Simple Marketing Plan for small business

Whether marketing for real estate agents or a pizzeria, marketing is the process of planning, executing, and measuring the delivery of relevant messages to defined audiences to achieve specific marketing objectives.

FREE Marketing Plan

Why is planning important in marketing?

Marketing for small businesses is critical for sustainability. Marketing your business has two major parts: the marketing strategy and the marketing plan. The marketing strategy is the roadmap for your marketing — where you show up, who you should be talking to, and your company’s voice. 

Your marketing strategy should inform your marketing plan, but it is a separate document that goes into more detail about how you will achieve your marketing goals. Not only does it define your goals for the year, but it also outlines your marketing channels and messaging to your target market. It is the transportation for your marketing efforts, and it helps you to stay on track and achieve your desired results.

There are many benefits to having a marketing plan, including:

Increased focus

and direction

Improved efficiency and effectiveness

Increased ROI

Improved alignment with other business goals

Better decision-making

 It should include specific tactics and actions that you will take to reach your target audience and achieve your marketing objectives.

Regardless of your business type, a marketing plan benefits businesses large and small. Developing a well-thought-out marketing plan and strategy can increase your chances of achieving your business goals.

What are Examples of how small businesses like yours can benefit from a marketing plan and strategy?

examples of the benefits of marketing
approval-6491202 copy

Generate more leads

A marketing plan can help you identify and target potential clients and develop marketing messages that appeal to them. This can help to generate more leads and increase the chances of closing more deals.
approval-6491202 copy

Increase brand awareness

A marketing plan can help you build your brand and become more recognizable in your community. This can make you more attractive to potential clients and help you to stand out from the competition.
approval-6491202 copy

Establish yourself as an expert in your field

By creating and sharing informative content, you can position yourself as an expert and build trust with potential clients. This can lead to more referrals and repeat business.
approval-6491202 copy

Grow your business

A well-executed marketing plan can help you attract more clients, close more deals, and grow your business over time.

I encourage you to take the time to develop a marketing plan and strategy. It is an investment that will pay off in the long run.

what is a marketing plan?

A marketing plan is a living, breathing document. It outlines how each marketing channel fits in the buyer’s journey and the measurements to define success.  

I firmly believe that if you have not worked through your marketing strategy, you can not effectively write a marketing plan. If you have not worked through a well-defined marketing strategy, I suggest you stop and do that first. 

Your marketing strategy should include:

  • Market orientation: Strategic marketing begins with a deep understanding of your current market position, your customer, and their needs.
  • Competitive advantage: Strategic marketing focuses on developing and maintaining a competitive advantage over other businesses in the market.
  • Value creation: Strategic marketing is about creating value for customers that exceeds the cost of the product or service.
  • Integration: Strategic marketing is integrated with all other business functions, such as sales, product development, and customer service.
strategic martketing theories

This is all part of an even bigger concept: strategic marketing theory. There are different strategic marketing theories that companies across the globe use. As a small business, many of these will be too complex for your needs, but I feel it’s important to outline them for you nonetheless. 

Strategic marketing theory is a framework for developing and implementing marketing strategies aligned with an organization’s overall business goals. It considers the competitive landscape, the target market, and the organization’s resources and capabilities.

Strategic marketing theories can be used to develop marketing strategies for a wide range of products and services, from consumer goods to industrial products. Some common examples of strategic marketing theories include:

  • Porter’s Five Forces: This theory identifies five forces that shape the competitive landscape: buyer power, supplier power, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, and rivalry among existing competitors.
  • Ansoff Matrix: This matrix is a tool for developing growth strategies. It identifies four different growth strategies: market penetration, product development, market development, and diversification.
  • Blue Ocean Strategy: This theory focuses on creating new markets instead of competing in existing markets.
  • Value Chain Analysis: This theory identifies the primary and support activities that create value for customers.
  • Customer Lifetime Value: This theory focuses on maximizing the lifetime value of customers.

As mentioned, many of these frameworks are intended for large corporations and are often performed by marketing and development professionals. As a small business, you can have a well-defined marketing strategy and plan without needing a professional if given the right tools. The biggest problem most business owners like yourself have is the lack of understanding of where to start, not the ability to perform the tasks.

what are the 4 main marketing strategies?

As a small business owner looking for cost-effective marketing solutions, there are four types of marketing strategies that can help you reach your target audience and achieve your business goals without straining your budget:

Product strategy

This involves developing a product or service that meets the needs and wants of your target audience. Conducting market research to understand your customers’ preferences, identifying your unique selling proposition (USP), and developing a product that stands out from the competition is essential in today's business market.

pricing strategy

This determines how much you charge for your product or service. This involves considering your production costs, competitor prices, and the perceived value of your offering. A well-crafted pricing strategy can maximize your profits and attract more customers.

Place strategy

This focuses on where you distribute your product or service. A place strategy involves identifying the most effective channels to reach your target audience, such as online stores, retail locations, or direct sales. A well-planned place strategy ensures that your product is available where your customers are looking for it.

Promotion strategy

This involves communicating the value of your product or service to your target audience, including developing a compelling marketing message, choosing the right marketing channels, and creating engaging content. Effective promotion can generate interest, drive traffic to your website or store, and ultimately increase sales.

This involves communicating the value of your product or service to your target audience, including developing a compelling marketing message, choosing the right marketing channels, and creating engaging content. Effective promotion can generate interest, drive traffic to your website or store, and ultimately increase sales.

For example:

marketing for a Jewelry maker
A small business selling handmade jewelry might use a product strategy to develop a new line of jewelry made with sustainable materials. This would appeal to their target audience of eco-conscious consumers. Sustainability builds trust with those customers because it shows that their best interests are at the heart of the company's actions.  
marketing for a web designer
A small business that sells web design services might use a pricing strategy to offer different pricing packages for varying levels of service. This would allow them to attract a wider range of customers, from small businesses to large corporations. This pricing strategy would lead a prospective customer to try and buy the product. 
marketing for a gardener
A small business that sells organic food products might use a place strategy to partner with local grocery stores to sell their products. This would make their products more accessible to their target audience of health-conscious consumers. Doing so builds brand loyalty, making it easy to be a repeat buyer.
Marketing for a fitness instructor
A small business that sells fitness equipment might use a promotion strategy to create and distribute engaging content about fitness and health, helping them to establish themselves as thought leaders in their industry and attract new customers. This strategy is the perfect way to bring a prospective customer from knowing about you to liking and trusting you. 

I realize it all seems overwhelming, but that is why I have created my step-by-step workbook to walk you through creating your own well-defined marketing strategy. I want to teach you about marketing and give you the tools to do it yourself. So, let’s talk about what’s involved in planning for your marketing.

What is involved in marketing planning? 

You know that marketing is essential for success. But with so much on your plate, it can be tough to know where to start. That’s where marketing planning becomes the most important. Without it, you will spend time and money on advertising without direction and usually without a lot of success. By taking the time to create a well-defined marketing strategy and plan, marketing will be simple! 

First, you will want to start with your strategic marketing strategy. A strategic marketing strategy is a comprehensive plan outlining your overall marketing goals, objectives, and strategies. 

To develop a strategic marketing strategy, you’ll need to analyze your business and its competitive landscape thoroughly. This will help you to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT).

Once you have a good understanding of your business and its environment, you can start to develop your marketing goals and objectives. Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

Once you have your goals and objectives, you can start to develop strategies and tactics to achieve them. Here are some examples of strategic marketing strategies and tactics:

  • Product differentiation: Develop a unique selling proposition (USP) that differentiates your products or services from the competition.
  • Target market segmentation: Segment your target market into different groups based on their needs and wants. This will allow you to develop more targeted marketing campaigns.
  • Brand positioning: Develop a strong brand that resonates with your target audience.
  • Pricing strategy: Develop a pricing strategy that maximizes your profits and attracts customers.
  • Distribution strategy: Develop a distribution strategy that makes your products or services easily accessible to your target audience.
  • Promotional strategy: Develop a promotional strategy to communicate the value of your products or services to your target audience.

Once you have done the planning, you are ready to create your marketing plan. 

how do i create a marketing plan for my small business? 

A simple marketing plan for small business is what you create when you make it to the end of my lesson, Marketing Strategy for Small Business. This one to two-page document outlines your key marketing goals, strategies, and tactics. It’s a guide to help you stay on track and achieve your desired results.

To create a simple marketing plan, you must define your goals. This will be easy if you go through Lessons 1 and 2 of Marketing Strategy for Small Business! What do you want to achieve with your marketing? Do you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or drive sales? Once you know your goals, you can develop strategies and tactics to achieve them.

Here are some examples of simple marketing strategies and tactics:

  • Create a website and blog to showcase your products or services and share valuable content with your target audience.
  • Use social media to connect with potential customers and promote your business.
  • Run email marketing campaigns to nurture leads and stay in touch with customers.
  • Offer discounts and promotions to attract new customers and increase sales.
  • Attend trade shows and other industry events to network with potential customers and partners.
pexels-kaique-rocha-331989

how do you start a marketing plan from scratch?

When marketing is strategy, not just a plan, you have a roadmap to success. With that roadmap you have created, you are now ready to start moving the bus down the road with the marketing plan. 

There are five steps I take when developing a marketing plan.

  1. Evaluate where you are missing being seen in the marketplace.
  2. Identify the opportunities for growth in your business. These opportunities should address the threats and weaknesses you define in your marketing strategy development.
  3. Identify where your target audience “hangs out.”
  4. Determine what you should continue doing with your marketing, what you should stop doing with your marketing, what you should do more of, and what you should add to your marketing plan.
  5. Determine your marketing channels, KPIs, and Timelines and cross reference where each channel aligns with your customer’s buying journey. 

Now for the great news! Once you have done this the first time, it goes quicker year after year because much of it will only need to be confirmed to be still valid, and other parts will be quick and easy to tweak as you dive into the data from the previous year. 

I know that each and every solopreneur and small business owner has the ability to create their agency quality marketing strategy without the need for a marketing agency. For a step-by-step workbook on building your marketing strategy and plan, check out the lesson section of my website! 

Subscribe to our blog!