Marketing For Dummies, 4th Edition

Chapter 3

Writing a Marketing Plan

In This Chapter

Reviewing planning rules and do’s and don’ts

Crafting an executive summary and refining your strategic objectives

Getting the whole perspective with a situation analysis

Defining your marketing program, including the all-important details

Forecasting and controlling your result for beat-the-odds survival and success

If you have a very simple business that makes more sales than it needs to and is already growing as fast as it can, then you don’t need a marketing plan. However, most businesses are a tad more complex and therefore do require a marketing plan. A marketing plan is basically just a description, in words and numbers, of how you plan to run your marketing program. This chapter shows you how to draft your own plan or revise your current plan so you can improve your bottom line.

Grasping the Value of the Marketing Plan

Having a marketing plan is important because it helps you identify, execute, and control the marketing activities ...