi-faceted promotional strategy to attract and retain customers in the competitive Columbus, OH, marketplace. At the core of these efforts, online marketing plays a pivotal role. Through a combination of social media engagement, targeted ads, and a robust email marketing campaign, StyleSaga Boutique ensures a constant and engaging online presence. Social media platforms, particularly Instagram and Facebook, serve as primary channels for showcasing the latest collections, sharing fashion tips, and engaging directly with the fashion-forward community. Tailored ads, based on customer interests and browsing history, help in reaching potential customers efficiently.

Beyond online marketing, StyleSaga Boutique also embraces the power of local collaborations. By partnering with local influencers and fashion bloggers for sponsored posts and event collaborations, the boutique amplifies its reach and credibility among the local fashion community. These partnerships not only increase visibility but also endorse the boutique’s unique offerings in a more personal and relatable manner.

In-store events are another key promotional method. StyleSaga Boutique hosts exclusive shopping nights, fashion shows, and styling workshops, transforming the store into a community hub for fashion enthusiasts. These events not only create buzz but also provide a tangible experience of the brand’s identity and values, fostering a loyal customer base.

Loyalty programs and exclusive member discounts further incentivize repeat business. Customers expect rewards for their loyalty, and StyleSaga Boutique meets these expectations with a well-structured rewards program. This program offers points for purchases, referrals, and social media engagement, which can be redeemed against future purchases, thus encouraging continuous engagement with the brand.

Lastly, public relations efforts, including press releases and features in local lifestyle magazines, play a crucial role in building the boutique’s reputation. By highlighting the unique aspects of StyleSaga Boutique, such as its commitment to sustainable fashion or its support for local designers, these efforts elevate the boutique’s profile and attract a wider audience.

Overall, StyleSaga Boutique employs a dynamic mix of online and offline promotional tactics to establish a strong brand presence in Columbus, OH. Through targeted online marketing, local collaborations, engaging in-store events, rewarding loyalty programs, and strategic public relations, the boutique ensures it remains a preferred destination for fashion lovers in the area.

Our Operations Plan details:

  • The key day-to-day processes that our business performs to serve our customers
  • The key business milestones that our company expects to accomplish as we grow

Key Operational Processes

To ensure the success of StyleSaga Boutique, there are several key day-to-day operational processes that we will perform.

  • Inventory Management: We continuously monitor and update our inventory to ensure that popular items are always in stock, while also introducing new and trendy items regularly to keep our offerings fresh and appealing.
  • Customer Service: Our staff provides exceptional customer service, assisting shoppers in finding what they need, offering fashion advice when requested, and handling returns or exchanges promptly and courteously.
  • Store Presentation: We maintain a clean, organized, and inviting store environment. This includes regular cleaning, creating attractive displays, and ensuring that merchandise is well-organized and easy to browse.
  • Marketing and Promotions: We execute targeted marketing campaigns and promotions to attract new customers and retain existing ones. This involves managing social media accounts, sending out newsletters, and running in-store promotions.
  • Sales Monitoring: We closely monitor sales data to understand customer preferences and trends. This information helps us make informed decisions about inventory, marketing strategies, and potential adjustments to our product offerings.
  • Financial Management: We diligently track all financial transactions, including sales, expenses, and profits, to ensure the financial health of the boutique. This includes managing budgets, forecasting future financial performance, and making adjustments as necessary.
  • Employee Training and Management: We invest in regular training for our employees to ensure they are knowledgeable about our products and skilled in customer service. Additionally, we manage staff scheduling to ensure adequate coverage during peak times and events.
  • Supplier and Vendor Relations: We maintain strong relationships with our suppliers and vendors to ensure we receive high-quality merchandise on time and at the best possible prices. This also involves negotiating contracts and managing any issues that arise.
  • Compliance and Legal Requirements: We stay informed about and comply with all local, state, and federal regulations affecting our business, including those related to employment, sales tax collection, and consumer rights.
  • Community Engagement: We actively seek ways to engage with and contribute to our local community, such as participating in local events, sponsoring local sports teams, or collaborating with other local businesses. This helps build a strong, positive brand presence in Columbus, OH.

StyleSaga Boutique expects to complete the following milestones in the coming months in order to ensure its success:

  • Securing a Prime Location : Finding and securing a retail space in a high-traffic area of Columbus, OH, that aligns with StyleSaga Boutique’s target market. This is critical for attracting foot traffic and establishing the store’s presence.
  • Obtaining Necessary Permits and Licenses : Completing all legal and regulatory requirements to operate a clothing store in Columbus, OH. This includes business registration, sales tax permits, and any other local requirements.
  • Building Out the Store : Designing and outfitting the retail space to create an inviting and brand-aligned shopping environment. This involves interior design, purchasing fixtures and displays, and setting up a point-of-sale system.
  • Sourcing Inventory : Establishing relationships with clothing suppliers and designers, and purchasing initial inventory. This includes selecting a range of products that align with the brand’s identity and target customer preferences.
  • Hiring and Training Staff : Recruiting, hiring, and training employees who are passionate about fashion and provide excellent customer service. This will include sales associates, a store manager, and possibly a marketing or social media coordinator.
  • Launch Our Clothing Store : Officially opening StyleSaga Boutique with a launch event or promotion to generate buzz and attract initial customers. This milestone marks the transition from setup to operation.
  • Implementing a Marketing Strategy : Developing and executing a marketing plan that includes social media, local advertising, and community engagement to build brand awareness and drive traffic to the store.
  • Establishing an Online Presence : Creating a professional website and e-commerce platform to extend the store’s reach beyond local customers. This includes online marketing efforts to drive traffic to the website.
  • Monitoring and Adjusting Inventory Based on Sales Data : Using sales data to adjust product offerings, stocking more of what sells well, and phasing out what does not. This will help in managing inventory costs and improving profitability.
  • Get to $15,000/Month in Revenue : Achieving this level of monthly sales is crucial for covering operating expenses and reaching profitability. It involves continuously refining marketing efforts, inventory selection, and in-store experience based on customer feedback and sales data.

StyleSaga Boutique management team, which includes the following members, has the experience and expertise to successfully execute on our business plan:

Mia Anderson, CEO

Mia Anderson brings a rich background in the retail clothing industry, with an impressive track record of entrepreneurial success. Her experience includes running a successful clothing store, where she honed her skills in business management, customer relations, and inventory strategy. Mia’s leadership abilities and deep understanding of the fashion retail market make her an invaluable asset to StyleSaga Boutique. Her vision for the boutique encompasses not only leveraging her past success but also implementing innovative strategies to adapt to the ever-changing fashion industry, ensuring StyleSaga Boutique’s growth and sustainability.

StyleSaga Boutique is seeking additional funding to reach our growth goals. This investment will be directed towards expanding our inventory with a focus on sustainable and ethically sourced products, enhancing our marketing efforts to increase brand awareness and customer engagement, and improving our online presence through website development and e-commerce platforms. Our financial strategy is designed to ensure long-term profitability and sustainability, positioning us for success in the competitive fashion retail market.

Financial Statements

Balance sheet.

[insert balance sheet]

Income Statement

[insert income statement]

Cash Flow Statement

[insert cash flow statement]

Clothing Store Business Plan Example PDF

Download our Clothing Store Business Plan PDF here. This is a free clothing store business plan example to help you get started on your own clothing store plan.  

How to Finish Your Clothing Store Business Plan in 1 Day!

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How to Write a Dog Grooming Business Plan + Free Sample Plan PDF

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Elon Glucklich

8 min. read

Updated February 17, 2024

Download a free one-page dog grooming sample business plan

The bond between humans and their canine companions has always been strong. But spurred by increases in dog ownership across the U.S. , household spending on pets has risen in recent years.

The $5.4 billion global pet grooming services market is projected to grow at a 7% annual rate through 2030, creating new opportunities for dog-loving entrepreneurs to turn their passion into a business opportunity.

Whether you’re starting a boutique grooming salon or a mobile grooming service—a business plan can significantly increase your chances of success.

Download a free dog grooming sample business plan and complete it as you work through this guide.

  • What should you include in a dog grooming business plan?

Here are the common sections to consider when writing your dog grooming business plan.

  • Executive summary
  • Market analysis
  • Services and products
  • Marketing and sales strategy
  • Operations plan
  • Company summary
  • Financial plan and forecasts

The details of your plan will differ based on factors like the services you offer, whether you hire full-time employees or contractors, and whether your business is based in a brick-and-mortar building or goes to clients’ homes.

Check out our step-by-step guide to writing a full business plan for more details.

A sample dog grooming business plan outline.

What’s your biggest business challenge right now?

  • The 8 elements of an effective dog grooming business plan

Don’t make your dog grooming business plan longer than it needs to be . If you’re writing it for yourself, stick with a few pages and cover the aspects that will help you run your business.

But if you’re writing the plan because you’re seeking a bank loan or investment , it will likely need to be more detailed.

1. Executive summary

The executive summary is a concise overview of your dog grooming business plan. The executive summary should briefly touch on your company overview target market but shouldn’t be more than 2 pages long.

Its purpose is to highlight the mission and unique aspects of your business, whether that’s to provide superior pet care or introduce innovative grooming techniques to your market. 

2. Market analysis

What’s the opportunity that exists for your business? 

The market analysis section is a detailed assessment of the market you’re entering. In this case, you should cover current trends in the dog grooming industry, such as increasing pet ownership rates and a growing emphasis on pet care and wellness.

You must also identify your primary customer segments . Include demographics that help define who your customers are and what they want. Maybe you target pet owners in urban areas, busy professionals, or families seeking convenient and comprehensive grooming services.

Be sure to list out key competitors in your region, noting their service offerings, pricing, and market positioning. This analysis will help you identify opportunities to differentiate your business. For instance, your research might lead you to realize there are a lack of options in your area for mobile grooming services, or specialized care for anxious pets.

3. Services and products

The products and services section is where you detail the full range of grooming services and products you plan to offer. 

Consider writing them out as a list, like this example:

Basic services

  • Washing and drying
  • Hair trimming
  • Nail clipping
  • Ear cleaning.

Specialty services

  • Breed-specific grooming
  • Skin care treatments
  • Flea and tick treatments

Also, consider incorporating related products for sale, such as dog shampoos, conditioners, brushes, and other grooming tools. Whatever mix of products and services you choose to offer, connect them to your market opportunity. At its most basic, running a successful business is about identifying customer problems and providing solutions .

Detailing these services and products gives your customers a clear understanding of what your business provides and its value proposition .

4. Marketing and sales strategy

Your marketing and sales strategy turns your market research into a set of marketing strategies you can execute to attract customers. 

Through your research, you should understand how your target customers find dog grooming services — online, in print advertisements or commercials, through social media or word of mouth, etc.

Based on what you think are the most relevant marketing channels , develop strategies to make your business more visible. Strategies to consider include:

  • Advertising online or in local publications
  • Creating a website and establishing a social media presence
  • Interacting with the public at community events
  • Pursuing partnership opportunities with local pet stores

You may also want to consider discounts or special offers for repeat customers to build loyalty. 

Whatever tactics you deploy, it’s crucial to measure the impact of your marketing efforts through key performance indicators, and adjust your strategies based on what delivers value.

5. Operations plan

The operations section outlines how you will run your dog grooming business efficiently day to day. 

Whether you’re operating out of a brick-and-mortar building, a mobile van, or in clients’ homes, include details on the physical setup of your grooming salon, equipment needs, and staff requirements.

You should also discuss the process for booking appointments and managing customer relationships. Detail any software or systems you’ll use for scheduling and record-keeping. Also, outline your plan for meeting regulatory requirements and maintaining a clean, safe environment for pets.

6. Milestones

Outlining the key milestones for your business can help you determine how long it will take to meet your goals. You can keep these brief, even writing them in bullet points. Milestones for a dog grooming business could include:

  • Obtaining initial financing
  • Securing relevant permits
  • Initiating marketing efforts
  • Acquiring a certain number of clients
  • Reaching specific revenue benchmarks

Each milestone should have an estimated completion date and designated team members responsible for achieving them.

7. Company summary

Summarize the history of your business, including its legal structure and location. Also, highlight your background in pet grooming and your reasons for wanting to start a dog grooming business.

If you’re just starting out, discuss the initial startup costs required to get the business off the ground. If you’re writing your business plan to secure a bank loan, state how much funding you need, what you will use it for, and how it will benefit your grooming business.

8. Financial plan

The financial plan is where you provide a look into your dog grooming business’s financial projections, including sales , costs , and profitability .

Remember, financial forecasts are really just educated guesses created to give you a sense of how your business can be profitable over the long term. 

They’re meant to be adjusted over time as your actual financial numbers come in, helping you determine which aspects of your business are performing as expected and where you might need to adjust your strategy.

Your financial plan should include a cash flow statement , income statement , and balance sheet .

  • Tips for writing a dog grooming business plan

Understanding pet owners’ needs and how you can best serve them is vital for writing a dog grooming business plan that you can actually use to help your business grow.

As you write the plan, give some attention to these key points.

1. Consider your business structure

Choosing the right structure is pivotal. When writing the company overview section, consider factors like taxation, liability, and business growth potential to determine whether an LLC, sole proprietorship, or corporation best suits your needs. This decision will influence your operational flexibility, financial management, and legal obligations.

2. Develop a pricing strategy

Establishing a pricing strategy that balances market competitiveness with profitability is essential. As part of your market analysis, take the time to explore pricing tiers and client expectations. Offering a variety of service packages can cater to different customer needs and enhance revenue streams. Connect those packages and pricing tiers to your projected revenues and expenses as you create your financial forecasts.

3. Create an online presence

A strong online presence is non-negotiable. So, even if you plan to leverage traditional marketing channels, you will still want to have digital marketing efforts be part of your plan. 

At a minimum, invest in a professional website, optimize for local search , and engage actively on social media platforms. This visibility attracts new clients and serves as a platform for showcasing your work and customer testimonials.

4. Highlight your credentials and training

Highlighting your credentials and commitment to ongoing professional development can set your business apart. 

Regular training in new grooming techniques, customer service excellence, and pet safety reassure clients of the quality and reliability of your services. Start by mentioning the qualifications of you and your team and include any supporting documentation, like resumes or awards, in your appendix.

5. Build on success with client referrals and reviews

Encourage satisfied customers to refer others and leave positive online reviews . Word-of-mouth and digital endorsements can significantly impact your business’s reputation and trustworthiness. Consider implementing a referral program to incentivize clients to share their positive experiences.

  • Download your free dog grooming one page sample business plan

Download your dog grooming business plan sample now for free. You can also explore Bplans’ collection of over 550 sample business plans to find other examples.

Writing a business plan for your dog grooming business helps you stand out in a crowded market. It’s one of numerous reasons that a business plan increases your chance of success. 

The plan is essential for getting your business funded. But even if you don’t need a bank loan, thinking through each aspect of your business will help you make the best strategic decisions and use your limited resources effectively.

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See why 1.2 million entrepreneurs have written their business plans with LivePlan

Content Author: Elon Glucklich

Elon is a marketing specialist at Palo Alto Software, working with consultants, accountants, business instructors and others who use LivePlan at scale. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism and an MBA from the University of Oregon.

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Diving Deep Into Marketing for Dentists (My Takeaways)

Precious Oboidhe

Published: February 08, 2024

An avalanche of both booked and patient walk-ins is the dream of dental practitioners. But let’s be honest — getting these patients requires hard work because the dental industry is fiercely competitive.

dentist uses dental marketing tactics

To help you win and bring your dream to fruition, I will discuss the most interesting dental marketing campaigns I’ve seen and highlight what makes them so effective.

Download Now: Free Marketing Plan Template [Get Your Copy]

I’ll also share some out-of-the-box marketing strategies for growing your dental business. Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

Dental Marketing Strategies: 5 Campaigns You Can Learn From

4 dentist marketing ideas and how to execute them.

business plan marketing template

Free Marketing Plan Template

Outline your company's marketing strategy in one simple, coherent plan.

  • Pre-Sectioned Template
  • Completely Customizable
  • Example Prompts
  • Professionally Designed

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Below are the top dental marketing campaigns I’ve discovered — from Google ads to unique website updates. Here’s how these dental offices and companies found success.

1. Increase lead capture with Google Ads.

Google Ads is one of the most effective marketing strategies I’ve seen dental companies use. Beyond helping to create brand awareness , Google Ads lets you generate leads fast.

Case in point: Smile Doctors.

dental marketing campaigns, Smile Doctors homepage

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Smile Doctors started in 2015 , and in the first few years, the brand had minimal brand recognition. To connect with people who may need its orthodontic services, they used Google Ads, and I’ll tell you why.

From my experience, marketing channels like SEO take time to bring results — often six and up to nine months to attract just traffic .

Waiting for results wasn’t in the best interest of Smile Doctors. As a business with offices across the U.S., Smile Doctors needed country-wide brand awareness to get clients across their branches.

Embarking on a Google Ad campaign was an easy (though costly) choice to get people searching for dental services in each location.

Part of the campaign included the creation of customized landing pages aligned with each ad campaign. The brand also created many location-specific landing pages.

In fact, as of the time of this writing, Smile Doctors has 269 location-specific landing pages. Here’s an example.

Smile Doctors location landing page

With the landing pages set up, they conducted research to find commercial and transactional keywords. They also did competitor analysis and found and bid on many location-based keywords.

The campaign was massive, and insights from SpyFu show they may have invested over $13,000 per month in Google Ads.

Smile Doctors estimated Google ads budget

Here are a few of their ads.

Smile Doctors Google ads example

Overall, these ads got Smile Doctors a 35% increase in conversion rates . Call and form submissions also surged by 73%.

The icing on the cake is the incredible increase in online brand awareness — going from a mere 252 monthly visits in 2016 to 62,115 visits in 2023.

Smile Doctors organic traffic from 2016 to 2023

My Takeaway

Google Ads can get you results, but it’s best when you pair it with customized landing pages. These pages have the potential to rank organically, causing you to attract organic traffic and possibly help you cut your Google Ad costs.

2. Increase organic website visits and qualified leads with a targeted SEO campaign.

Customers will always appreciate your willingness to direct them. Once you can teach them “How to do [insert topic idea],” you will stand out and become an industry authority.

The Klement Family Dental (KFD) knew this about SEO and went all-in on it.

Before they got aggressive with SEO, they had a one-page dental website with subpar copy and no blog.

Klement Family Dental former homepage

Fast forward to 2024, the website has a new look with lots of pages, resources, and clear calls to action.

Klement Family Dental current homepage

Their strategy? A combination of content marketing , on-page , off-page , and technical SEO .

Some of the technical SEO boxes they checked off include having a sitemap and optimized site architecture, which looks like this:

Site architecture

A practical example is their “dental services” top-level navigation. Hovering on it shows the next-level menu, which has yet another category.

Klement Family Dental website architecture

This website structure is a plus for user experience because it reduces the crawl/click depth to three clicks.

That means it takes three clicks for a user to reach the bottom of the architecture (tooth filling, for example) and find what they need.

The outcome? Search engines rank such pages high.

The KFD website also has an informative blog with 171 posts. The traffic value of these posts shows they save up to $40,000 on Google ad costs.

Organic traffic cost of KFD blog

Besides this saving, what I love even more is their targeting of keywords that have commercial value . For example, their top article about “home remedies for toothaches” brings in 19,000 monthly visitors with a traffic value of $26,800.

Organic traffic cost of KFD top article

The catch with this article? If the home remedy options do not satisfy visitors, they can contact KFD for professional help.

Implementing SEO and content marketing can unlock the full potential of your dental website. But this duo works even better when you target keywords with high commercial value.

3. Run a reputation management campaign.

A report by B2B SaaS Reviews says 52% of customers consider businesses with an average review rating of four out of five stars suspicious.

Parker Pediatrics and Adolescents, a dental brand, didn't meet this threshold. The outcome? Patient numbers were taking a hit.

To fix this, they embarked on a reputation management campaign using a two-pronged strategy.

First, they established and optimized business listings primarily focused on Google Reviews. Working on the business listings positioned this dental brand for local SEO success.

This process ensured they had consistent NAP (name, address, phone number) on the internet, which created trust for potential new patients.

Google Business Profile of Parker Pediatrics and Adolescents

The second approach was the simultaneous launch of a Google review solicitation campaign. This helped them generate a steady stream of reviews from actual patients.

Today, when you search for Parker Pediatrics, you see a consistent NAP across listings and a good review page.

Customer review of Parker Pediatrics and Adolescents

The clinic’s average Google Reviews rating underwent a remarkable transformation, going from 3.6 to an impressive 4.2. They’ve also witnessed a 16% increase in new users, according to Cardinal Digital Marketing .

The clinic now boasts over 100 reviews, a testament to the genuine satisfaction of their patients and an accurate reflection of their work.

Online reviews shape perceptions, especially in healthcare. To attract patients with reviews, always ask your past patients to always leave positive feedback.

More positive feedback helps you dilute the overall impact of any negative review on your brand.

4. Get leads with Facebook Ads.

Smile Design Dentistry (SDD) is a family-owned practice in Florida. Faced with a low number of new patients, the brand embraced Facebook ads as a solution.

Their objectives were to:

  • reduce customer acquisition cost.
  • increase patient volume while keeping spending stable.
  • enhance lead generation and new patient bookings across their 50 locations.

To meet these objectives, Cardinal Digital Marketing worked with SDD to tell video stories, use image carousels, and adopt value-based conversion actions that helped the Facebook algorithm find better prospects.

They also created ads tailored to each location at every stage of the funnel. Plus, the creative planning involved A/B testing assets to achieve the lowest cost per lead (CPL).

Facebook ads by Smile Design Dentistry

After this campaign, call duration, conversion rates (CVR), and cost per acquisition (CPA) improved. There was also a notable increase in brand search volume, which shows improved brand awareness.

The indicator of success was not just in the efficiency of conversions but in the actual results — an influx of new patients.

Facebook ads are helpful for patient acquisition. But while you’re at it, watch out for your CVR, CPA, and CPL. If they are too high, you might be doing something wrong. That said, the ultimate barometer for success is more patients.

Quick note: You can connect your ad account to your HubSpot Marketing Automation software to create and manage your Facebook ads directly in HubSpot.

5. Try a website update or refresh.

Dr. Geisca Horn and Dr. Chad Loween run Serene Oaks Dental. Looking at their website homepage, all I see is elegance .

Serene Oaks Dental homepage

But it wasn’t always this way.

The site looked like this in March 2016.

Web archive result of Serene Oaks Dental homepage

Web archive results show they have redesigned their dentist service website several times.

In fact, the good folks at Roadside Dental Marketing say they redesign their site roughly every 2 to 3 years. And in 2021, they did a complete website makeover.

This is fascinating. Their rationale?

Serene Oaks Dental is not your average dental practice.

Dr. Horn and Loween are trailblazers in cosmetic dentistry who constantly enhance their skills and invest in the latest technology. They are also in a competitive market near Minneapolis, so they need to always stand out to stay ahead.

According to Roadside Dental Marketing, the results of their rebrand were a 72% increase in mobile traffic, a 37.9% surge in total traffic, and a 52.5% boost in average pages per session.

Your website reflects on your practice. By updating it, you create a great brand perception. This is even more important if you work with patients who want expensive dental services.

Here are four dentist marketing ideas you can use to drive traffic and sales opportunities to your dental business.

1. Optimize your Google Business Profile for local search.

“Dentist near me.”

“Dentist in Florida.”

“Best dentist for Invisalign in [state].”

These are local search terms . When patients search for them, Google will return results with profiles in the user’s area.

To win such local clientele , you need to set up or claim your Google Business Profile. Here are some tips for optimizing your profile.

Claim and verify your business.

This is the first step to optimizing your Google Business Profile .

A verified profile adds authenticity to your brand. This reassures visitors they are engaging with a legitimate and established dental practice. Here is how a verified Google profile looks:

Google Business Profile of Sky Dental

Add images showing the physical location.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and with a dental practice, it’s worth even more. Showcase your clinic, staff, and facilities using high-quality images and videos.

A visual representation of your dental services can help potential patients get a feel for your clinic and set the tone for a positive experience.

Google Business Profile image of Sky Dental

Choose relevant categories for your dental service.

Doing this helps your business appear and rank in the right search results. For instance, here’s what I got when I searched for “orthodontist in New York.”

Google Business Profile results for orthodontist in New York

And “oral surgeon New York.”

Google Business Profile results for oral surgeon in New York

These results show Google will return results that reflect the category a user wants. So, if you run a specialized practice, clarify this by choosing the right category and emphasizing it in your description.

Optimized Google Business Profile description

Optimize your description for local keywords.

Research and identify local keywords for dental services. Think “orthodontist in [location],” “teeth whitening in [location],” etc.

Use these keywords in your profile description, services, and posts to enhance your local search visibility.

2. Bid for transactional and commercial intent keywords.

Both are bottom-of-the-funnel keywords . Customers who search for them are actively seeking to make a purchase or take action — you just need to be there and gain their trust.

From my experience, such keywords may not have lots of traffic potential.

But their commercial value is enormous and bidding for them will be expensive and rewarding. Smile Doctors’ success shows the effectiveness of these high-conversion keywords.

Here are a few ways you can identify these keywords:

  • If your dental practice serves a specific location, include location-based terms in your keywords. For example, “dentist near me” or “dental services in [city].”
  • Uncover competitor keywords with tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush and target those with the highest commercial value. Keywords related to services, pricing, or transactional actions are good examples.
  • Focus on long-tail keywords . These keywords are specific and indicative of user intent. For instance, targeting ‘my tooth hurts’ is a gigantic waste of money. But “my tooth hurts so bad?” That’s a keyword that someone who needs help right away will search for.
  • Include phrases that stimulate action in your ad copy. For example, same-day treatment is available and 24-hour emergency dentist.
  • Use adjectives that suggest intent, such as “best,” “top-rated,” “affordable,” or “near me.” These modifiers suggest commercial intent, and using them will help refine your keyword list to attract patients.

Recommended reading: The Ultimate Guide to Google Ads [Examples]

3. Create Meta ads (Facebook and Instagram).

Facebook has a global advertising audience of 2.25 billion , and Instagram forecasts 1.44 billion estimated users by 2025. Both platforms offer unparalleled reach and targeting capabilities for paid advertisement.

Below are some Facebook and Instagram ad ideas.

Before and After Images

The visual impact of a transformed smile speaks volumes.

By creating these images, you give potential patients the confidence to use your service. You can try this out with a side-by-side image featuring a client’s smile before and after using your services.

Lifestyle Transformation Display

Highlighting the impact of dental services on lifestyle can resonate deeply. This is as simple as showing happy people with well-aligned and white teeth.

Feature images or videos that capture the newfound confidence and joy your patients experience after fixing their teeth.

Education on Bad Habits

Educational content is highly shareable and can position your dental brand as an authority.

Create visually appealing content that educates people on bad habits affecting their dental health — you’ll get engagement and trust that’ll translate into more patients.

Igniting Pain Points

Addressing pain points associated with dental issues helps you tap into a patient’s emotional triggers. To execute this, you can design image carousels, create videos, feature past clients, and more.

Plus, there are a myriad of issues you can address, like bad breath, tooth pain, decay, smiles that ruin impressions, and yellow teeth.

You can also create behind-the-scenes videos displaying some work being done, the atmosphere, and everything to the final result.

Tips for Facebook and Instagram Ad Success

  • Branding : Maintain a consistent brand presence across both platforms to build recognition and trust.
  • Use carousel ads : Facebook and Instagram carousel ad formats help you tell a visual transformational story.
  • Generate engagement : Create posts that encourage engagement through comments and shares. Facebook’s algorithm rewards content that sparks conversations.
  • Use Instagram Reels : Engage your audience with short, entertaining Reels that educate on dental health in a fun and digestible manner. What’s great is that Reels are shareable on Facebook.
  • Call-to-action (CTA) : Always have clear and compelling CTAs. Whether it’s booking an appointment or learning more about your services, tell the prospective patient the next step.

4. Create TikTok videos.

TikTok is an invaluable tool for dental businesses to connect with a wide demographic.

According to TikTok user research by Backlinko , out of 5.3 billion internet users worldwide, 23% use TikTok. The most interesting part of this data is TikTok’s 1.218 billion ad reach potential.

But newsflash: you don’t need ads to make TikTok work. With organic content, you can get incredible reach and engagement, provided your content is relatable and shows expertise.

Two dentists who use the organic approach on TikTok are @thebracesguy and @veneercheck.

Tiktok pages of dental experts

Their numbers and what they do:

Achieving the above feat won’t be easy, but taking a step trumps stagnancy. Here are a few ideas you can implement to establish your brand presence on TikTok.

Before and After Smile Transformations

Create visually striking before-and-after videos showcasing the transformative power of your services. This format will both engage and reinforce the impact of your services and boost confidence.

3D Dental Work and Behind-the-Scenes Content

Offer a glimpse into cutting-edge dentistry by sharing high-quality 3D dental work and behind-the-scenes footage. This content can demystify dental procedures, building trust and appreciation for your services.

Dentist-Patient Conversations

Humanize your practice by featuring authentic interactions between dentists and patients. These conversations can address common concerns and foster a sense of community within your TikTok audience.

Hygiene Tips and Product Recommendations

Educate your audience with hygiene tips and product recommendations. You could create short and informative videos that highlight the importance of dental care practices while subtly promoting your services and endorsed products.

Concerns Your Audience May Have

There is no such thing as excess information or ‘the information is already out there.’ Your audience may want to hear from you.

To figure out their concerns, include a call to action in your videos and ask them to comment about their dental challenges.

Embracing Trends and Engaging Your Audience

There is a popular TikTok trend? Cool! Align it with what you do and make a fun video(s). This ensures your content remains relevant and resonates with the platform’s culture.

Also, respond to comments, ask questions, and encourage user-generated content. Bottom line: Engage with your audience.

Your Next Step as a Dental Practitioner

These marketing campaigns and ideas show you can achieve significant growth right now, while planning for future growth.

To grow right now, you need a substantial PPC or social media advertisement budget. For future growth, you need to consider organic content you can create that won’t only support your ad strategy but also generate traffic in the future.

And if you can execute both at once, that’s even better. You build brand awareness, attract new patients, and generate revenue — this trio will make you smile as a practitioner.

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