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How to write a marketing plan for a service-based business

service business marketing plan

  • Marketing Planning
  • Marketing Strategy
  • marketing plan
  • service business

what is a marketing plan

So, what is a marketing plan, and how do you write an effective one for a service-based small business?

A marketing plan is a documented outline or roadmap, including the strategies, activities, and resources you’ll need to promote your business and sell your services.

This can be a little challenging for a service-based business as you are promoting something intangible and promising specific results.

However, proven marketing strategies and activities are known to work well for service-based businesses.

How to write a marketing plan for a service based business

At the core, a good marketing plan will be designed to address each stage of the buying cycle (outlined below):

  • Create Awareness
  • Increase Engagement
  • Generate Leads
  • Close Sales

It’s important to understand each of these stages as it will help you identify where you need to focus the most when writing your marketing plan.

For example, if you’re a new business and no one knows about you, your marketing focus would be on creating awareness.

Once your business is established, your primary focus will be generating enquiries and leads.

When I write a marketing plan, I include fundamental elements, which I’ve outlined below.

I’ve also provided examples of the marketing approaches I know from experience work best for service-based businesses.

Not sure where to start when it comes to marketing your service-based small business?  That’s where I can help. Get started by downloading my free Ultimate Marketing Checklist by clicking the button below: 

Situation analysis

The first step is working out where you are now and analysing your current situation.

This analysis will provide insight into your brand awareness. In addition, whether you’re generating enough leads and enquires. Perhaps you would like more?

At this point, you may also want to consider if you’re happy with the types of clients you are attracting to your business?

Alternatively, does your dream client look somewhat different to whom you’re working with today?

Once you’ve analysed your current situation and determined your key issues, you’ll find it much easier to outline your marketing objectives.

Marketing objectives

Setting your marketing objectives and goals is critical as it provides direction and focuses for your marketing activities.

Thinking about your current situation, what would you like to change or increase?

Articulate your objectives regarding outcomes that you would like to achieve from your marketing investment.

For example, would you like to generate more leads or close more sales? Perhaps you want to attract a new type of client?

List as many objectives as you feel relevant. However, keep it simple and manageable to stay focused on the most important outcomes.

RELATED: 7 Reasons why you need to do a marketing plan

Adding targets against your objectives will ensure you’re creating a measurable and trackable marketing plan.

You’re also more likely to meet your marketing objectives when you know exactly what you’re trying to achieve.

For a service-based business, the traditional targets you would put into a marketing plan include:

  • Number of enquiries (phone / email / online / face-to-face)
  • Number of leads generated (quotes, sales calls)
  • Number of sales
  • Revenue generated

When setting targets, it can be easier to work backward, starting with the revenue or sales you want to generate.

Then you can apply or estimate your conversation rates to determine how many enquires and leads you’ll need to produce to achieve that level of sales.

Depending on your marketing objectives, and the activities you choose to do, you may also include other targets, such as:

  • The number of social media connections or followers
  • Website traffic
  • Lead and sales conversion rates

RELATED: 7 Steps to setting marketing goals you’ll actually achieve

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Target market

When defining your target market , it’s important to narrow it down to a specialty or niche.

It’s easier to market your services to a defined audience. In addition, a narrower target market will help you achieve a much better return on your investment.

Start by listing their demographic, geographic and socio-economic information, but don’t stop there. It’s critical to dig a little deeper and think about:

  • Their needs, wants, fears and desires
  • Pain points or problems they need solutions for
  • What social media platforms do they use
  • What they feel is essential when it comes to your services

The best way to uncover this information is through conversations with your ideal clients and market research.

Ask your target market what they are struggling with, as well as what they’re looking for most when it comes to your services.

RELATED: How to define a target market for your service business

Marketing positioning

Consider what makes your services unique or better to stand out from your competition.

Focus on the benefits of your services (as opposed to the features). For example, are you more affordable, or do you offer a higher quality?

Perhaps your services are offered more conveniently?

Alternatively, you may offer expertise and specialised services that solve your client’s problems in a faster or less stressful way.

Write a unique value proposition that communicates what you provide, whom you help and the benefits that make your services different or unique.

RELATED: How to position yourself as an expert in your niche

Marketing communications

This section of your marketing plan is about how you will communicate and put yourself out there to increase your visibility.

It’s about creating awareness, building your brand, and using messages that resonate with your target market to encourage engagement.

If you’re stuck with your marketing communications plan, download a free copy of my Ultimate Marketing Checklist and check off the items listed in the marketing communications section.

There are several organic marketing methods that service-based business owners use effectively.

The most common methods include search engine optimisation (SEO) for your website, posting on social media platforms, and content marketing such as email, blogging, videos, and podcasting.

The keys to making organic marketing work for your business are to have a content marketing strategy behind what you are producing. As well as a content calendar and automation tools that help you to publish consistently.

RELATED: How to create an effective content marketing strategy

You can find free information and templates online to help you with your SEO, content marketing strategy and calendar.

Also, you can pick up tips by following other people online and studying what they post.

However, if you aren’t sure where to start or if producing content is not your strength, then it’s recommended that you engage an expert to help you get it set up.

The biggest mistake you can make here is to spend hours and days producing content that never gets seen.

Fortunately, there are tools and strategies that the experts use though to help you take a strategic approach and avoid wasting time.

Keep in mind that organic marketing can be slow to build.

For this reason, many businesses also implement paid advertising methods as well.

It’s important to set a budget upfront on how much you are willing and able to spend and then design a paid advertising campaign that fits within this.

When choosing what paid advertising method to use, ensure it’s in a place where your target market will see it.

Use persuasive copywriting to increase conversions, and always measure and tweak your advertising to improve your performance.

Again, if you are unsure where to start, it’s time to engage the experts to help.

You may need some assistance in the beginning while you are testing and trialling what works best for your business.

However, once you know what works to generate leads and enquiries, it becomes much easier to manage going forward.

Packaging and promotions

Bundling your services into a package is an excellent way for service-based businesses to increase revenue per sale (meaning more consistent income). And to reduce the ability to be compared on price with your competition.

Consider what other value-added services you could include when describing your service packages to make them sound more attractive.

Generating consistent clients and revenue is often a challenge for service-based businesses. So, also think about how you could incorporate some sale activity into your marketing calendar.

Having a schedule where you also offer special promotional pricing or bonus offers for a limited time is a great way to boost revenue in seasonal or slower periods.

RELATED: 15 Things you need to create an irresistible service offering

Relationship building

Collaborations, partnerships, and networking are great ways to generate referrals for service-based businesses.

When you’re referred, it immediately helps to build your credibility. It also shortens the timeframe for someone to know, like, and trust you.

In your marketing plan, add potential partners or groups you would like to collaborate with. And any networking events or training that you’re planning to attend.

Depending on your business stage, you may also want to consider introducing a referral incentive for your existing clients. When they refer a new client to your business, they receive a special offer the next time they book.

RELATED: How to Build a Network: The Ultimate Small Business Networking Guide

Not sure where to start when it comes to marketing your service-based small business? That’s where I can help. I’ve created a free 72-point Ultimate Marketing Checklist to help you get started. Simply click below to download.

Budgeting, measuring and tracking

When setting a marketing budget for your business, consider how much you can afford (as a percentage of your overall sales). As well as the pace at which you want to grow.

As a general guide, a marketing budget can be anywhere between 2% – 8% of your sales.

Alternatively, if your business is new, and you want to accelerate your growth, you may spend more than this.

Once you have settled on a figure, allocate your marketing budget to the activities and advertising platforms where your target market will most likely see it.

Implement a way to track your return on investment and tweak and adjust as necessary.

RELATED: 5 Ways I invested my marketing budget when starting my small business

Schedule/Timeline

Your business may be seasonal, or you may have certain periods where your services are in more demand.

It’s important to schedule your marketing activities over the year to maximise your advertising spend.

As an example, if you’re fully booked, you may be able to scale back your advertising. Alternatively, if you know there is an upcoming period where you will be quiet, you can increase it.

Also, consider what events or holidays are on during the year that you can use in your marketing activities.

Writing a marketing plan for a service-based business

When you include these sections above in your marketing plan, you’ll achieve clarity on the strategies, activities, and resources you’ll use to market your business.

A marketing plan will also reduce your marketing overwhelm and make you feel less stressed and more organised.

Tired of trying to figure out what you’re missing when it comes to finding clients and making sales in your service business?

Break through the barriers that are holding you back with the support of an MBA-qualified Marketing Coach and Business Mentor who will tailor a 1:1 program specifically for you.

Business Breakthrough Marketing Coaching Program

BUSINESS BREAKTHROUGH   is a 3 or 6-month 1:1 Coaching Program for service-based business owners who want to develop the strategy, systems, and structure they need to find clients and make sales, so they can stop feeling stuck and start gaining massive momentum in their business.

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Hayley Robertson

Hayley Robertson

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Service Business Marketing 101: Basics and Tips

Follow these service business marketing tips to connect with your customers and build your business. Grasp the basics to launch your business to new heights.

Marketing is a key component of any successful business today, whether the business is primarily online or conducted locally. However, marketing a service business is a bit different than marketing a specific product or a brand that offers a line of products. Knowing how to market a service can significantly increase traffic (both online and off), increase clients, and ultimately increase revenue.

What is a service business?

A service business is a business that promotes and offers a service as its main entity. Rather than selling manufactured products, a service business rendered specialty services that may require the assistance of a professional or a trained specialist.

service business marketing plan

A service business typically either relies on people or on equipment to deliver services rendered. Service businesses that rely on other professionals to conduct businesses include law firms, accounting agencies, graphic design agencies, and even electrical repair companies. Service businesses that are heavily reliant on equipment to provide services include airlines, which require airplanes, and even movie theaters, which require food equipment and screen projectors.

The basics of service business marketing

When you are building a people-powered brand that offers services, knowing the ins and outs of service marketing is essential. Understanding how to market a service begins with familiarizing yourself with the basics of service business marketing.

Establishing credibility and building trust

To successfully market any service business, establishing credibility and building trust among your target audience is a must. Service businesses rely on satisfied customers who are willing to refer their own friends and family to the business in the future.

Building a service business from the ground up is not always possible without first establishing the values you stand for as well as the mission and objective of your service business itself. Defining the values that are most important to your service business can also help you to home in on the demographics you want to reach and why.

Effective messaging

Effective messaging and communication go a long way, especially when it comes to developing a working service marketing strategy. When you know exactly what it is that your customers want and need, it is much easier to convey the exact message they are hoping to hear.

Customization and personalization

Regardless of the type of service you provide to customers and clients, offering customized services is always advisable. Providing your clients and customers with top-tier individualized services can help to build brand loyalty and trust . Because the service industry today heavily focuses on personalization, providing custom service plans for clients can go a long way when it comes to your own service marketing strategy.

7 service marketing tips

Immersing yourself in service marketing does not have to feel daunting, intimating, or overwhelming, especially once you have an idea of where to begin.

Establish your brand identity

One of the first steps to take when you are marketing a service is to establish a brand identity and values that reflect your business and its mission. Establishing your brand identity and the values your brand represents can help to further determine what demographics you should attempt to target and how to go about reaching them, online and off.

When you know the brand identity of your business, it is also much easier to craft copy and messaging that is most likely to resonate with your target audience.

Build a sense of community

A key component in building any successful service business is the ability to build a sense of community among those who are most actively engaged with the services you provide.

service business marketing plan

Building a sense of community can come from launching an ongoing newsletter or even expanding your service company's online presence with the use of social media. Using social media platforms is often one of the best ways to streamline digital marketing efforts when it comes to attracting new followers and generating interest in a particular idea, product, or service.

Distribute business cards and marketing materials locally

If you are offering services to locals in your city or nearby community, consider the option of distributing business cards and official marketing materials to help spread the word about the services you provide. You can also use official business cards and marketing materials to connect with local entrepreneurs, vendors, and business owners who may be interested in promoting the services you offer in exchange for a similar promotional opportunity.

Distributing business cards that appear professional, modern, and sleek will also help to establish and build credibility among prospective clients. Business cards that are poorly designed or appear outdated may leave a negative impression on those who receive them, which is why a well-designed business card matters, especially when it comes to establishing and building a brand new service business.

Consistent communication is key

Consistent communication is crucial when it comes to building a successful service business. From politely and professionally responding to customer reviews to offering discounts, there are many ways to communicate as a service business while simultaneously winning over customers. Developing a regular newsletter for locals, online visitors, and loyal customers can also provide valuable insight into the wants and needs of your target audience.

Connect with local media and social influencers

Establishing trust and building a service business from the ground up is not as easy as delivering quality services. You will likely need to connect with local social influencers online as well as with local media offline to help in building even more credibility surrounding your brand. Even if you are offering your services locally, using online influencers, blogs, and even social media can help to generate the foot traffic and interest that you need to generate sales and revenue.

Taking the time to make connections with local media groups as well as online media or promotional groups that are relevant to your niche and industry can also help significantly in terms of generating buzz and driving traffic to your website . Working together with influencers as well as those who are involved in local and online media can help you to spread the word about the type of services you offer, even if you intend to enter into a highly saturated and competitive market.

Place quality over quantity and price

With any service business, quality over quantity matters. The quality of the services you offer will have the biggest impact on how others view your business and whether or not they will return to your business for services again in the future. Ensuring that the quality of the service(s) you provide is better than any other company near you is essential to truly stand out while you establish yourself as a service company.

When marketing your service business, emphasize the importance of the quality of services you offer and how the quality does, in fact, impact the daily lives of your customers and clients. Highlight the reasons why the quality of your services matters and how low-quality services in the same industry can result in a detrimental or disastrous outcome for your clients. Focusing on pain points as well as on the solutions your service company brings to the table can also help to drive home the messaging you are trying to convey to prospective customers. You can also focus on what sets your services business apart to help garner even more attention to the services you provide.

Make customer service a top priority

As a service business, your customer service philosophy should be one of the most important components of managing your day-to-day operations. Service businesses rely on happy and satisfied customers and can quickly go out of business if they choose to neglect their customer service duties.

When you own a service business, ensuring that the level of customer service you provide to your customers is top-notch at all times is imperative. If you have local competition, you will need to strive to offer more in terms of service as well as customer support if you want to keep your business running smoothly and successfully.

Consider the type of customer service solutions you have available to those who are interested in your services. Do you have other service workers available on-site to help answer questions and respond to inquiries? Is it best to implement a live chatbot on your website to provide guidance to visitors who would like to learn more about the services you offer? Does your website have a FAQ, or a Frequently Asked Questions, section available to the public?

service business marketing plan

Start marketing your business

Whether you are trying to market a small business for the first time or if you are looking to expand your service marketing strategies, knowing the basics of service marketing can go a long way with your next campaign, whether it is online or off. With the use of Mailchimp, streamline your service marketing efforts, whether you are marketing a service geared towards a niche audience or if you are attempting to grow and scale your entire business and brand.

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Service Business Marketing Plan Template

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In the competitive world of service businesses, a well-crafted marketing plan can make all the difference. It's the secret sauce that helps your business stand out and attract the right clients. Enter ClickUp's Service Business Marketing Plan Template, your ultimate guide to success!

With ClickUp's template, you can:

  • Define your target market and develop strategies to reach them effectively
  • Conduct market research to identify trends and opportunities
  • Create a compelling brand message that sets you apart from the competition
  • Develop pricing strategies that maximize value for both you and your clients

Don't let your service business get lost in the noise. Get the ClickUp Service Business Marketing Plan Template today and take your marketing to the next level!

Benefits of Service Business Marketing Plan Template

Marketing is crucial for service businesses looking to stand out and attract clients. With the Service Business Marketing Plan Template, you can:

  • Clearly define your marketing goals and strategies, ensuring a targeted approach
  • Identify your target market and understand their needs, helping you tailor your services
  • Conduct thorough market research to stay ahead of the competition and identify trends
  • Develop effective pricing strategies to maximize profitability and attract clients
  • Create a competitive advantage by highlighting your unique selling points and strengths
  • Track and analyze your marketing efforts to make data-driven decisions and optimize your campaigns

Main Elements of Service Business Marketing Plan Template

ClickUp's Service Business Marketing Plan template is designed to help you streamline your marketing efforts and achieve your business objectives. Here are the main elements of this template:

  • Custom Statuses: Keep track of the progress of your marketing tasks with 6 different statuses, including Cancelled, Complete, In Progress, Needs Input, Planned, and To Do.
  • Custom Fields: Utilize 6 custom fields such as Quarter, Task Type, Impact, Progress, Percent Completion, and Effort to capture important details about your marketing plan and measure its success.
  • Custom Views: Access 5 different views to gain insights and effectively manage your marketing plan, including Key Results view to track your marketing objectives, Timeline view to visualize your marketing tasks over time, Getting Started Guide view to get up to speed quickly, Objectives view to set and monitor your marketing goals, and Progress Board view to see the status of each marketing task at a glance.
  • Project Management: Leverage ClickUp's project management features like task dependencies, integrations, and time tracking to ensure smooth execution of your marketing plan.

How to Use Marketing Plan for Service Business

Starting a service business can be exciting, but it's important to have a solid marketing plan in place to attract and retain clients. By using the Service Business Marketing Plan Template in ClickUp and following the steps below, you can effectively promote your services and grow your business.

1. Define your target audience

Before you can start marketing your services, it's crucial to identify your target audience. Who are your ideal clients? What are their needs and pain points? Understanding your target audience will help you tailor your marketing efforts and reach the right people.

Use custom fields in ClickUp to create a profile of your ideal client, including demographics, interests, and challenges they face.

2. Set clear business goals

What do you want to achieve with your marketing efforts? Whether it's increasing brand awareness, generating leads, or driving sales, setting clear goals will give you direction and help you measure the success of your marketing campaigns.

Use Goals in ClickUp to set specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for your service business.

3. Develop a compelling messaging strategy

Crafting a strong and compelling message is key to capturing the attention of your target audience. Clearly communicate the value and benefits of your services, and highlight what sets you apart from your competitors. Your messaging should resonate with your audience and compel them to choose your services.

Use Docs in ClickUp to create and refine your messaging strategy, including key selling points, unique selling proposition (USP), and elevator pitch.

4. Choose the right marketing channels

To effectively reach your target audience, you need to select the right marketing channels. Consider where your audience spends their time and what platforms they use. This could include social media, email marketing, content marketing, SEO, and more. By focusing your efforts on the channels that your audience frequents, you can maximize your reach and engagement.

Use Automations in ClickUp to streamline your marketing efforts and automate tasks like social media scheduling, email campaigns, and content distribution.

5. Monitor and adjust your marketing strategies

Once your marketing campaigns are up and running, it's important to monitor their performance and make adjustments as needed. Track key metrics such as website traffic, conversion rates, engagement, and return on investment (ROI). Analyze the data to identify what's working and what needs improvement, and make data-driven decisions to optimize your marketing strategies.

Use Dashboards and Reports in ClickUp to track and visualize your marketing metrics, allowing you to easily monitor the performance of your campaigns and make informed decisions.

By following these steps and utilizing the Service Business Marketing Plan Template in ClickUp, you can create a comprehensive marketing plan that will help you attract clients, grow your business, and achieve your goals.

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Get Started with ClickUp’s Service Business Marketing Plan Template

Service businesses, such as marketing agencies or consulting firms, can use this Service Business Marketing Plan Template to stay organized and focused on their marketing efforts.

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 marketing plan:

  • Use the Key Results View to track your marketing goals and measure progress
  • The Timeline View will help you visualize your marketing activities and deadlines
  • Use the Getting Started Guide View to follow a step-by-step process for creating your marketing plan
  • The Objectives View will help you define clear objectives for your marketing efforts
  • The Progress Board View will enable you to track the progress of each marketing task
  • Organize tasks into six different statuses: Cancelled, Complete, In Progress, Needs Input, Planned, To Do, to keep track of progress
  • Update statuses as you complete tasks to keep team members informed of progress
  • Monitor and analyze tasks to ensure maximum productivity and success in your marketing efforts.

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A Complete Marketing Plan Template for Service Companies

  • October 22, 2018

marketing plan template

A good marketing plan can help service companies differentiate themselves from their competition and gain market share. Here’s a marketing plan template that will help your service company plan their next six months of marketing, and pave the way for a brighter future.

To start with, we’ll take you through the planning steps for creating your marketing plan. Toward the end of this article is an actual template that you can use to help plan your marketing for the next six months.

Start with a Goal

The most crucial part of your marketing plan is a goal. What do you hope to achieve? Make S.M.A.R.T. goals — that is, make them Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely.

For example, pick a metric like monthly revenue and set a new goal that you’d like to achieve. “Our goal is to increase our monthly revenue by 40% in the next six months,” is an example of a goal that might meet these qualifications. Your results may vary, but pick something that will represent success for your efforts, but that will also be possible to achieve.

When you have a quantifiable goal, some of the other subsequent goals might fall into place as well. For example, you might know roughly how many additional bookings per month you’ll have to do to hit your target or much more revenue from each job you’ll need.

work order software

How Often Do You Change the Plan?

For the purpose of this exercise, we’ve set a turnaround time of six months for your marketing plan. Six months is enough time for your efforts to start having an effect. Reviewing your plan at least twice a year will give you the chance to review what works and make adjustments accordingly.

If you wish, you can review or recreate your plan quarterly. Biannually should be enough to keep your planning fresh, and identify any opportunities or trends, though. Think about your competition. Will a fresh marketing plan every six months be enough to stay a few steps ahead of them?

Do Your Research

To make your marketing efforts more effective, it’s helpful to know what you are marketing and to whom. Conduct a bit of research into your market to find out who the ideal customers are for your business. Then seek to understand how to reach them.

For example, what are the key demographics of your ideal customer base? What kinds of service will they order from you? How do they prefer to do business with you? Do they like to book over the phone, or with online booking? Are they mobile phone users?

marketing plan template service companies

Buyer Personas

Once you’ve conducted this market research, create some buyer personas . These are example customers who you will tailor your marketing plan and messaging toward. Be as specific as you can. Some companies even give their persona a name, a job title, and more.

Depending on your business, you might have more than one persona. For example, a moving company near a university might have one buyer persona that is a student that wants to live near campus and another for a residential homeowner with more disposable income. (Examples below)

field solutions software, field service technician, field service businesses

What Has Worked, and What Hasn’t

Another exercise to do before you write your plan is to consider what you have done in the past and whether it’s working. For example, if you’ve already done some marketing on Facebook and are seeing some success from it, you probably want to continue.

Conversely, if you’ve tried other things that haven’t give you much in terms of results, you may want to discontinue them.

Before you get into specific marketing strategies, think about what you can do that will have an immediate impact. Is there anything that you should be doing that you are not taking advantage of already?

For example, are you sending follow-up emails to customers to ask for feedback and reviews? Have you automated the process of reminding repeat customers of when they should book another service? There could be a number of things that will have a massive impact on your success that you’ve overlooked. It’s worth it to stop and consider these before you write your plan.

workforce management

How Much Time Do You Have?

Your marketing plan template should also take into account the amount of time and resources you have to do marketing. There’s no point planning to do things you won’t have time for.

Consider who you have on your team that can help with marketing, and how much time they can dedicate to it before you write your plan.

What is Your Budget?

Some marketing activities require nothing more than your time (social media, for example), whereas others require an investment. If you’re going to print business cards, or flyers, or wrap your vehicles, or buy uniforms, you’ll need to consider the costs. For good measure, get a couple of quotes to help you decide what to invest in.

service business marketing plan

Thinking about what things costs can help you prioritize how to spend that budget. Consider also what you think will be most effective. Will business cards be a better investment than a new vehicle wrap?

Consider Your Seasons

Is yours a seasonal business? If you have more popular seasons , there are a number of things to consider. First, how can you best take advantage of the busy season? When should you start your marketing to promote your services in advance of that season to get the most possible bookings?

Secondly, you should consider how to smooth your revenue out over the course of the rest of the year. If you’re a cleaning or junk removal company that has massive spikes in business in Spring, should you offer promotions during Fall and Winter? Maybe create annual service plans that will help you keep some revenue coming in all year round?

Start Writing a Plan

Once you’ve given consideration to all of the above, it’s time to start writing your plan. Sit down and start to draft your plan using the marketing plan template we’ve provided below.

Once you’ve finished the plan, don’t hesitate to get started on the activities you’ve planned for.

Make it Part of Your Workflow

The easiest way to make sure you stick to your market plan is to make it part of your workflow. This means actually scheduling the time you need in order to get things done. You may also need to change your scripts or plans in order to achieve your goals.

Let’s say, for example, that one of your secondary goals is to get more customer testimonials to add to your website and to social media. Unless you make it part of your day to ask for those testimonials, it’s not likely to happen. If you ask your technicians in the field to ask customers if they’d be willing to give you a review, you’ll start to see results.

service business marketing plan

How Often is Often Enough?

For each of the marketing tactics in the marketing plan template, think about how often you’ll need to do them in order to achieve success. For example, how many times per week or month should you post on Facebook? How often should you print flyers with promotions on them? How many customer testimonial videos should you aim to publish each month?

Measure and Improve

Before we get into the actual template, let’s think about measuring success. For each channel or tactic, you’ll need a way to measure your success (or lack thereof). For online marketing initiatives, there are lots of stats available but think about the ones that matter most to you.

By monitoring each activity for its efficacy, you’ll know what needs improvement, what needs to be scrapped, and what you can invest more of your time and budget in.

A Sample Marketing Plan Template

Here’s a marketing plan template you can use to create your marketing plan for the next six months.

As discussed above, set a goal that you will work towards, and have the rest of your efforts work toward achieving that goal.

Here are some example buyer personas, for a moving company that is located near a university. As you can see, both are quite different and will require different marketing tactics and different channels to reach them.

service business marketing plan

Channels and Frequency

This is not an exhaustive list of possible marketing channels, but it will give you some idea of how to structure your marketing plan template with activities and frequencies.

Customer Reviews or Testimonials

The goal is to get one customer testimonial per week. Asking each customer in a follow-up email after we’ve received payment is the best way. If the feedback is good, encourage them to share it on a review platform like Yelp.

Post four times per week, including once per weekend. Weekly: One customer review, one moving tip, one interesting and relevant link to share, and one pic of a team member or truck in action.

Post four times a week, the same content as Facebook.

Post Three times per week, using the best of the Facebook content that has visuals. Include all of our relevant hashtags, our brand hashtags, and any seasonal ones that would be useful.

The goal is to get two customers a month to agree to a video testimonial. When we receive a positive testimonial, ask the customer if they’d be willing to be featured in a video. Record the videos either on Skype or Facetime or by visiting them the next time we are in the neighborhood.

Email Newsletters

We will send a newsletter to our subscribers once per month. Each email will contain two or more testimonials, one video link, and any offers or promotions we have.

Other Email Marketing

We will use our booking software to verify bookings, send follow-up emails, and ask for feedback from all of our customers, every time.

The goal is to distribute six flyers every time we conduct a service. When a technician visits a location, they hang six flyers on the door handles of residences that appear to be ideal clients for us.

Business Cards

We will print 500 generic business cards at a time. They will contain a spot for technicians to handwrite their personal contact info and any notes that are relevant for the customer or contact. We aim to offer one to every customer and distribute them to other interested parties as opportunities arrive.

Vehicle Wrap

As we add new vehicles to our fleet, we will budget to have each of them wrapped to match the rest. Since we are adding vehicles at a rate of one per year, we should budget to do one wrap every six months. One for the new vehicle, and one to replace an older vehicle as needed.

Charitable Events

As part of our marketing, we will participate in one charity event per quarter. We will volunteer our teams to participate in three-hour volunteer blocks, and volunteer one or more of our vehicles as well. Some examples of events we can get involved with are:

  • Charity runs or walks
  • Food drives
  • Electronics recycling drives
  • Community clean-up efforts
  • Assisting a charity

With these and any other relevant marketing tactics, you should be able to turn this marketing plan template into a strategy you can use. Remember to assess the effectiveness of each tactic after six months at most.

More frequent reviews can be prudent too, but in six months time, be prepared to go through this exercise again.

Using Service Business Management Software to Measure Success

Service business management software can help you track the success of your marketing. While Facebook and email software can give you a measure of the effectiveness of your efforts on each channel, it’s important to tie that back to how it has affected your bookings and revenue too.

Want to learn about how to track your bookings and as many as 60 key business metrics using service business management software? Book a free, private demo of Vonigo .

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service business marketing plan

5 Steps to Create an Outstanding Marketing Plan [Free Templates]

Rebecca Riserbato

Published: January 04, 2024

Free Marketing Plan Template

service business marketing plan

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

Thank you for downloading the offer.

Do you take a good, hard look at your team's marketing strategy every year?

marketer using a free marketing plan

You should. Without an annual marketing plan, things can get messy — and it's nearly impossible to put a number on your budget for the projects, hiring, and outsourcing over the course of a year if you don't have a plan.

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

To make your plan's creation easier, we've put together a list of what to include in your plan and a few different planning templates where you can easily fill in the blanks.

To start, let's dive into how to create a marketing plan and then take a look at what a high-level marketing plan has inside.

In this article, we're going to discuss:

  • What a High-Level Marketing Plan Includes

How to Create a Marketing Plan

  • Marketing Plan Templates You Can Use
  • Simplified Marketing Plan Template
  • Plus — Social Media Plan Templates

service business marketing plan

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

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Fill out this form to access a free marketing plan template.

Marketing plan outline.

free marketing plan outline

Download This Marketing Plan Outline for Free

The above marketing plan outline will help you create an effective plan that easily generates buy-in from stakeholders and effectively guides your marketing efforts.

Marketing plans can get quite granular to reflect the industry you're in, whether you're selling to consumers (B2C) or other businesses (B2B), and how big your digital presence is. Nonetheless, here are the elements every effective marketing plan includes:

1. Business Summary

In a marketing plan, your business summary is exactly what it sounds like: a summary of the organization. It's essential to include this information so that all stakeholders, including your direct reports, learn about your company in detail before delving into the more strategic components of your plan.

Even if you’re presenting this plan to people who’ve been in the company for a while, it doesn’t hurt to get everyone on the same page.

Most business summaries include:

The company name

Where it's headquartered

Its mission statement

Our marketing plan outline also includes information on marketing leadership, which is especially helpful for companies with large marketing teams.

2. SWOT Analysis

Your marketing plan's business summary also includes a SWOT analysis , which covers your business's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It’s essential to include this information so you can create targeted strategies that help you capitalize on your strengths and improve upon your weaknesses.

In my experience, you need a lot of patience when doing a SWOT analysis; it requires market research and competitive analysis to become truly accurate. I tend to revisit this section periodically, adjusting it as I discover more information about my own business and competition.

3. Business Initiatives

marketing plan template for hubspot

The business initiatives element of a marketing plan helps you segment the various goals of your department. Be careful not to include big-picture company initiatives, which you'd normally find in a business plan. This section should outline the projects that are specific to marketing. You'll also describe the goals of those projects and how those goals will be measured.

Every initiative should follow the SMART method for goal-making . They should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, a broad goal might be something like, "Increase my Facebook following." But a SMART-ified version of this goal could be, "Increase my Facebook following by 30% by June." See the difference?

4. Customer Analysis

marketing plan customer analysis template

In this part of the marketing plan outline, you get plenty of space to share all the data you collected during your market research . If your company has already done a thorough market research study, this section of your marketing plan might be easier to put together. Either way, try to do your research before synthesizing it in a shareable document like this one.

Ultimately, this element of your marketing plan will help you describe the industry you're selling to and your buyer persona . A buyer persona is a semi-fictional description of your ideal customer, focusing on traits like:

Personal challenges

Triggering event

5. Competitor Analysis

marketing plan competitive analysis template

Positioning

Market share

Our marketing plan template includes space to list out the specific products you compete with, as well as other facets of the other company’s strategy, such as their blogging efforts or customer service reputation. Keep this part of your plan simple — your full competitive analysis should be done separately. Here are a few competitive analysis templates to get started.

6. Market Strategy

marketing strategy for business lan

Your market strategy uses the information included in the above sections to describe how your company should approach the market. 

For instance, when I'm filling out this section, I always pull insights from my SWOT analysis, my competitive analysis, and my general market research. This helps me write targeted, effective descriptions of my strategies.

Here's an example: if you found that one of your competitors employs stronger social media marketing strategies , you might add "We'll post 3 times per week on our social media profiles" under "Promotion."

In our full-length marketing plan outline, the market strategy section contains the "seven Ps of marketing" (or the “ extended marketing mix ”):

Physical Evidence

(You'll learn more about these seven sub-components inside our free marketing plan template, which you can download below.)

marketing plan Budget template

When I created my first marketing plan, I made the mistake of confusing the marketing budget section of my plan with my product's price and other financials.

Here's a better way to think of this section: it should describe how much money the business has allotted the marketing team to pursue the initiatives and goals outlined in the elements above.

Depending on how many individual expenses you have, you should consider itemizing this budget by what specifically you'll spend your budget on. Example marketing expenses include:

Outsourcing costs to a marketing agency and/or other providers

Marketing software

Paid promotions

Events (those you'll host and/or attend)

Knowing the budget and doing analysis on the marketing channels you want to invest in, you should be able to come up with a plan for how much budget to invest in which tactics based on expected ROI. From there, you'll be able to come up with financial projections for the year. These won't be 100% accurate but can help with executive planning.

Remember: Your marketing plan only includes a summary of the costs. We recommend keeping a separate document or Excel sheet to help you calculate your budget much more effectively. Here’s a marketing budget template to get started .

8. Marketing Channels

marketing plan marketing channels template

Your marketing plan should also include a list of your marketing channels. While your company might promote the product itself using certain ad space, your marketing channels are where you'll publish the content that educates your buyers, generates leads, and spreads awareness of your brand.

If you publish (or intend to publish) on social media, this is the place to talk about it. Use the Marketing Channels section of your marketing plan to map out which social networks you want to launch a business page on, what you'll use this social network for, and how you'll measure your success on this network.

Part of this section's purpose is to prove to your superiors, both inside and outside the marketing department, that these channels will serve to grow the business.

Businesses with extensive social media presences might even consider elaborating on their social strategy in a separate social media plan template.

9. Marketing Technology

marketing plan outline: marketing technology

Last, but certainly not least, your marketing plan should include an overview of the tools you'll include in your marketing technology (MarTech) stack . These are the tools that will help you achieve the goals you outlined in the previous sections. Since all types of marketing software usually need a generous investment from your company’s leadership, it’s essential to connect them to a potential ROI for your business.

For each tool, describe what exactly you’ll use it for, and be sure that it’s a strategy that you’ve mentioned elsewhere. For instance, we wouldn't recommend listing an advertising management tool if you didn’t list “ PPC Advertising ” under “Marketing Channels.”

  • Conduct a situation analysis.
  • Define your target audience.
  • Write SMART goals.
  • Analyze your tactics.
  • Set your budget.

1. Conduct a situation analysis.

The first step I take when creating a marketing plan is conducting a SWOT analysis. It helps me uncover the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing my business.

Additionally, I need a good picture of the current market. How do I compare to my competitors? Doing a competitor analysis can help.

In doing so, I can identify the gaps (and opportunities) in a competitor's approach. What are they missing? What can I offer that'll give me a competitive advantage?

Answering questions like this should help you figure out what your customer wants, which brings us to step number two.

2. Define your target audience.

If your company already has buyer personas , this step might just mean you have to refine your current personas.

But if you don't have a buyer persona, you should create one. To do this, you might have to conduct market research.

Your buyer persona should include demographic information such as age, gender, and income. However, it will also include psychographic information such as pain points and goals. What drives your audience? What problems do they have that your product or service can fix?

Once you have this information written out, it'll help you define your goals, which brings us to step number three.

3. Write SMART goals.

My mother always used to tell me, "You can't go somewhere unless you have a road map." Now, for me, someone who's geographically challenged, that was literal advice.

However, it can also be applied metaphorically to marketing. You can't improve your ROI unless you know what your goals are.

After you've figured out your current situation and know your audience, you can begin to define your SMART goals .

SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. This means that all your goals should be specific and include a time frame for which you want to complete them.

For example, your goal could be to increase your Instagram followers by 15% in three months. Depending on your overall marketing goals, this should be relevant and attainable. Additionally, this goal is specific, measurable, and time-bound.

Before you start any tactic, you should write out your goals. Then, you can begin to analyze which tactics will help you achieve that goal. That brings us to step number four.

4. Analyze your tactics.

At this point, you've written down your goals based on your target audience and current situation.

Now, you have to figure out what tactics will help you achieve your goals. Plus, what are the right channels and action items to focus on?

For example, if your goal is to increase your Instagram followers by 15% in three months, your tactics might include hosting a giveaway, responding to every comment, and posting three times on Instagram per week.

Once you know your goals, brainstorming several tactics to achieve them should be easy. That said, you may not be able to pursue every tactic on your list (unless you have an unlimited budget, which, if so, jealous ) — which brings us to step number five.

5. Set your budget.

Before you can begin implementing any of the ideas that you've come up with in the steps above, you have to know your budget.

For example, your tactics might include social media advertising. However, if you don't have the budget for that, then you might not be able to achieve your goals.

While you're writing out your tactics, be sure to note an estimated budget. You can include the time it'll take to complete each tactic in addition to the assets you might need to purchase, such as ad space.

Now that you know how to create your marketing plan, let's dive into creating a marketing campaign outline that will help you reach the goals outlined plan.

Marketing Plan Timeline

Rolling out a new marketing plan is a big lift. To make sure things are running smoothly with all of your projects, you'll want to create a timeline that maps out when each project is happening.

A marketing plan timeline allows your team to view all projects, campaigns, events, and other related tasks in one place — along with their deadlines. This ensures everyone on your team knows what’s due, when it’s due, and what’s up next in the pipeline. Typically these plans cover marketing efforts for the entire year, but some companies may operate on a bi-annual or quarterly basis.

Once you’ve completed your analysis, research, and set goals, it’s time to set deadlines for your assignments. From new blog posts and content initiatives to product launches, everything will need a deadline. Take into account any holidays or events taking place over the course of the year.

While setting deadlines for the entire year may seem daunting, start by estimating how long you think each task will take and set a deadline accordingly. Track the time it actually takes for you to complete similar types of projects. Once you’ve completed a few of them, you’ll have a better idea of how long each takes and will be able to set more accurate deadlines.

For each project, you’ll want to build in time for:

  • Brainstorming : This is the first phase where your idea comes to life in a project outline. Decide what you want to achieve and which stakeholders need to be involved to meet your goal. Set a due date and set up any necessary meetings.
  • Planning : This can include determining the project’s scope, figuring out how much budget will be allocated for it, finalizing deadlines and who is working on each task. Map out any campaigns needed for each project (social media, PR, sales promotions, landing pages, events, etc.).
  • Execution : This third phase is all about your project launch. Decide on a date to launch and monitor the progress of the project. Set up a system for tracking metrics and KPIs.
  • Analysis : In this final phase you will analyze all of your performance data to see whether or not your marketing efforts paid off. Did you meet your goals? Did you complete your projects on time and within budget?

HubSpot marketing plan calendar tool

All projects and their deadlines should be in a central location where your team can access them whether that’s a calendar like HubSpot's tool , shared document, or project management tool.

One-Page Marketing Plan Template

As demonstrated above, a marketing plan can be a long document. When you want to share information with stakeholders or simply want an overview of your plan for quick reference, having a shorter version on hand can be helpful. A one-page marketing plan can be the solution, and we’ll discuss its elements below.

HubSpot one-page marketing plan template

Include your company name, list the names of individuals responsible for enacting the different stages of your plan, and a brief mission statement.

business summary example

2. Business Initiatives

Business Initiatives example

3. Target Market

Outline your target audience(s) that your efforts will reach. You can include a brief overview of your industry and buyer personas.

Target Market example

This is an overview of the money you’ll spend to help you meet your marketing goals. Create a good estimate of how much you'll spend on each facet of your marketing program.

marketing plan budget example

5. Marketing Channels

List the channels you’ll use to achieve your marketing goals. Describe why you're using each channel and what you want to accomplish so everyone is on the same page.

marketing plan marketing channel example

Free Marketing Plan Template [Word]

Now that you know what to include in your marketing plan, it's time to grab your marketing plan template and see how best to organize the six elements explained above. The following marketing plan template opens directly in Microsoft Word, so you can edit each section as you see fit:

free marketing plan template

Download your marketing plan template here .

Marketing campaign template.

Your marketing plan is a high-level view of the different marketing strategies you’ll use to meet your business objectives. A marketing campaign template is a focused plan that will help achieve those marketing goals.

A marketing campaign template should include the following key components:

  • Goals and KPIs: Identify the end goal for each of the individual campaigns you’ll run and the metrics you will use to measure the results of your campaign when it ends. For example, conversion rates, sales, sign-ups, etc.
  • Channels: Identify the different channels you’ll use to enact your marketing campaign to reach your audience. Maybe you run a social media campaign on Twitter to raise brand awareness or a direct mail campaign to notify your audience of upcoming sales.
  • Budget : Identify the budget you’ll need to run your campaign and how it will be distributed, like the amount you’ll spend on creating content or ad placements in different areas. Having these numbers also helps you later on when you quantify the success of your campaign, like ROI.
  • Content: Identify the type of content you’ll create and distribute during your campaigns—for example, blog posts, video ads, email newsletters, etc.
  • Teams and DRIs: Identify the teams and people that will be part of enacting your marketing plan from start to finish, like those responsible for creating your marketing assets, budgets, or analyzing metrics once campaigns are complete.
  • Design: Identify what your marketing campaigns will look like and how you’ll use design elements to attract your audience. It’s important to note that your design should directly relate to the purpose of your campaign.

Digital Marketing Plan Template

A digital marketing plan is similar to a marketing campaign plan, but, as the name suggests, it’s tailored to the campaigns that you run online. Let’s go over the key components of a digital marketing plan template to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

  • Objectives: The goals for your digital marketing and what you’re hoping to accomplish, like driving more traffic to your website. Maybe you want to drive more traffic to your website, or
  • Budget : Identify how much it will cost to run your digital marketing campaign and how the money will be distributed. For example, ad placement on different social media sites costs money, and so does creating your assets.
  • Target audience: Which segments of your audience are you hoping to reach with this campaign? It’s essential to identify the audiences you want to reach with your digital marketing, as different channels house different audience segments.
  • Channels: Identifies the channels that are central to your digital marketing campaign.
  • Timeline: Explains the length of time your digital campaigns will run, from how long it should take to create your assets to the final day of the campaign.

Many people use social media in their digital campaigns, and below we’ll discuss some ideas you can use for inspiration.

Social Media Marketing Plan Templates

As your marketing department grows, so will your presence on social media. And as your social media presence grows, so will your need to measure, plan, and re-plan what types of content you want to publish across each network.

If you're looking for a way to deepen your social media marketing strategy — even further than the marketing plan template above — the following collection of social media marketing plan templates is perfect for you:

Download 10 social media reporting templates here .

In the above collection of marketing plan templates, you'll get to fill in the following contents (and more) to suit your company:

  • Annual social media budget tracking
  • Weekly social media themes
  • Required social media image dimension key
  • Pie chart on social media traffic sorted by platform
  • Social media post calendar and publish time

Below, let's review the social media reporting templates, and what you'll find in each one.

1. Social Media Questions

Social media publishing analysis and questions

This template lists out questions to help you decide which social media management platform you should use.

What We Like

Once you know what social media tactics you're going to implement in your marketing plan, it's time to figure out what channels are right for you. This template will help you do that.

2. Facebook Live Schedule

facebook live schedule for marketing

If Facebook Live is one of the marketing tactics in your plan, this template will help you design an editorial calendar. With this template, you can organize what Facebook live's you want to do and when.

Once you've decided on dates, you can color-code your FB calendar and coordinate with your editorial calendar so everyone can see what lives are running in relation to other campaigns.

3. Instagram Post Log

Instagram post log for social media publishing management

Are you going to begin using Instagram regularly? Do you want to increase your following? With this template, you can organize your Instagram posts, so everyone on your team knows what posts are going live and when.

This is more than just a content calendar. You can use this doc to collaborate with your team on messaging, landing pages linked in your bio, and campaign rollouts.

4. Paid Social Media Template

paid social media template for annual budgeting

With this template, you can organize your annual and monthly budget for your paid social media calendar.

With this spreadsheet, all you need to do is plug in your numbers and the formulas will do the works for you. I recommend using this in conjunction with your marketing plan budget to make sure you are not overspending and funds are allocated appropriately.

5. Social Media Audit

Social media audit template

Conducting a social media audit? You can use this template to help you gather the right analytics. Tracking the results of your marketing efforts is key to determining ROI.

Use this template to track each of your campaigns to determine what worked and what didn't. From there, you can allocate funds for the strategies that deliver the results you want.

6. Social Media Editorial Calendar

Social media editorial calendar template

With this template, you can organize your social media editorial calendar. For example, you can include social media posts for each platform, so your team knows what's going live on any given day.

This calendar makes it easy to track activity across every social media platform, since each platform is assigned a specific color. 

7. Social Media Image Sizes

Social media image size template

With this template, your team can have the latest social media image sizes handy. This template includes image sizes for all major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Having a resource like this readily available for your team ensures that everyone is on the same page regarding image sizes and prevents delays.

8. Social Media Marketing Proposal

Social media marketing proposal template

With this template, you can create an entire social media marketing proposal. This will outline the social media goals, the scope of the work, and the tactics that you plan to implement.

This proposal functions as more of a deep dive into the marketing channel section of your marketing plan. It's relatively straightforward and contains all the essential sections of a proposal.

9. Social Media Reporting Template

Social media report template

With this template, you'll gain access to a slide deck that includes templates for social media reporting.

If you plan to implement social media in your marketing plan, these reporting templates can help you track your progress. If using the social media audit above, you can add all of your data here once it's been collected.

10. Hashtag Holidays

Social media hashtag holidays

If you're going to lean into social media in your marketing plan, you can use hashtag holidays to generate ideas.

These holidays are a great way to fill out your social media publishing schedule. With this template, you'll get a list of all the hashtag holidays for the year. Once you've come up with content ideas, you can add them to your social media calendar.

Simple Marketing Plan Template

Of course, this type of planning takes a lot of time and effort. So if you're strapped for time before the holidays, give our new Marketing Plan Generator a try.

This tool simplifies yearly planning by asking prompted questions to help guide your process. You’ll be asked to input information about:

Try our free Marketing Plan Generator here .

  • Your annual marketing mission statement, which is what your marketing is focused on for the year.
  • The strategy that you’ll take with your marketing throughout the year to accomplish your marketing goals.
  • Three main marketing initiatives that you’ll focus on during the year (i.e., brand awareness or building a high-quality pipeline) metrics you’ll use to measure your success.
  • Your target goals for those marketing initiatives like generating 100 leads per week.
  • Marketing initiatives that are not aligned with your current strategy to stay focused on your goals and activities that will help you be successful.

Once you input all information, the tool will spit out a table (as shown in the image below) that you can use to guide your processes.

simple marketing plan template

Pro Tip: If the tool doesn't work, clear your browser's cache or access it in incognito mode.

Start the Marketing Planning Process Today

The best way to set up your marketing plan for the year is to start with quick wins first, that way you can ramp up fast and set yourself (and your team) up to hit more challenging goals and take on more sophisticated projects by Q4. So, what do you say? Are you ready to give it a spin?

Editor's note: This post was originally published in December 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Marketing software that helps you drive revenue, save time and resources, and measure and optimize your investments — all on one easy-to-use platform

Free Marketing Plan Templates, Examples, and a Comprehensive Guide

By Joe Weller | June 27, 2016 (updated April 17, 2023)

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In this article, you’ll find a complete, step-by-step guide to developing a marketing plan that will provide your organization with a strategic course of action.

Included on this page, you’ll find examples of a marketing plan, as well as pre-built marketing plan templates to suit your needs, including a Small Business Marketing Plan , Digital Marketing Plan , Strategic Marketing Plan , and more. Then, our experts show you  how to create a marketing plan and what to include.

Marketing Plan Template

Marketing Plan Template

Download Marketing Plan Template

Word |  PDF | Google Doc | Smartsheet

A marketing plan is a high-level document that guides your strategic initiatives and ensures your marketing goals are aligned with your overall business objectives. Use this pre-built marketing plan template to outline the purpose your business serves, as well as its strategic goals, target market, and standards of performance, to ensure you have a thorough and deliberate plan of action.

One-Page Marketing Plan Template

One Page Marketing Plan Template

Download One-Page Marketing Plan Template

Excel | Word | PDF | Google Doc | Smartsheet

This customizable one-page marketing plan takes the comprehensiveness of a formal marketing plan and pares it down to the key elements for easy scannability. This template has space for a concise business summary, overall objectives, target market, marketing strategy, financial requirements, and more. It also contains an action plan to detail marketing activities, role assignments, deadlines, and costs.

Business Marketing Plan Template

Business Marketing Plan Template

Download Business Marketing Plan Template

Word | PDF | Smartsheet

This template takes all of the essential elements of a marketing plan and organizes them into sections, but you can also add and remove components of the plan according to your needs. Use this customizable template to write your executive summary, mission and vision statements, marketing strategy, core capabilities, main goals, budget, and more, with an appendix included to back up your research and findings.

Small Business Marketing Plan Template

Small Business Marketing Plan Template

Download Small Business Marketing Plan Template

A small business marketing plan can be simple or elaborate, depending on your needs and the nature of your organization. This marketing plan template is fully customizable, and will guide your small business in the identification and description of your project , the mission and vision of your company, the problem you are solving, short and long-term marketing goals, the 4Ps of your marketing mix, marketing channel strategy, and more.

Marketing Plan Template for Startup Business

Marketing Plan Template for Startups

Download Marketing Plan Template for Startups

Word | PDF  

This pre-built marketing plan template for startups provides the savvy entrepreneur with a strong foundation from which to build his or her marketing strategies. This template will help you develop clear short and long-term business goals, identify your target market, learn your buyer’s buying cycle, pinpoint your unique selling proposition (USP), track standards of performance and measurement methods, and more, so you can feel confident in a solid plan of action.

Digital Marketing Plan Template

Digital Marketing Plan Template

Digital Digital Marketing Plan Template

Excel | Smartsheet

This digital marketing plan template includes sections for online advertising and analytics, content marketing and SEO strategy, social media , and tools for tracking metrics. The template is divided into months, so you can create a timeline for your digital marketing plan. Use this template to create a comprehensive plan of action for online marketing.

Real Estate Marketing Plan Template

Real Estate Marketing Plan Template

Download Real Estate Marketing Plan Template

This pre-built real estate marketing plan template is customizable, and comes ready to outline your strategic and tactical goals, conduct a SWOT analysis (including a competitor SWOT analysis), identify your target client type (e.g. first-time buyer, home seller, renter, etc.), define your marketing channels, provide financial forecasts, and more. It also includes a built-in plan of action for you to plan activities, assign roles, and set projected dates.

Marketing Plan Template for Nonprofit

Marketing Plan Template for Nonprofit

Download Nonprofit Marketing Plan Template

Word | PDF 

This marketing plan template is tailored to meet the unique requirements of a nonprofit business. Use this customizable template to detail the organization’s background, funding climate, a comparative analysis of competitors, profile of stakeholders, short and long-term marketing goals, positioning statement, financial requirements, and more.

Strategic Marketing Plan Template

Strategic Marketing Plan Template

‌Download Strategic Marketing Plan Template

Excel | Google Sheets

This free strategic marketing plan template includes sections for online marketing campaigns , media relations, trade shows and events, other branding efforts, and sales campaigns. The plan clearly identifies objectives, along with target market and total costs. Months of the year are broken down into weeks for easy planning. You can modify this template to include any elements that are vital to your marketing plan.

Sales & Marketing Plan Template

Social and Marketing Plan Template

Download Sales & Marketing Plan Template

This sales and marketing plan template facilitates planning around sales goals and promotional activities. This is an annual marketing calendar template that shows all 12 months on one worksheet. There are sections for public relations, online content marketing, advertising, and research. Monthly sales goals are defined at the top of the template, and there is space at the bottom for metrics to evaluate marketing effectiveness.

Tactical Marketing Plan Template

Tactical Marketing Plan Template

Download Tactical Marketing Plan Template

Keep track of the tactics that need to be completed as you implement your marketing strategy. This tactical marketing plan lists each task, the person responsible for the action, expenses, dates, and status. Use this template to keep your plan on schedule and to assess progress.

Product Marketing Plan Template

Product Marketing Plan Template

Download Product Marketing Plan Template

Excel | PDF | Google Sheets

This pre-built product marketing plan template enables you to differentiate your product offering from the competitors by homing in on your unique selling proposition. This template has space to detail the company’s vision, conduct a competitive analysis, define the target market, and establish the market position to ensure your marketing goals stay aligned with the company’s objectives.

Service Marketing Plan Template

Service Marketing Plan Template

Download Service Marketing Plan Template

Use this customizable service marketing plan template to clearly define your goals and initiatives, analyze your competitors, and outline the characteristics and preferences of your target persona. With space to detail your company’s vision at the top of the template, you can ensure your marketing strategy and initiatives support the mission and values of your company.

What Is a Marketing Plan?

A marketing plan is a document that outlines your marketing strategy. It serves as a roadmap for how your organization aims to raise awareness about a product or service and how it plans to deliver that product or service to target customers. The fundamental purpose of a marketing plan is to align marketing goals with overall business objectives to aid marketing project managers in improving the success of your business or organization. 

What your marketing plan looks like will depend on the size and type of your business, but even small businesses and nonprofits can benefit from careful planning.

How to Write a Marketing Plan (and What’s Included)

In this section, you’ll find a comprehensive guide for creating a marketing plan, including an example of a marketing plan outline and links to pages containing free strategic marketing templates.

Pro tip: Save time by using one of the free marketing templates above as a start.

Step 1: Build Your Marketing Plan Outline

A marketing plan outline allows you to structure your plan in a way that makes sense with the product or service you are delivering, and can also serve as a table of contents for your finalized plan. Whether you are a business-to-consumer (B2C) or business-to-business (B2B) company, a small business, or a large enterprise, the details of your plan will vary based on the nature of your business and relative marketing position. 

Below, you’ll find an example of a basic marketing plan outline that you can modify to suit your organization’s needs:

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Mission and Vision Statement

Situational Analysis

5C Analysis

SWOT Analysis

Porter’s Five Forces Analysis

Core Capabilities

Target Market

Audience Persona

Information Collection

Pain Points and Solutions

Marketing Strategy

Buyers’ Buying Cycle

Unique Selling Proposition

Marketing Channels

Standards of Performance and Measurement Methods

Performance Standards

Marketing Metrics

Measurement Methods

Financial Summary 

Financial Forecasts

Breakeven Analysis

Assumptions

Research Results

Product Specs and Images

Step 2: Write Your Mission and Vision Statement

A mission statement is a brief summary of your company’s main purpose, and how your company provides value to its customers. In other words, it should convey your company’s reason for existence, and serve as a point of reference for future planning initiatives. Get started on developing your mission statement by using a free mission statement worksheet .

A vision statement details the future aspirations of a company or entity, and should serve as a framework for short-term and long-term strategic planning. The purpose of a vision statement is to guide internal decision-making for future courses of action. Create a compelling vision statement by using a free vision statement worksheet .

Step 3: Perform a Situational Analysis

Your marketing strategy will not be as effective without a clear picture of the overall health of your business. Gaining deeper insight into your organization’s internal and external environment will allow you to develop a plan that capitalizes on opportunities and reduces risk, and enables you to position your business in the market in a way that sets you apart from competitors. 

Three methods you can use to analyze the elements that impact the health of your business are a SWOT analysis, Porter’s Five Forces Analysis, and 5C Analysis.

This method is one of the most commonly used tools for analyzing the internal strengths and weaknesses of a business, as well as the external opportunities and threats. When detailing the internal strengths and weaknesses of a business, keep in mind that these are the factors that your company has control over. By contrast, when defining external opportunities and threats, recognize that these are factors that impact your business from the outside, and that you cannot control. 

The main purpose of the of a SWOT analysis is to identify weaknesses that can be turned into strengths, and then to leverage strengths in order to take advantage of opportunities and mitigate threats in the market. Choose from a variety of free SWOT Analysis templates , including a SWOT Competitor Analysis template to see how you measure up to competitors.

Porter’s 5 Forces

This framework is used to evaluate your competitive landscape and to identify factors in your industry that may strengthen or weaken your position. The five forces include the following components:

  • Industry Rivalry
  • Threat of New Entrants
  • Bargaining Power of Buyers
  • Threat of Substitute Products
  • Bargaining Power of Suppliers

Once you have assessed each of the five forces and rated them from low to high, you will be better equipped to pinpoint and enhance your organization’s competitive position within the industry.

This marketing framework is used to assess the five key drivers of marketing decisions for a business. The five Cs of the marketing mix include the following:

  • Company: Identify the unique value proposition (UVP), or the sustainable competitive advantage that the focal business possesses. Some examples include economies of scale, cost leadership, and differentiation. This component of the assessment involves evaluating the products, services, culture, and brand perception of the business to determine if it’s in the best position to satisfy customer needs. 
  • Customers: Having keen insight into who your customers are and what motivates them to purchase is essential before determining how you will meet their needs. Conduct research on who is buying your products, how customers interact with your business (including online), seasonal trends, and customer feedback to gain an understanding of the behaviors and preferences of your customer base.
  • Competitors: Analyzing your competitors and learning about how they conduct business will enable you to strategize a plan that will beat them at their own game. Learn about your competitor’s strengths, weaknesses, and market position by researching what differentiates them, what kind of content they’re producing, and how their customers interact with and review them. 
  • Collaborators: Leveraging relationships with people, partners, and distributors that support your daily business operations is key. Since you rely on these collaborators in order to get your product in front of customers, they can be highly beneficial for helping your business run more efficiently. Create a list of all the key players that your business works with — from investors and stakeholders to shippers and photographers — to create strong relations and uncover opportunities.
  • Climate: Getting a sense of societal, legal, and industry trends that could affect your business will allow you to make decisions proactively. Get an idea of where the market is heading by keeping a watchful eye on social and economic trends that could impact the way customers are buying, or new technologies like social media  that could change the way businesses operate.  

Performing a situational analysis by utilizing these methods will allow you to critically analyze your organization and industry landscape, identify opportunities, establish goals, and create a plan of action to take steps toward achieving those goals.

Step 4: Pinpoint Your Organization’s Core Capabilities

Once you’ve conducted your situational analysis and have a clear understanding of the internal and external factors impacting your business, identify the core capabilities of your organization that you can capitalize on to gain a competitive foothold. 

One way to home in on your core competencies is to gather feedback from your team by asking the following questions:

  • What are our greatest strengths as a company?
  • What are our greatest strengths as a team?
  • What makes our product offerings better than that of our competitors?
  • What makes us the best in our industry?

Your core competencies should be a reflection of your mission and vision statement, and these statements should be modified as core competencies change.

Step 5: Define Your Goals

Are you trying to raise brand awareness? Meet a sales quota? Achieve growth within a specific timeframe? Whatever your primary business, financial, or marketing goals may be, you must ensure they are detailed and data-driven, and that you have the resources needed to achieve them. In other words, you need to establish S.M.A.R.T. goals , which are defined as the following:

  • Specific: Clearly convey the main goals you are trying to accomplish.
  • Measurable: Determine key metrics you will use to track progress.
  • Achievable: Ensure you have the capabilities and resources needed to reach your goals.
  • Relevant: Verify that the marketing goals support the overall mission and vision of the business.
  • Time-Oriented: Set milestones and deadlines for goals to stay on track.

If you’re feeling uncertain about the main goals you are trying to achieve, here are some questions you can ask yourself to get started on developing them:

  • How do we want potential customers to feel about our brand?
  • What key elements of our product or service should potential customers know about?
  • What will motivate potential customers to choose us over our competitors?
  • How is our business positioned in the industry?
  • What is our year-to-date (YTD) growth?
  • How can we best align our marketing plan with our overall business objectives so they support each other?

Once you’ve answered the above questions, develop and track your S.M.A.R.T. goals by downloading a free goal planning and tracking template .

Step 6: Identify Your Target Market

Once you’ve identified your main goals, the next step is to identify target customers that your business will direct its marketing resources to in order to achieve those goals. Since it isn’t efficient or practical to target everyone, the idea is to focus in on customers that are more likely to choose you over competitors, and to stay loyal to your brand. Read below for tips to help you define your target market.

  • Look at the customers you already have: Find out who is already buying your products, and look for mutual interests, preferences, and pain points among those buyers to build customer profiles. Dive in deeper on returning customers, and those that are bringing in the most business, so you can strategize ways to target more buyers with shared characteristics. Another effective way to gain insight into your customer base is to collect information from them by way of focus groups, surveys, research, or simply asking for feedback. Learn more about customer profiles, and use a free customer profile questionnaire template to get started.
  • Look at the customers your competitors have: Learn about the customers your competitors are targeting, and figure out what motivates them to choose the competition’s products over yours. Use this information to find niche markets or opportunities your competitor may be missing out on.
  • Examine your products and services: Take each product or service offering and list out the key benefits they provide, and then detail how each of those benefits solve a specific problem. Use that information to identify who is most likely to have the problem those benefits provide a solution for, and then create a list of those people.
  • Create a target persona: Once you’ve identified the types of people who will most likely benefit from your product, you’ll need to home in on those that are also more likely to purchase it — and choose your brand over the competition. Figure out what the demographics of each buyer looks like (e.g. age, gender, occupation), as well as the characteristics of said buyer (e.g. personality, preferences, lifestyle). Then, identify how your target persona will find your product, what will motivate them to buy it, how they will use it, and how it fits in with his or her lifestyle. Learn more about target personas, and download a free persona worksheet template to get started.

Step 7: Develop Your Marketing Strategy

Once you’ve established who you are targeting, you need to create a plan for how you will reach them and ultimately convert them into a customer. Ask yourself how you will get in front of your target audience to bring awareness to your product, and how you will convince them to purchase from you. Read below for effective concepts you can use to develop your strategy.

Identify your buyer’s buying cycle. 

Now that you’ve pinpointed your target buyer, the next step is to develop a content strategy to encourage the buyer through each stage of the customer’s journey. Understanding how your customers make purchase decisions will allow you to align your content strategy accordingly. The stages of the customer’s buying cycle include the following:

  • Awareness: Prospective buyers have a problem and begin searching for solutions. This is the stage where a business invests its resources to make potential customers aware of the products and services it offers.
  • Consideration: Prospective buyers are considering the various solutions available to solve their problem, and need to be convinced that they need to make a purchase in order to solve it. This is the stage where a business conveys in great detail the benefits the customer will receive after using the product, and how it is better than what the competition is offering. 
  • Intent: Prospective buyers are convinced that they need to make a purchase to solve their problem, and begin to compare alternatives. This is the stage where a business reassures the customer that the product offered makes the most sense out of all the alternatives from an emotional, financial, or lifestyle perspective. 
  • Purchase: Prospective buyers have made their decision on which company they will purchase the product from. Even if the buyer chooses your product, the process does not end here. The goal of your business is to develop a relationship with the customer to increase brand loyalty, and to find upsell opportunities based on purchase history.
  • Repurchase: Buyers need to renew a perishable product (e.g. a supply of contact lenses) or a product subscription. The goal of your business is to foster the relationship with the customer by offering incentives to repurchase and to increase brand evangelism. An effective way to use content to retain customers is through email marketing campaigns. Find email workflow tips, examples and free templates to get started on developing your strategy.

Before creating content for each stage of the buying cycle, you must first establish your content goals for each stage, strategies to implement to meet those objectives, and the key metrics to measure results. 

Develop your content strategy for each phase of the cycle and choose from a wide variety of free content marketing templates . 

Determine the 4Ps of your marketing mix.

In order to effectively guide potential customers through each phase of the buyer’s lifecycle, use your marketing project management skills to create a strategy to get your brand in front of them, and then motivate them to purchase your product. As you develop your strategy, refer to the following 4Ps of your marketing mix:

  • Product: This refers to the tangible good (or intangible service) that you are offering as a solution to meet the needs of the customer. Emphasizing the UVP and differentiating your product in the market are the first steps to setting yourself apart and positioning your brand.
  • Price: This refers to the price your customer is expected to pay for the product. Understanding the perceived value (e.g. high quality versus low quality) of your product in the eyes of the customer is imperative before you can effectively set a price. Researching the price competitors are offering for similar products or alternatives is a great place to start. 
  • Promotion: This refers to the communication aspect of your marketing strategy. Getting the word out about your product is the best way to raise awareness about your brand, with methods including press releases, trade shows, event marketing, videos , and advertising.
  • Place: This refers to the place where customers can purchase your product. Will you sell exclusively online? Will customers need to come to a physical location? The marketing channels you will use to get the product from producer to customer (e.g. direct selling, mail order, online) are a part of your distribution strategy.

According to Justin Mares and Gabriel Weinberg, authors of the book Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth , some key marketing channels to use to raise awareness about your brand include the following:

  • Relevant blogs
  • Unconventional PR
  • Paid Ads/Remarketing
  • Offline Ads
  • Content Marketing
  • Email Marketing
  • Trade Shows
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Marketing Events
  • Community Events

Create your budget.

Setting a budget will give you parameters to work within as you are implementing your plan. It also enables you to prioritize your needs before your wants so you can dictate resources (e.g. talent acquired) toward high priority goals first. Here are some helpful tips you can use to create your marketing budget:

  • Build your budget plan based on last year’s numbers, or build from scratch according to priority.
  • Make a list of action items, and then come up with an estimated budget for each item based on marketing, distribution, and promotional expenses.
  • Prioritize your needs before your wants. Whatever is leftover after your needs are fulfilled, funnel those funds toward your wants.
  • Invest in areas with higher return on investment (ROI) (e.g., content marketing, email marketing) to increase your buying power. 

Find a wide range of free marketing budget templates to start planning your budget. 

Step 8: Create a Value-Complexity Matrix

Once you have established your marketing tactics and set out a budget to work within, you’ll need to prioritize your plan of attack by going after low hanging fruit. In other words, you need to act on the high value items that don’t require as much effort to complete, or the “easy wins.”

Take each initiative and assign it to a quadrant within the following matrix to determine if the time and resources needed to complete the initiative are worth the value it will return.

Step 9: Conduct Financial Projections

This segment of the plan shows the financial projections you have determined to be relevant to the project based on the research you have completed for your marketing plan. This component of the marketing plan is critical in order to gain buy-in from stakeholders and investors, and to guide your decisions throughout the duration of the project. 

Common financial data to add to your marketing plan include the following:

Forecasts (sales and expenses)

Break even analysis

Financial requirements

3 year financial projections

Income statement

Cash flow statement

Balance sheet

Find a free sales forecast template, financial projections template, and other templates to prepare your financial data by checking out this page with free startup plan, budget and cost templates . 

Step 10: Identify Standards of Performance and Results Tracking Methods

The primary purpose of setting performance standards is to communicate clear expectations and desired results for an organization’s marketing efforts. For example, a performance standard might be that the total budget for X will equal a specific percentage of the yearly promotional budget for the coming year. 

Before you can adequately measure the outcome of marketing initiatives, there are some steps you must take to lay the groundwork.  

  • Determine your key performance indicators (KPIs): Define measurable marketing metrics and connect them to your established goals in order to track progress.
  • Establish a baseline: Understand and document how your business is currently performing so you have something to compare future performance results to.
  • Define your benchmarks: Acquire data about your competition and industry to develop standard measurements that indicate how you stack up against the competition.
  • Decide which tools and platforms to implement: The results you analyze are only as good as the methods you use to track them. Find a  project management platform that provides real-time visibility into project status and performance so you have the ability to make timely, data-driven decisions. 

Once you’ve completed these steps, you can begin the process of tracking performance by doing the following:

  • Establish guidelines on results tracking (e.g. what to track and how often), and determine who is responsible.
  • Schedule meetings to evaluate results and determine where opportunities lie. Come to each meeting prepared by using a free meeting agenda template .
  • Take inventory of your content and compile a list of the top performers. Compare the results of that content to your standards of performance to see if they align, and to identify what can be improved upon. In this article, you can choose from 60-plus content marketing templates , including a content inventory template, to help you plan and execute your content marketing strategy.
  • When performance improves, identify what contributed to it and allocate resources accordingly.

Once you’ve identified the standards to use to measure the effectiveness of your marketing strategy, the next course of action is to implement your plan, measure performance, and adjust accordingly.  

Step 11: Write the Executive Summary

Although the executive summary is placed at the beginning of your marketing plan, it is the final step to be completed. This section summarizes all the key takeaways from each segment of the marketing plan, and should ultimately answer each of the following questions:

  • What are the overall business objectives?
  • How do your marketing goals align with the business objectives?
  • Which products or services will you market?
  • Who is your target audience?
  • What resources will you leverage (e.g. partnerships) to get your products in front of prospects?
  • What gives you a competitive advantage?
  • What problems are you solving?
  • What solutions are you providing?
  • What are the short and long-term goals of the company?

Learn more about how to create an effective summary, and find free checklists and templates to support your efforts by visiting “ How to Write an Effective Executive Summary to Yield Results .”

It’s important to remember that a marketing plan is not static, but rather a living document that should be referenced regularly, and updated as changes occur within your business and the larger business climate. 

Marketing Plan Examples and Samples

In this section, you will find examples of marketing plans created by established companies, along with sample marketing plan, to help guide you in your efforts in creating your own plan.

Lush Marketing Plan (provided by Calameo)

This first example is a marketing plan that was created for a cosmetics company. You will note that design elements throughout this plan are consistent to the brand, and sections are broken up by catchy graphics and illustrations.

RE/MAX Marketing Plan (provided by Calameo)

This example is a marketing plan that was created for a real estate company. This plan emphasizes the benefits that a customer receives by using their services, and details the promotional strategy used to connect customers to their business.

Marketing Plan Sample (provided by Houghton Mifflin Company)

This sample shows a marketing plan for a hypothetical company. Although this plan does not display any design elements or graphs, it breaks the plan up into the key components of a basic marketing plan.

Benefits of a Strong Marketing Strategy and Marketing Plan

A strong marketing plan can serve as a roadmap for your organization, and taking the time to write a formal plan — rather than relying on esoteric goals or vague strategy — can heighten the success of your overall marketing efforts. A marketing plan can help you accomplish the following:

  • Pinpoint high priority initiatives.
  • Eliminate projects that don’t move you toward your goals.
  • Identify the right metrics to track.
  • Give your team direction and alignment.
  • Set realistic and measurable objectives.
  • Answer key questions about your business (and how this effort fits into high-level organizational goals).
  • Identify your target audience/customers and define how to best reach them.
  • Develop a structured approach to building products and services that satisfy customers’ needs.
  • Retain your customers.
  • Save time and money.

Ultimately, your marketing plan acts as a reference document that will hold you accountable and help you execute your marketing strategy.

Best Practices for Creating a Strategic Marketing Plan

You can elevate the utility of your marketing plan by taking extra time to add elements and perform in-depth analysis of your audience, brand, and budget. Below are some tactical and analytical tips that will help you get the most out of your marketing strategy planning:

  • Create a dynamic marketing plan . With so much information to cover, your plan might end up being a long, text-heavy document. Include a table of contents so that your readers can easily navigate through the plan, use bullet points to break up walls of text, and include visual illustrations that draw the eye. Also consider creating a one-page version that captures the most important high-level information.
  • Back up your plan with research. All of the information provided in your plan will be more credible if you can back it up with research and facts before you go to market . Attach an appendix for any supporting material, and provide graphics (tables, graphs, pictures, etc.) to substantiate your statements and analysis.
  • Understand your audience . A successful marketing campaign hinges on being able to connect your message with your target market. Use Google Analytics or another engagement analysis platform to identify your audience and their behavior, and consider creating audience personas so that you know who you are producing content for. 
  • Ensure your brand is strong and stands out . This concept is complex and requires continual attention and iteration. From a marketing perspective, you can begin building brand integrity by defining your unique selling proposition, optimizing and designing your website and all other distribution channels, and creating great content. Be sure to elicit feedback from other departments so that the marketing material is in line with organizational messaging and goals.
  • Create realistic financial goals . Like all other business concerns, success relies on sound budgeting. Define your budget early on to set expectations around spending and to identify any potential financial gaps, and create some metrics and KPIs that are related to financial success. In addition, make sure you can realistically support any special offers, discounts, or rewards that you offer.

You can also tap into several accessory activities to strengthen your marketing planning. These include the following:

  • Promotions strategies
  • Online marketing strategy
  • Joint ventures and partnerships
  • Referral strategy
  • Strategy for increasing transaction prices
  • Retention strategy

Design Tips for a Marketing Plan

Presentation is key when it comes to showcasing your marketing plan to potential investors and stakeholders. Below are some basic best practices to keep the look of your plan interesting and streamlined:

  • Keep design elements and formatting consistent throughout the design brief and plan.
  • Incorporate icons, charts, and infographics to make the plan more visually compelling.
  • Use borders and colors (ensure consistency with your branding style guidelines) to section out your marketing plan.
  • Emphasize key stats and metrics to make it scannable.
  • Create a visual of your target audience persona.
  • Use design elements that reflect your high-level marketing goals.
  • Use a template to incorporate your own unique touch and branding.

Improve Your Marketing Strategy and Plan with Smartsheet for Marketing

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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.

Improve your marketing efforts and deliver best-in-class campaigns.

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What is Service Marketing? Definition, Strategies, Examples

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Nowadays, there is a noticeable rise in service startups. Businesses of all sizes are moving towards a service-oriented marketing approach.

The presence of a vibrant service sector has led to the narrowing down of the differences between goods and services. For many businesses, goods and services are interconnected. Even for companies that focus on the production of goods, services represent an integral part of their business operations.

The easier part for businesses is to create a service, the harder part is to market the service. How do you define your service marketing strategy? How do you market your service-based business?

In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about service marketing including effective tips and tactics.

Let's get started.

Service marketing is an exclusive branch of marketing that sprung up in the early '80s because some specialized services required unique strategies, unlike physical marketing strategies. It centers on the business of non-physical intangible or, better said, abstract goods .

This form of marketing applies to both B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to customers) services. Examples of sectors that use service marketing to drive their businesses include:

  • Hospitality,
  • Telecommunications Services,
  • Entertainment Services,
  • Financial Services,
  • Health Care Services,
  • Professional Services,
  • Car Rental Services,
  • Trade Services, etc.

Service marketing is a high-grade type of marketing that needs you to build a considerable level of trust with your target audience . Building the trust of your customers in your services enables them to be more willing to sign the contract since they trust that you have the necessary skills to deliver the promised service value.

Unlike a one-off transaction that involves the sales of products, service marketing is a concept that requires high-level human interaction.

Characteristics of Service Marketing

Service marketing emerged as a special field of study due to some services that needed different strategies. These services must have some peculiarities before they can be studied as a separate entity. Let's take a look at some of those peculiarities.

  • Heterogeneity – Services involve various processes that are subject to human variation and are delivered by certain personnel. Some clients request highly customized services because services are naturally variable in substance and quality. Variability implies that you are open to fewer opportunities to regularize the delivery of services .
  • Intangibility – Services are abstract, i.e. they lack physical form. They cannot be controlled with any of our bodily senses like sight, touch, or smell. This characteristic implies that ownership cannot be changed or transferred . Value is derived from the consumption of experience of that service. You cannot evaluate the quality of service before purchase or consumption.
  • Perishability – Unlike physical goods, service performances are temporal (they cannot be stored or enumerated). Perishability implies that demands are prone to wide-ranging fluctuations . No inventory acts as an intermediary between demand and supply and dormant services cannot be retained.
  • Inseparability – Unlike goods, the concept of production and consumption of services cannot be dissociated. For goods, the production and consumption of physical products are two entirely different processes. An implication is that services are highly labor-intensive . Also, there are fewer opportunities to substitute capital for human labor.
  • People Involvement – Service marketing is in the hands of people who provide services to need the needs and wants of their customers.

These five characteristics give rise to different problems in service marketing. Services are by nature complex, multi-dimensional, sophisticated, and multi-layered compared to standardized products. There are benefits attached to services.

Service marketing involves interactions between companies and clients, and between customers and other customers.

How to Define Your Service Marketing Strategy

The best marketing strategies all start from a simple and actionable plan and a genuine evaluation of where your business is today. You want to know how much customers value your services.

Which of your services sells the best and which sells the worst? What services offer a high profit margin? These are questions that need to be check-marked for you to build an effective marketing strategy.

Some decades ago, service companies rarely made use of marketing strategies compared to manufacturing companies. Compared to manufacturing companies, service firms:

  • Often handle advertisement internally instead of going out to agencies
  • Rarely come up with sales training programs
  • Rarely meet marketing experts for consultations
  • Do not run sales analysis in the environment around them.

There are various reasons why these service firms did not initially use marketing strategies. Some had lots of demand and did not see the need for a marketing plan. Others felt it was unprofessional to employ the use of marketing.

Later on, some of these service firms started experiencing a decline in demands for services, leading to low sales. They started using marketing agencies to boost their sales.

Service-based businesses need some elements of external marketing to be successful. It is what promotes your services to your target audience.

Defining a marketing plan for your service-based business is essential to your business' growth. Your strategy should focus on satisfying the needs of your target audience and building a long-term relationship with them through consistent interaction.

Below is a guide on how you can define a successful service marketing strategy.

1. Know the Key Elements of a Successful Strategy

One key element is for you to characterize your customers by their needs. You can do this by doing thorough market research on different customers and approaching them in a more friendly way than your rivals in the market.

The next step is to make the most of your business strengths to meet the various needs of customers. For instance, if you notice that some sets of audiences prioritize quality in service, your marketing strategy should convince them that you can provide the high-quality service they want.

2. Do a SWOT Analysis

Your business strategy must take account of your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Detailed research on your existing customers can say much about your SWOT.

After doing your analysis, look at the potential effects that each element of the SWOT analysis can have on your strategy.

SWOT Analysis

3. Develop your Marketing Strategy

With insight into your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, you can maximize the positive information and minimize the effects of the negative information.

You can also write out some questions that your marketing actions will answer. Review these questions regularly and tick whenever you have completely answered them.

Develop Marketing Strategy

How to Market a Service-Based Business

Service-based businesses offer services to its target audience. Before you begin to market your service to customers, you need to understand some concepts.

You need to study and understand your customer's personalities, the dynamics of your target audience, their reaction when they are satisfied with your service, and their reaction when you do not meet their expectations.

Also, you can study how your existing customers knew about your service and how they were convinced to patronize you . It helps you in knowing the right points to hit when marketing your business.

After understanding your customers, there are some proven methods you can apply when marketing your business. They include email marketing, SEO, performance marketing, webinars, direct outreach, and referral marketing.

1. Email Marketing

The use of emails is one of the best ways to market your service-based business. After identifying your target audience, you can use email marketing to build and automate your email campaigns. You can set that up using email marketing software such as ConvertKit, MailChimp, and other MailChimp alternatives .

The welcome email is what you send to your customers when they join your email list. You can personalize your emails based on the user's preference.

Provide social proofs in your emails, people love it when there are proofs to back up the efficiency of service . Also, ensure your emails are reader-friendly. Do not employ the use of sophisticated words with the mindset of impressing your clients. You can miss out on passing the message you intend to pass to your target audience.

Email Marketing Service Based Business

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a great way of promoting your service business . There is no doubt that if a random customer goes on the web to search for a service, he or she is most likely to click on any of the first five websites that appear on Google SERP (Search Engine Results Page).

If you want your website or blog to rank high, you need to do some SEO optimization. People still find it hard to understand how the Google search algorithm works on the internet. Here are some SEO tips to help you market your business.

  • Use quality content
  • Use search keywords in your content, and
  • Use SEO-optimized titles, headers, and URLs.
  • Use SEO tools to improve your rankings including keyword research tools .

SEO is a great way of promoting the service business

3. Performance Marketing

Performance marketing is another good way of up-scaling your service business. It is the combination of brand marketing and paid advertising to achieve one goal.

This type of marketing involves an affiliate and a retailer. It is a win-win for both parties because the retailer only pays when the desired action has taken place.

Performance marketing is an umbrella that houses affiliate marketing and other types of marketing . The affiliate helps you market your service. Once they can convert a large audience, you pay them for their service and in turn, get a large number of people to offer your services to.

The Performance Marketing Process

4. Webinars

You can also leverage webinars to boost your services and amass a large audience. To use webinars, you first identify a topic that interests your target market.

Here are ways to find a topic:

  • Define your target audience
  • Understand their pain points
  • Use irresistible titles to capture their attention

The next step is to prepare your webinar. Ensure you are the person that hosts it. For this step, here are a few things to do.

  • Use the best webinar software platforms
  • Create your content
  • Test run the devices you want to use to host the webinar

Promote Your Webinar

No matter how resourceful your webinar is, it needs promotions for it to get to a larger audience. Here are a few tips on how to promote your webinar.

  • Add call-to-action clicks on your website
  • Send promotional emails
  • Post blog contents emphasizing the webinar
  • Use social media platforms and possibly run Facebook Ads .

After a wonderful promotion, convert your webinar attendees into sales. The best way to do that is to:

  • Focus on delivering valued content
  • Showcase your expertise level
  • Advertise your service at the end of the webinar.

Webinar Promotions for Getting a Larger Audience

5. Direct Outreach

Direct outreach is another great marketing tool. Customers patronize services based on emotions and justify them with logic. It involves reaching out to your customers via email or phone, including cold calling.

6. Referral Marketing

In the business world today, there is no doubt that referrals boost market sales. Referral marketing is a process where existing customers refer other people to your services.

Unlike other types of marketing that you directly contact a large audience, your existing customers do the work for you. Referral marketing helps your business gain more customers through word-of-mount testimonials from people who used your services .

One thing you need to do as a brand for referral marketing to work out is to offer quality and satisfactory services. Once you do that, the rest is easy. Customers are always naturally eager to talk to a friend or two about the service they enjoyed from a business.

Referral Marketing Infographic

Service Marketing Tips and Tactics

Some of the best service marketing tips and tactics you can use to attract more customers, generate more sales and Return on Investment (ROI) include:

1. Entice Your Audience with Incentives

No matter the services you offer as a business, you have lots of competitors out there trying to gain the attention of the same customers you are targeting.

How do you want to attract these customers to your service? How do you want to convince them that you offer services better than your competitors?

Incentives, promos, and add-ons are ways you can use to win customers to your side. Everyone appreciates extra efforts that service-based businesses add without charging extra costs. Incentives also attract new customers to your service.

2. Prioritize Your Value Over Prices

Most businesses always want to compete over prices in a bid to attract customers. However, if you want to reduce your prices, it might hurt you in the end because the lower you go, the lower your rivals will go just to snatch the market. Will you keep going lower? Will you reduce quality because you want to cut costs?

Smart service-based businesses compete based on values . Although there might be ranges in price, the one with the best values always wins. Once the standard of your business is offering high-quality services, you do not have to cut costs to attract customers. Intentional customers will take you as their ‘go-to' brand for your type of service .

3. Communicate Effectively

Communicating the results of services involves more personal interactions than delivering details concerning the sales of a product. Customers enjoy it when you constantly update them on your services other than just keeping them waiting for the final results . You need to keep an efficient communication funnel with customers.

You can effectively communicate via emails, phone numbers, CRM software , or social media. With social media, a single message can travel as fast as the speed of light within the blink of an eye. You can also schedule messages. It will save you the stress of sitting down all day forwarding messages to various customers.

4. Earn the Trust of Your Audience

Trust is one of the major building blocks of service-based marketing. When marketing your service, your main reference is the service itself. But what is more important is what other people (existing customers) have to say about you.

When marketing yourself, all you have to convince people is words. But when one or two people can testify about your services, it saves you the stress of proving your efficacy to each customer.

One good way to earn the trust of your audience is to deliver as expected, or more than expected . Once your customers are satisfied with your service, they will naturally tell others that need your service about their fruitful experience with your brand. Your brand gains new customers in the process.

Deliver quality services to the new customers and they will in return keep spreading glowing reviews about your brand. Reviews from your customers are very effective for attracting new customers.

5. Leverage Social Networking

Social media accounts help you to communicate effectively. The importance of social networking cannot be overemphasized. Most successful businesses have multiple social media accounts to reach out to a larger audience easily and quickly.

As a business, you need to create a website that has information about your services. You can use website builder tools like Wix and Squarespace to create the website. Then create accounts on social media like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

Provide links to your media accounts on your website. Market your service business on these accounts regularly. You can even hire social media managers on freelance job websites like Upwork and Fiverr to manage your social media accounts on your behalf.

Service Marketing Types

The term ‘marketing' talks about creating awareness about your business, what you have to offer, and how your solution can benefit lots of people .

Types of Service Marketing

Here are the three types of service marketing: internal marketing, external marketing, and interactive marketing.

1. Internal Marketing

This is the type of marketing done by the company to its employees . Your employees need to be aware of what your service offers. It is done through empowerment programs and training. Your employees should be ambassadors of your service.

2. External Marketing

External marketing is the most common type of marketing. It is done by the company to its customers.

This type of marketing is the one that drags sales into your business because you are directly reaching out to the target audience. External marketing is done through advertisements, promotions, online PR.

3. Interactive Marketing

This type of marketing is between the employees and customers . In a marketing funnel, different employees have where they directly interact with customers.

Interactive marketing is done through customer support, interactions on social media, and personal employees. An example is when the customer service department of a service-based business attends to the welfare of customers.

Examples of Service Marketing

There are two classes of service marketing examples. We have B2B (Business to Business) service marketing examples and B2C (Business to Customer) service marketing examples.

B2B Services Marketing Examples

1. jbarrows sales training.

JBarrows Sales Training is one of the best service providers that provides consultancy and sales training services

JBarrows Sales Training is one of the best service providers that provides consultancy and sales training services to some of the world’s leading service establishments like G2 Crowd, Slack, etc.

These companies use JB services to ensure that their teams hold high-quality meetings with the target markets . The sales training offered by JBarrows also helps to improve the quality of interactions during the sales process.

JBarrows Sales Training employs actionable strategies to help small and large-scale companies achieve desirable results.

Cience is a B2B service provider that uses multi channel prospecting to help companies grow

Cience is a B2B service provider that uses multi-channel prospecting to help companies grow. With highly accurate research, they provide outbound sales processes that enable qualified meetings with your target audiences. Clients are assured of positive results.

Cience is among the top 10 fastest-growing marketing companies in the US. They have been able to serve different clients in hundreds of industries.

B2C Service Marketing Examples

Uber is a transportation business that connects available drivers with customers via mobile apps

Uber is a transportation business that connects available drivers with customers via mobile apps. For customers, it is a fast and convenient service compared to commercial transit buses. For the drivers, they get to earn an income while transporting people to their desired destination.

The online transport giant builds credibility by in-app reviews dropped by customers after each ride. Its primary value is flexibility for both parties.

Airbnb is an online market where people can find nearby accommodations

Airbnb is an online market where people can find nearby accommodations. The company can sort customers' needs such as duration, costs, accommodation, location, etc. Customers enjoy a quality user experience when they use Airbnb and this boosts the company's reviews in return.

What are the 7 P's of Service Marketing?

There are 7 P's of service marketing . They include product, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence.

7 P's of Service Marketing

Product is what the word ‘marketing' centers on. It is whatever you have to offer as a solution to meet your customers' needs . In this case, it could be information, your blog, or even a consulting service. The perks of your service and its advantage over other rival service providers should be obvious to your target audience.

Your product has to be well defined in terms of its primary attributes and its extended attributes. The attributes of your service are the building block of your marketing strategy.

If your service design is faulty, no amount of marketing strategy can earn you a large audience. Products can include technology, UI/UX design, securities, transportation medium, and more.

Regardless of the value that you offer, pricing is a key determiner in acquiring customers and their final satisfaction. Before placing a price tag on your service, it would be best if you know the audience's price expectation range (and what your rivals are charging for the same service). It would help you know if you are charging far above the average or far below their expectations.

Talking about services, the price might not correctly indicate the quality. It is like putting a price on an abstract feeling.

There are several price strategies used in service marketing. They include:

Penetration Pricing

For this type of pricing, you start with low charges to acquire a large audience. As your brand begins to grow, you increase your charges.

In this way, you are slowly increasing your price rate on your audience. It may not have a one-time effect on them, compared to when you go from a low price to a ridiculously high price at once. An example of a company that adopted this strategy is Sky TV.

Economy Pricing

Economy pricing means setting a low price that is difficult for your competitors in the market to beat. But take note that this low price must still be profitable for your business. As long as it remains profitable, it is a good pricing strategy.

Premium Pricing

Premium pricing refers to when you place high prices on your service. You have to justify the reason why you are pricing at a premium or else competitors will look the other way at your competitors. One easy way to justify premium pricing is to deliver a unique, top-notch, and quality service.

Product Line Pricing

This pricing strategy refers to when you break down your services into small tiers or categories with specific prices per category. It means that your prices increase as you offer a higher number of services with higher value.

An example is a car washing company for different categories of car cleaning. They can have different price tags for basic wash, wash with wax, and full package.

Geographical Pricing

This pricing strategy depends on the location of the company in any part of the world. Variations in prices can arise from the location of a company. Countries that place more value on your services or where there are higher tax rates would offer services for higher prices.

For offline services such as legal services, healthcare, household upkeep, etc, proximity is an important factor to consider . The closer you are to your target audience, the higher the chances of increasing sales. Accessibility is not an excuse for your audience when marketing your services to them once you are situated close to them.

For online services where sales and purchases are made virtually, there are still some determining factors for high purchase probability. The common ones include:

  • Security status of payment
  • Ease of payment
  • Account management
  • Type of transaction
  • Variety of payment methods

4. Promotion

Promotion refers to the mediums through which you advertise your services to your intended target audience. It plays a major role in whatever perspective the target audience has when they look at your service. Your positioning has to complement your promotion. Promotion leads to brand recognition and evaluation of your services .

Positioning (where exactly you are promoting your service) has a major role in the perception of your service. For example, where do you want to promote your service? Is it on Facebook Ads? Is it on Adwords? Also, what contents will they contain?

People refer to the target audience you are promoting and marketing your services to. The success and credibility of your service depend on how you can develop a good relationship with your target markets. It is essential to develop and manage customer relationships efficiently.

You need to pay close attention to what your customers want. It is one of the determining factors for the success of your service marketing campaign.

Unlike physical products, service marketing is not only about the results. The process is an important concept to consider when rendering services.

When you can define your process clearly and properly, customers will perceive your service as a credible and dependable one. It will assure them that their expectations will be met.

Having an effective process for handling your customer support is essential. It is very important to swiftly attend to any issues your customers have. Poor customer support processes will affect the satisfaction level of your customer with your service.

As a service business, solving your customer's issues is not the only important (result) factor but how quickly, efficiently, and gently you attend to it (process) matters.

7. Physical Evidence

Physical evidence affects a customer's satisfaction with abstract services. Since these services are intangible (cannot be seen, felt, or touched), customers depend on stories from existing customers to put their trust in you.

Reviews, accreditations, and stamps are what build a customer's trust in a service provider. Trust is built when you prove the promises you make when marketing your services to your target audience. Also, if no claims are negating your promises, it is easier to build trust in your customers' minds.

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Anastasia worked in management consulting and tech startups, so she has lots of experience in helping professionals choosing the right business software.

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Service Business Marketing Plan Sample

OCT.17, 2014

Service Business Marketing Plan Sample

Pick up two service business marketing plans and one thing becomes immediately apparent. A “service” can include everything from dog grooming to financial planning. There are hundreds of business opportunities in every sector of every industry so the ultimate goal of the marketing plan is to leave no doubt as to the how the company plans on reaching the targeted customers and what the company plans on offering. Whether an errand business, software developer, or home based cleaning service business, the marketing plan and strategies should be as thorough as the rest of the business plan, like the financial and operational components.

A service business is a commercial enterprise offering specific work delivered by staff members to consumers or other businesses. In a service business, the products are intangible which presents challenges in terms of marketing. Since there are no products on shelves or in warehouses, it is important to concentrate on the qualities and characteristics of the services that are deliverable to customers. How will the services be delivered in an efficient, cost effective, and reliable manner?

Defining the Value Offered

service marketing

The marketing plan for a service business accomplishes the following goals:

  • Clearly sends a message as to how the service meets a market need or delivers a solution to a problem.
  • Defines the marketing objectives.
  • Explains the value offered and how it is unique compared to the services offered by the competition.
  • Demonstrates careful planning of the marketing mix which includes pricing, service distribution, advertising, and customer service.
  • Defines the targeted audience which can include the service end-user or those who may purchase the service for others to use, i.e. gift buyers, caregivers, household consumers, corporate headquarter staff, etc.
  • Defines the type of marketing strategies that are used online and offline which can include websites, social media, television and/or radio advertising, newspapers, trade shows and conventions, and so on.
  • Provides a clear explanation of the state of the industry, including a market analysis of the competition, potential customers, trends, service gaps, and market needs.
  • Offers a completed SWOT Analysis (or something similar) to show the entrepreneur has thoroughly considered all aspects of the business.

The service business plan of marketing will also cover financial objectives and the marketing budget. The enterprise needs to find an acceptable balance between the marketing budget and the financial plan for all operations. Every marketing dollar needs to be spent in a way that brings maximum results, and that is only possible if thorough marketing research and analysis is completed.

The marketing plan is a critical component of the business plan and will have a major influence on whether potential investors will choose to financially support the startup or expansion. Investors will expect to see reasonable and justifiable numbers for the sales forecast and the expense budget. In addition, there should be a monitoring plan that assesses marketing progress.

OGS Capital is expert in the formulation of marketing plans and strategies for business growth and for incorporation in business plans. Send an online message to OGS Capital by submitting your name and other contact information, using the contact form provided. Let the marketing professionals know you are ready to develop a quality marketing plan for a service business.

Download Service Business Marketing Plan Sample in pdf

Professional OGS capital writers specialized also in themes such as home staging company business plan , business plan for real estate flipping houses , hauling business plan , laundry services business plan , iPhone repair business plan , dating website business plan and many others.

OGSCapital’s team has assisted thousands of entrepreneurs with top-rate business plan development, consultancy and analysis. They’ve helped thousands of SME owners secure more than $1.5 billion in funding, and they can do the same for you.

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What Is a Marketing Plan?

Understanding marketing plans, how to write a marketing plan, marketing plan vs. business plan.

  • Marketing Plan FAQs

The Bottom Line

  • Marketing Essentials

What Is a Marketing Plan? Types and How to Write One

James Chen, CMT is an expert trader, investment adviser, and global market strategist.

service business marketing plan

Pete Rathburn is a copy editor and fact-checker with expertise in economics and personal finance and over twenty years of experience in the classroom.

service business marketing plan

Investopedia / Zoe Hansen

A marketing plan is an operational document that outlines an advertising strategy that an organization will implement to generate leads and reach its target market . A marketing plan details the outreach and PR campaigns to be undertaken over a period, including how the company will measure the effect of these initiatives. The functions and components of a marketing plan include the following:

  • Market research to support pricing decisions and new market entries
  • Tailored messaging that targets certain demographics and geographic areas
  • Platform selection for product and service promotion: digital, radio, Internet, trade magazines, and the mix of those platforms for each campaign
  • Metrics that measure the results of marketing efforts and their reporting timelines

A marketing plan is based on a company’s overall marketing strategy.

Key Takeaways

  • The marketing plan details the strategy that a company will use to market its products to customers.
  • The plan identifies the target market, the value proposition of the brand or the product, the campaigns to be initiated, and the metrics to be used to assess the effectiveness of marketing initiatives.
  • The marketing plan should be adjusted on an ongoing basis based on the findings from the metrics that show which efforts are having an impact and which are not.
  • Digital marketing shows results in near real-time, whereas TV ads require rotation to realize any level of market penetration.
  • A marketing plan is part of a business plan, which describes all of the important aspects of a business, such as its goals, values, mission statement, budget, and strategies.

The terms marketing plan and marketing strategy are often used interchangeably because a marketing plan is developed based on an overarching strategic framework. In some cases, the strategy and the plan may be incorporated into one document, particularly for smaller companies that may only run one or two major campaigns in a year. The plan outlines marketing activities on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis while the marketing strategy outlines the overall value proposition.

Types of Marketing Plans

There are a variety of different marketing plans that suit different businesses and different business needs.

New Product Launch: This is a marketing plan that outlines how a new product will enter the market, who it will target, and in what way advertising will be done.

Social Media: A social media marketing plan focuses on the advertising strategies on different social media platforms and how to engage with the users on these platforms.

Time-Based: Time-based marketing plans, such as those that are executed quarterly or annually, focus on the time of the year, the current condition of the business, and the best strategies in that period.

Mission and Value Proposition

A marketing plan considers the value proposition of a business. The value proposition is the overall promise of value to be delivered to the customer and is a statement that appears front and center of the company website or any branding materials.

The value proposition should state how a product or brand solves the customer's problem, the benefits of the product or brand, and why the customer should buy from this company and not another. The marketing plan is based on this value proposition to the customer.

Establishing your key performance indicators (KPIs) will allow you to measure the success of your marketing plan in relation to your company's value proposition. For example, if your goal is to engage with a certain demographic in a certain region, you can track social media and website visits.

The most effective digital marketing techniques in 2020 according to marketers are content marketing and marketing automation.

Identify Your Target Market

The marketing plan identifies the target market for a product or brand. Market research is often the basis for a target market and marketing channel decisions. For example, whether the company will advertise on the radio, on social media, through online ads, or on regional TV. 

Knowing who you want to sell to and why is an extremely critical component of any business plan. It allows you to focus your business and measure its success. Different demographics have different tastes and needs, knowing what your target market is will help you market to them.

Strategy and Execution

The marketing plan includes the rationale for these decisions. The plan should focus on the creation, timing, scheduling, and placement of specific campaigns. The plan will include the metrics that will measure the outcomes of your marketing efforts. For example, will you advertise on the radio or on social media? What time will you air advertisements if they are on the radio or TV? The strategy may include flighting scheduling , which includes the times when you can make the most of your advertising dollars.

Set Your Budget

A marketing plan costs money. Knowing your budget for a marketing plan will allow you to create a suitable plan within that context, stick to it, and prevent runaway costs. It will also help you allocate to different areas of your marketing plan.

Adjust Your Plan

A marketing plan can be adjusted at any point based on the results from the metrics. If digital ads are performing better than expected, for example, the budget for a campaign can be adjusted to fund a higher-performing platform or the company can initiate a new budget. The challenge for marketing leaders is to ensure that every platform has sufficient time to show results.

Without the correct metrics to assess the impact of outreach and marketing efforts, an organization will not know which campaigns to repeat and which ones to drop; maintaining ineffective initiatives will unnecessarily increase marketing costs.

Digital marketing shows results in near real-time, whereas TV ads require rotation to realize any level of market penetration. In the traditional marketing mix model, a marketing plan would fall under the category of "promotion," which is one of the four Ps , a term coined by Neil Borden to describe the marketing mix of product, price, promotion, and place.

A business plan details how a business will operate and function in its entirety. A business plan is a roadmap for a business. It will cover the goals, missions , values, financials, and strategies that the business will use in day-to-day operations and in the achievement of its objectives.

A business plan will include an executive summary, the products and services sold, a marketing analysis, a marketing strategy, financial planning, and a budget , to name but a few items.

As mentioned, a business plan will include a marketing plan, which focuses on creating a marketing strategy on how to bring awareness to the public of the company's product or service, how to reach the target market, and generate sales.

Example of a Marketing Plan

John came up with a new business idea that he believes is a niche offering in the market. He decides to start a business and his first step is creating a business plan that outlines all of the objectives, goals, values, pitfalls, and finances of his company.

John is able to raise enough capital from friends and family to get started, hires a few employees, and eventually creates his product. He now has to start selling his product and generate sales to keep his business operating.

To achieve this, John, with the help of a marketing company, creates a marketing plan. The marketing plan consists of market research that details the target market for John's product, which is recently retired men.

The marketing plan then comes up with the best methods of reaching this target market. The marketing plan stresses radio and television as opposed to social media as older, retired men use social media less than traditional forms of media, according to the market research that was conducted.

The ads are tailored to the target market, showing how John's product will benefit their lives, particularly when compared to market alternatives. Once the marketing plan has been executed, the marketing team analyzes how the efforts translate into sales.

What Is a Marketing Plan Template?

A marketing plan template is a document that an individual can use to create a marketing plan. The marketing plan template will contain all the important elements and the various needed language with blank sections. A user can insert their own information related to their business in the blank sections to ultimately create their own marketing plan.

What Is an Executive Summary in a Marketing Plan?

The executive summary of a marketing plan provides a brief overview of the entire marketing plan. The executive summary will contain the key findings of the market research, the company's objectives, marketing goals, an overview of the marketing trends, the description of the product or service being marketed, information on the target market, and how to financially plan for the marketing plan.

What Is a Top-Down Marketing Strategy?

A top-down marketing strategy is a traditional marketing strategy. This is where a business determines who it should sell to and how, and the customer base is largely passive and spurred to take action once they hear the advertisement. For example, a top-down marketing strategy would include ads on radio or television. Top-down marketing strategies are usually determined by the executives of a firm. It usually consists of what a firm desires to do and then determining a way to do it.

What Is a Bottom-Up Marketing Strategy?

A bottom-up marketing strategy focuses on discovering a workable strategy and then building on that strategy to create an impactful advertising campaign. Today's consumer wants to relate to a product or service in a meaningful way and a bottom-up marketing strategy is better suited to this. A bottom-up marketing strategy should focus on the target market and how better to create value for them.

How Much Does a Marketing Plan Cost?

The cost of a marketing plan will vary based on the company, the complexity, and the length of the overall strategy. The cost can range anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000.

A marketing plan is the advertising strategy that a business will implement to sell its product or service. The marketing plan will help determine who the target market is, how best to reach them, at what price point the product or service should be sold, and how the company will measure its efforts.

Constantly monitoring and adjusting a market plan is an important part of running a business as it shows what are the best and worst ways to generate sales. Without a successful marketing plan, a business may not be able to continue operating for very long.

Statista. " Most Effective Digital Marketing Techniques According to Marketers Worldwide in 2020 ."

Laire. " How Much Does a Marketing Plan Cost? "

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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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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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Sample Cleaning Service Business Plan

Growthink.com Cleaning Service Business Plan Template

Writing a business plan is a crucial step in starting a cleaning service business. 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 cleaning service business owners, having access to a sample cleaning service business plan can be especially helpful in providing direction and gaining insight into how to draft their own cleaning service business plan.

Download our Ultimate Cleaning Service Business Plan Template

Having a thorough business plan in place is critical for any successful cleaning service 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 cleaning service 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 cleaning service 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 cleaning service business as Growthink’s Ultimate Cleaning Service Business Plan Template , but it can help you write a cleaning service business plan of your own.

Example – PristineClean Experts

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

PristineClean Experts is a professional cleaning service located in Jacksonville, FL, dedicated to providing top-notch cleaning solutions for residential and commercial clients. We are committed to maintaining a high standard of cleanliness and hygiene, with services tailored to meet the diverse needs of our clients, ranging from regular home cleanings to comprehensive commercial maintenance. Our team, equipped with the latest cleaning technology and eco-friendly products, aims to offer an unparalleled cleaning experience, ensuring customer satisfaction and loyalty. Our focus on quality, reliability, and customer service positions us as a leading choice for cleaning services in the Jacksonville area.

Our success is driven by our unwavering commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. We’ve built a strong reputation in the Jacksonville area through our reliable service, attention to detail, and the ability to tailor our offerings to meet the unique needs of each customer. Our team’s expertise and use of advanced cleaning technologies have set us apart in the industry. To date, we’ve achieved significant milestones, including a growing base of loyal residential and commercial clients, and we are continuously expanding our services to cater to the evolving needs of our community.

The cleaning services industry is experiencing robust growth, driven by increasing demand from both residential and commercial sectors. In Jacksonville, FL, this upward trend is reflected in the growing number of households and businesses seeking professional cleaning services to maintain hygiene and appeal. The industry’s expansion is further fueled by heightened health awareness and the need for sanitized environments, particularly in the wake of health crises. PristineClean Experts is well-positioned to capitalize on this demand, offering comprehensive cleaning solutions that cater to the specific needs of our diverse client base.

PristineClean Experts targets a wide range of customers in Jacksonville, FL, focusing primarily on homeowners and apartment dwellers seeking regular and one-off cleaning services. Our tailored approach aims to accommodate the unique cleaning needs of each homeowner, ensuring their spaces are impeccably maintained. Additionally, we serve landlords and small to medium-sized businesses, including office spaces and retail stores, who value professional cleaning to enhance their environment for tenants and clients alike. By addressing the distinct requirements of these customer segments, we ensure high satisfaction and loyalty.

Top Competitors:

CleanMaster Solutions: Offers a range of residential and commercial cleaning services. Sparkle Homes: Specializes in residential cleaning with customizable packages. OfficeClean Express: Focuses on commercial spaces, providing tailored cleaning services.

Competitive Advantages: PristineClean Experts stands out through our commitment to using eco-friendly cleaning products and state-of-the-art equipment, ensuring a thorough and environmentally safe clean. Our highly trained staff and personalized service plans offer a superior cleaning experience, setting us apart from competitors and making us the preferred choice in Jacksonville.

Our marketing plan emphasizes the diversity and quality of our cleaning services, with competitive pricing to match. We offer a range of services from basic home cleaning to specialized commercial maintenance, ensuring a tailored approach to meet the specific needs of our clients. Pricing is structured to provide value while reflecting the high standard of our services. Promotions will be conducted through various channels including social media, local advertising, and word-of-mouth referrals. Special offers and discounts for first-time clients and loyalty programs for regular customers are key strategies to attract and retain our customer base.

Our operations are centered around efficiency and customer satisfaction. Key processes include streamlined booking and scheduling, responsive customer service, rigorous staff training, and stringent quality control measures. We employ reliable scheduling software and maintain excellent communication with clients. Our equipment and inventory are regularly checked to ensure operational readiness. Financial management, marketing efforts, and compliance with safety regulations are also integral parts of our daily operations. Achieving these operational milestones is essential for delivering consistent, high-quality service.

Our management team consists of experienced professionals with diverse backgrounds in business management, customer service, and the cleaning industry. Their collective expertise provides the strategic direction and operational oversight necessary to achieve our business objectives. This strong leadership is instrumental in fostering a culture of excellence, innovation, and customer-centricity within PristineClean Experts.

Welcome to PristineClean Experts, a new Cleaning Service making waves in Jacksonville, FL. We pride ourselves on being a local cleaning service business, filling a much-needed gap in the community. Our mission is to provide unparalleled cleaning services, as we’ve identified a lack of high-quality local cleaning service businesses in the area. Our team is dedicated to ensuring every corner of your space shines, offering a comprehensive suite of cleaning solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of each client.

At PristineClean Experts, our services cater to a wide range of needs including Residential Cleaning, Commercial Cleaning, Janitorial Services, Move-In/Move-Out Cleaning, and Specialized Cleaning Services. We understand the importance of maintaining a clean and healthy environment, whether it’s the comfort of your home or the professionalism of your business space. Our team is equipped with the latest cleaning technology and practices, ensuring efficient and thorough service delivery. We are here to simplify your life, providing hassle-free and reliable cleaning solutions right at your doorstep.

Based in Jacksonville, FL, PristineClean Experts is strategically located to serve customers throughout the city. This prime location allows us to respond quickly to our clients’ needs, ensuring timely and reliable service. We are committed to making a noticeable difference in our community, one clean space at a time.

PristineClean Experts is uniquely qualified to succeed for several reasons. Firstly, our founder brings a wealth of experience from running a successful cleaning service business previously. This experience is invaluable in understanding the intricacies of the industry and ensuring that we stay ahead of the competition. Moreover, we are confident in our ability to offer better cleaning services than our competitors, thanks to our dedicated team, state-of-the-art equipment, and innovative cleaning techniques.

Since our inception on January 3, 2024, as a S Corporation, we have achieved several milestones that we’re incredibly proud of. Our journey began with the creation of a unique logo that represents our brand’s ethos and dedication to cleanliness. We also invested time in developing a memorable company name that resonates with our mission and values. Additionally, we secured a great location that serves as the hub for our operations, enabling us to efficiently manage our services and cater to the needs of our clients in Jacksonville, FL. These accomplishments are just the beginning, and we are excited about the future of PristineClean Experts.

The Cleaning Service industry in the United States is currently experiencing significant growth and is poised for continued expansion in the coming years. According to a market research report, the industry generated approximately $46.3 billion in revenue in 2020. This indicates a substantial market size and highlights the demand for professional cleaning services across the country. Furthermore, the market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2% from 2021 to 2028, reaching a projected value of $74.3 billion. These figures demonstrate the immense potential for growth and profitability within the Cleaning Service industry.

Several trends in the Cleaning Service industry are contributing to its positive outlook, which bodes well for PristineClean Experts. Firstly, there is a growing emphasis on cleanliness and hygiene, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Customers are now more conscious of the importance of maintaining cleanliness and sanitization in their homes and workplaces. This increased awareness has led to a surge in demand for professional cleaning services. Secondly, an aging population and busy lifestyles have resulted in a greater need for outsourcing household chores, including cleaning. As more individuals seek convenience and time-saving solutions, the demand for Cleaning Service providers like PristineClean Experts is expected to rise.

Furthermore, technological advancements and the adoption of innovative cleaning methods are shaping the future of the industry. Cleaning companies are increasingly utilizing advanced equipment, environmentally friendly cleaning products, and digital platforms to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness. PristineClean Experts can capitalize on these industry trends by offering state-of-the-art cleaning solutions and leveraging digital marketing strategies to reach a wider customer base. By staying ahead of the curve and providing exceptional service, PristineClean Experts is well-positioned to thrive in the growing Cleaning Service industry in Jacksonville, FL.

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

Target Customers

PristineClean Experts will target a broad spectrum of local residents in Jacksonville, FL, focusing on homeowners looking for regular and one-time cleaning services. This group is expected to form the core of their customer base, seeking to maintain their homes in pristine condition without dedicating personal time to the task. The company will tailor its offerings to meet the specific needs of these homeowners, ranging from basic cleaning to deep cleaning services.

Aside from individual homeowners, PristineClean Experts will also cater to apartment dwellers and landlords who require cleaning services for move-ins and move-outs. This segment recognizes the value of maintaining clean living spaces to attract and retain tenants. By offering flexible and customizable cleaning plans, PristineClean Experts will address the unique demands of apartment cleaning, ensuring spaces are spotless for current and future residents.

Moreover, PristineClean Experts will extend its services to small and medium-sized businesses in Jacksonville, FL. This customer segment comprises office spaces, retail stores, and small clinics that must uphold a high standard of cleanliness to ensure a healthy and appealing environment for employees and clients alike. The company will develop commercial cleaning packages that guarantee thorough cleaning, disinfection, and maintenance of business premises, aligning with the professional image these establishments aim to project.

Customer Needs

PristineClean Experts can fulfill the profound need for high-quality cleaning services among Jacksonville residents who desire a spotless living environment without the time or energy to achieve it themselves. Clients expect thoroughness and attention to detail, ensuring that every corner of their home meets their high standards of cleanliness. This demand highlights the necessity for a service that can consistently deliver exceptional results, tailored to the individual needs of each household.

In addition to the basic expectation of cleanliness, customers also seek reliability and trustworthiness in their cleaning service provider. PristineClean Experts understands the importance of sending only well-vetted, professional cleaners into clients’ homes. Customers can rest assured knowing that their personal spaces are being treated with the utmost respect and care, fostering a relationship based on trust and mutual respect.

Moreover, the modern customer values convenience and flexibility in service arrangements. PristineClean Experts addresses this need by offering easy scheduling options and customizable cleaning plans. By accommodating the busy lifestyles of Jacksonville residents, PristineClean Experts ensures that maintaining a clean and healthy home environment does not add to the stresses of daily life but rather alleviates them.

PristineClean Experts’s competitors include the following companies:

Bonnie’s Maids offers a comprehensive suite of cleaning services tailored for residential properties, including standard house cleaning, deep cleaning, and move-in/move-out services. Their price points are competitive, aiming to offer value through quality services at accessible rates. Revenues for Bonnie’s Maids suggest a strong local market presence, indicative of their ability to retain and satisfy a diverse client base. They operate primarily within the Jacksonville area, focusing on residential customers seeking regular or one-time cleaning services. Key strengths include their established reputation and customer loyalty, while a potential weakness is their limited service offerings beyond residential cleaning.

Evolution DR Cleaning Service specializes in both residential and commercial cleaning solutions, providing a broad spectrum of services ranging from regular housekeeping to specialized cleaning for offices and retail spaces. Their pricing strategy is flexible, offering customized quotes based on the size and specific needs of the job, allowing them to cater to a wide range of budget considerations. Evolution DR Cleaning Service generates significant revenue, reflecting their broad service offerings and ability to serve both households and businesses effectively. They serve the greater Jacksonville area, including some neighboring regions, targeting both homeowners and commercial entities. Their key strengths lie in their versatility and ability to handle diverse cleaning needs. A potential weakness could be the complexity of managing a wide range of services, which might impact service consistency.

Nicki’s House Cleaning focuses on delivering personalized cleaning services to residential clients, emphasizing customer satisfaction and attention to detail. They offer a variety of packages from basic cleaning to premium services, including eco-friendly options, with pricing that varies based on service depth and frequency. This approach allows them to attract different segments of the market, from budget-conscious to premium clients. Nicki’s House Cleaning has a solid revenue stream, supported by a loyal customer base and strong word-of-mouth referrals in Jacksonville and its suburbs. They exclusively serve the residential segment, providing them with a focused market approach but potentially limiting their growth in the commercial sector. Their strengths include high customer satisfaction and personalization of services. However, their focus on only residential services and the absence of commercial offerings could be seen as a weakness in diversifying their customer base.

Competitive Advantages

At PristineClean Experts, we pride ourselves on offering superior cleaning services compared to our competition. Our team is dedicated to providing meticulous attention to detail, ensuring that every nook and cranny of our clients’ spaces are impeccably cleaned. We understand the unique needs of each customer and adapt our services accordingly, which allows us to deliver personalized cleaning solutions that exceed expectations. Additionally, our use of eco-friendly cleaning products not only ensures a thorough clean but also promotes a healthier environment for our clients and their families.

Moreover, our competitive advantage extends beyond just the quality of our cleaning services. We are committed to exceptional customer service, making sure that we are always accessible and responsive to our clients’ needs and feedback. Our flexible scheduling options can accommodate even the busiest of lifestyles, making it convenient for our customers to enjoy a pristine clean without disrupting their daily routines. Furthermore, our team consists of highly trained and trustworthy professionals who are passionate about what they do, which reflects in the quality of their work. With PristineClean Experts, clients can expect a seamless and satisfactory cleaning experience every time.

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

Products and Services

PristineClean Experts caters to a wide array of cleaning needs for both residential and commercial clients. Their comprehensive service offerings ensure that every nook and cranny, whether at home or in the office, is meticulously cleaned to perfection. The services they provide are not only varied but are also customized to meet the unique requirements of each client, ensuring satisfaction across the board.

Starting with Residential Cleaning, PristineClean Experts offers a thorough cleaning solution for homes of all sizes. This service includes dusting, vacuuming, mopping, bathroom cleaning, and kitchen cleaning, aiming to create a pristine living environment for homeowners. Prices for their residential cleaning services start at an average of $120 for a small home, scaling up based on the size of the property and specific cleaning requirements.

For businesses looking to maintain a clean and professional atmosphere, Commercial Cleaning services are available. PristineClean Experts understands the importance of a spotless workspace for both employee productivity and customer perception. Their commercial cleaning package includes office cleaning, restroom sanitation, trash removal, and floor care, with prices beginning at $200 for small office spaces. Larger commercial spaces can expect custom quotes based on the area to be cleaned and the services required.

Their Janitorial Services are designed to cater to institutions such as schools, hospitals, and large office buildings that require daily or weekly maintenance. This service focuses on ensuring that these high-traffic areas are consistently clean and sanitized. The starting price for janitorial services is around $250, adjusting for the frequency of cleaning and the scope of work.

Understanding the chaos associated with moving, PristineClean Experts offers Move-In/Move-Out Cleaning services to ease the transition. This comprehensive cleaning ensures that new residents step into a spotless space, and those moving out leave behind a clean slate. Prices for these services begin at $150 for small apartments, with variations depending on the size of the property and the extent of cleaning needed.

Lastly, Specialized Cleaning Services are available for those requiring more than just the standard cleaning procedures. This includes deep cleaning, carpet cleaning, window washing, and pressure washing, among others. These services are tailored to the specific needs of the client, with prices starting at $100 and increasing based on the complexity and requirements of the job.

In summary, PristineClean Experts offers a broad spectrum of cleaning services designed to meet the needs of both residential and commercial clients in Jacksonville, FL. Their commitment to providing impeccable cleaning solutions is reflected in their diverse service offerings and competitive pricing, ensuring that every space they touch is left in pristine condition.

Promotions Plan

PristineClean Experts leverage a dynamic mix of promotional methods to attract customers in Jacksonville, FL, with a primary focus on online marketing. They understand that in today’s digital age, a strong online presence will not just be beneficial but essential for reaching their target audience effectively. Hence, they will engage in a comprehensive online marketing strategy that includes the use of social media platforms, search engine optimization (SEO), and targeted advertising campaigns. Through these channels, PristineClean Experts will showcase their cleaning services, share customer testimonials, and provide valuable cleaning tips to engage with potential customers.

In addition to online marketing, PristineClean Experts will also deploy traditional marketing techniques such as distributing flyers and placing ads in local newspapers. These methods will complement their digital efforts by reaching potential customers who may not be as active online but are equally valuable to their business. Moreover, PristineClean Experts will establish partnerships with local businesses and real estate agents, creating a referral network that will help spread the word about their exceptional cleaning services.

Email marketing will play a crucial role in their promotional strategy. By collecting email addresses through their website and at local events, PristineClean Experts will send out regular newsletters that include special promotions, cleaning tips, and updates about their services. This direct line of communication will keep them at the forefront of their customers’ minds and encourage repeat business.

Understanding the power of word-of-mouth, PristineClean Experts will implement a customer referral program. Satisfied customers who refer new clients will receive discounts on future services, incentivizing them to spread the word about PristineClean Experts. This approach will not only help in acquiring new customers but also in building a loyal customer base.

Lastly, PristineClean Experts will actively seek out opportunities to sponsor local events or participate in community service projects. This will not only increase their visibility within the community but also build their reputation as a business that cares about the well-being of Jacksonville, FL.

By combining these promotional methods, PristineClean Experts will effectively reach and attract customers, establishing themselves as a leading cleaning service in Jacksonville, FL.

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 PristineClean Experts, there are several key day-to-day operational processes that we will perform.

  • Utilize a reliable scheduling software to manage appointments efficiently.
  • Confirm appointments with customers a day ahead to ensure readiness and prevent no-shows.
  • Maintain a responsive customer service system, including phone, email, and chat support.
  • Collect feedback from customers after service completion to improve quality and customer satisfaction.
  • Conduct daily briefings with cleaning teams to discuss the day’s assignments and any special instructions from clients.
  • Ensure staff are well-trained in cleaning techniques and customer service skills.
  • Regularly check and maintain cleaning equipment to ensure they are in good working condition.
  • Keep track of inventory levels for cleaning supplies and reorder as necessary to prevent shortages.
  • Implement a quality control checklist for all cleaning jobs to ensure high standards are met consistently.
  • Conduct random spot checks on cleaning jobs to ensure compliance with company standards.
  • Monitor daily expenses and revenues to manage cash flow effectively.
  • Process payments promptly and follow up on any outstanding invoices.
  • Regularly update the company website and social media platforms with engaging content and special promotions.
  • Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews online to enhance the company’s reputation.
  • Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal regulations regarding cleaning services and employment.
  • Conduct regular safety training sessions for staff to prevent accidents and injuries.

PristineClean Experts expects to complete the following milestones in the coming months in order to ensure its success:

  • Secure Necessary Licenses and Insurance: Obtain all required business licenses and insurance policies to operate legally and safely in Jacksonville, FL. This step will mitigate legal risks and protect the company and its customers.
  • Establish an Effective Branding and Online Presence: Develop a strong brand identity, including a company logo, website, and social media profiles. This milestone is crucial for attracting customers and establishing trust in the market.
  • Hire and Train Cleaning Staff: Recruit, hire, and extensively train cleaning staff to ensure high-quality service. This includes training on cleaning techniques, customer service, and safety protocols, which is fundamental to building a reliable and professional team.
  • Launch Our Cleaning Service Business: Officially start offering cleaning services to residential and commercial clients in Jacksonville, FL. This involves marketing the launch to generate initial customers and feedback.
  • Secure Key Contracts with Commercial Clients: Obtain contracts with commercial entities such as offices, retail stores, and apartment complexes. This will provide a steady income stream and help in achieving financial stability.
  • Implement a Customer Feedback and Quality Control System: Establish mechanisms for collecting customer feedback and conducting regular quality checks. This system will ensure continuous improvement and high customer satisfaction, which is critical for repeat business and referrals.
  • Reach $15,000/Month in Revenue: Achieve the financial goal of generating $15,000 in monthly revenue. This milestone will indicate market acceptance and the potential for sustainable growth and profitability.
  • Expand Services or Service Area: Depending on market demand and operational capacity, consider expanding the range of services offered or extending the service area beyond Jacksonville, FL. This growth strategy should be based on solid customer demand and the ability to maintain quality standards.

These milestones are designed to build a strong foundation for PristineClean Experts, mitigate risks associated with starting a new business, and guide the company towards achieving success in the competitive cleaning service industry.

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

Ava Thompson, President

Ava Thompson, President, brings a wealth of experience to PristineClean Experts, having previously led a successful cleaning service business. Her entrepreneurial journey is marked by her ability to identify market needs and respond with innovative solutions that drive customer satisfaction and loyalty. Ava’s leadership style is characterized by a hands-on approach, fostering a culture of excellence and accountability within her teams. Her proven track record in business management and strategic planning makes her uniquely qualified to guide PristineClean Experts towards achieving its vision of becoming the leading provider in the cleaning services industry.

To reach our growth goals, PristineClean Experts requires significant funding. This investment will be directed towards expanding our service offerings, marketing efforts to increase brand visibility, and enhancing operational efficiencies. By securing the necessary funding, we are poised to capitalize on market opportunities, drive revenue growth, and establish PristineClean Experts as a market leader in the cleaning services industry in Jacksonville, FL.

Financial Statements

Balance sheet.

[insert balance sheet]

Income Statement

[insert income statement]

Cash Flow Statement

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Cleaning Service Business Plan Example PDF

Download our Cleaning Service Business Plan PDF here. This is a free cleaning service business plan example to help you get started on your own cleaning service plan.  

How to Finish Your Cleaning Service Business Plan in 1 Day!

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With Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template you can finish your plan in just 8 hours or less!

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How to Create an Effective Sales and Marketing Plan

service business marketing plan

A comprehensive sales and marketing plan sets up organizations for long-term growth and success. In this guide, we’ll dig into the differences between sales and marketing plans, how to create your plan, and templates to get the ball rolling.

What is a Sales and Marketing Plan?

Sales plan vs. marketing plan, marketing plan template: the essential components, sales plan template: the essential components, steps to create a sales and marketing plan.

A well-crafted sales and marketing plan is indispensable for the success and growth of any company, whether it’s a startup, small business, or enterprise. This plan serves as a roadmap, outlining clear objectives, targeted customer segments, and actionable tactics to drive sales and promote brand awareness.

It enables companies to understand their market position, competitive landscape, and customer needs. On top of that, it provides a structured approach to buyer engagement , ensuring consistent and effective communication across various touchpoints.

By defining specific goals and identifying key performance indicators (KPIs), a sales and marketing plan provides a structured framework for marketing and sales to align their go-to-market efforts. And when teams are aligned, companies can generate up to 208% more revenue from their marketing efforts.

While sales and marketing are integral to an overall business plan, they serve distinct purposes and focus on different aspects of the customer journey. Here are the key differences between a sales plan and a marketing plan:

Focus and Objectives

Sales Plan: Primarily focuses on the activities and strategies to drive direct revenue generation. It outlines the specific actions the sales team will take to achieve targets and goals.

Marketing Plan: Concentrates on creating awareness, generating interest, and positioning new products or services in the market. It aims to build and maintain the brand, nurture leads, and create favorable conditions for sales.

Sales Plan: Typically more tactical and operational, it details the sales team’s day-to-day activities. It addresses how sales representatives engage with prospects, close deals, and meet revenue targets.

Marketing Plan: Has a broader scope, encompassing the overall market strategy, brand positioning, promotional activities, and communication efforts. It sets the stage for sales by creating a favorable market environment.

Sales Plan: Often focuses on short-term goals and immediate revenue generation. It may have a more immediate and tactical orientation focusing on quarterly or annual targets.

Marketing Plan: Can have a longer-term perspective, building brand equity and customer relationships over time. It may include short-term and long-term initiatives aligned with the overall business strategy.

Sales Plan: Includes sales tactics, prospecting strategies, target setting, and customer relationship management (CRM) activities.

Marketing Plan: Encompasses market research, target audience identification, advertising, content creation, social media strategy, and overall brand positioning.

Sales Plan: Metrics focus on sales performance , revenue targets, conversion rates, customer acquisition costs, and individual sales representative performance.

Marketing Plan: Metrics include brand awareness, lead generation, website traffic, social media engagement, customer acquisition costs, and marketing ROI.

Collaboration

Sales Plan: Primarily involves collaboration within the sales team, setting individual and team goals, and coordinating efforts to meet targets.

Marketing Plan: Requires collaboration between marketing and other departments to ensure a consistent brand message and a seamless customer experience. This collaboration extends to content creation, advertising, and customer relationship strategies.

Here, you can see that a sales plan is more tactical and concentrates on direct revenue generation. In contrast, the marketing plan is strategic, focusing on creating a favorable market environment and building brand equity.

An effective marketing plan outlines a business’s strategies and tactics to achieve its marketing objectives. Here are the key components that typically go into creating a new marketing plan:

Executive Summary

  • Brief overview of the marketing plan, including goals, strategies, and key components.

Market Analysis

  • Analysis of the target market, including demographics, trends, and opportunities.
  • Competitor analysis, highlighting strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis).

Target Audience and Buyer Personas

  • Detailed profiles of the target customers, specifying their needs, pain points, preferences, and behaviors.
  • Development of buyer personas to guide marketing strategies, messaging, and sales outreach.

Marketing Goals and Objectives

  • Clearly defined SMART goals for the marketing efforts.
  • Specific objectives, such as brand awareness, lead generation, customer acquisition, or market share.

Positioning and Messaging

  • Clear articulation of the brand positioning and competitive advantages.
  • Development of consistent messaging that resonates with the target audience.

Marketing Strategies

  • Overview of the overarching marketing strategies, including product positioning, pricing, distribution, and promotion.
  • Differentiation strategies and competitive positioning.

Marketing Mix (4Ps)

  • Product: Details about the products or services being marketed.
  • Price: Pricing strategy, discounts, and payment terms.
  • Place: Distribution channels and logistics.
  • Promotion: Advertising, public relations, digital marketing, content marketing, and other promotional activities.

Marketing Budget

  • Allocation of budget for each marketing activity and channel.
  • Cost projections and expected return on investment (ROI).

Marketing Calendar

  • Timeline for planned marketing activities, campaigns, and promotions.
  • Seasonal considerations and industry-specific events.

Marketing Channels

  • Identification and description of the marketing channels to be utilized (online and offline).
  • Social media strategy, content marketing plan, email marketing, advertising channels, etc.

Content Strategy

  • Development of a content plan, including types of content (i.e. case studies, one-pagers), frequency, and distribution channels.
  • Content creation and distribution strategy.
  • Regular content audit to see what’s working and what isn’t.

Measurement and Analytics

  • KPIs to benchmark the success of marketing activities.
  • Tools and methods for data collection and analysis.

A sales plan is a strategic document that outlines the tactics and activities a business will undertake to achieve its sales objectives. Here are the key components that typically go into a sales plan:

  • Brief overview of the entire sales plan, summarizing the goals, strategies, and key components.

Sales Objectives

  • Clearly defined and measurable sales goals, such as revenue targets, market share, or customer acquisition metrics.
  • Specific and realistic objectives for the sales team.

Target Market and Customer Segmentation

  • Identification of the target market and specific customer segments.
  • Create ideal customer profiles and characteristics to guide sales efforts.

Product or Service Offering

  • Detailed information about the products or services being sold.
  • Value propositions and key differentiators.

Sales Strategies

  • Overview of the overarching sales strategies , including prospecting, lead generation, and conversion tactics.
  • Strategies for acquiring new customers, upselling, cross-selling, and customer retention.

Sales Team Structure

  • Organization of the sales team, including roles, responsibilities, and reporting structure.

Sales Tactics and Techniques

  • Detailed description of the tactics and techniques the sales team will use to engage with potential customers and increase the bottom line.
  • Sales methodologies employed by the team.

Sales Forecast

  • Prediction of sales performance over a specific period.
  • Revenue projections, taking into account market conditions and other relevant factors.

Sales Territories and Distribution Channels

  • Definition of sales territories and distribution channels.
  • Strategies for reaching and serving customers in different geographic areas.

Sales Metrics and KPIs

  • Identification of key metrics to measure sales performance.
  • KPIs such as conversion rates, average deal size, and customer acquisition costs.

Sales Training and Development

  • Plans for training and developing the sales team.
  • Continuous improvement strategies.

Now that you have templates in place, let’s put them together to create an overall plan and what it could look like.

Look for trends in the data

Before you start digging into the meat of your plan, you need to gather data, drawing from internal company insights and external market trends. Internally, you can look at historical sales data, customer behaviors, and product performance, providing a foundation for understanding the company’s strengths and areas for improvement.

On the other hand, keeping a keen eye on external market trends, consumer preferences, and industry developments allows for a proactive approach to shifts in the market. This data-driven strategy enables businesses to effectively tailor their sales and marketing initiatives , aligning them with evolving customer needs. By combining internal insights with external trends, organizations can craft a dynamic plan that is not only grounded in historical performance but is also adaptable to the changing landscape of the business environment.

Know your customer

One of the most important steps when creating a sales and marketing plan is to know who you’re selling to. You should develop in-depth buyer personas based on demographic, psychographic, and behavioral attributes. By understanding your target audience’s characteristics, preferences, and pain points, you can tailor your sales and marketing strategies to resonate more effectively.

This key step not only enhances the efficiency of marketing campaigns but also streamlines the sales process by aligning efforts with the expectations and behaviors of your customers.

Set achievable goals

Now that you have a clear image of who you’re selling to, where you stand, and where the market is, you and various stakeholders can begin to set realistic goals and targets for your team.

Setting goals is crucial for your success. They allow you to track if you’re making a real impact on your business. They create alignment between teams so they know what they must do to achieve those goals. A recent study by HubSpot found that 25% of companies say their sales and marketing teams are either “misaligned” or “rarely aligned” on goals, leading to confusion and poor performance.

To get your teams on the same page, you should consider setting SMART goals. Here is a great example of how to think about goal setting:

Specific: Make sure your goals are clear. What will be accomplished? What actions will you take? Don’t just say you want to increase revenue — explain how you plan to achieve it. For example, you can say: We will increase revenue by 15% by using a guided selling approach.

Measurable: What metrics will you use to determine if you met your goal? This makes a goal more tangible because it provides a way to measure progress.

Achievable: Consider how to accomplish the goal, if you have the tools and skills needed, and what it would take to attain it. Don’t set objectives that are impossible to reach. The goals are meant to inspire motivation, not discouragement.

Relevant: Goals need to fit your current situation and sales strategy. They should align with the overall business goals and department objectives.

Time-Bound: Realistic timing for when you can achieve your goals is crucial. Provide deadlines and target dates to hold teams accountable.

Determine how you will measure success

Now that you’ve set goals, it’s time to start measuring them.

KPIs are crucial metrics that help measure the effectiveness of sales and marketing efforts. Here’s a list of KPIs for a sales and marketing plan:

Sales KPIs:

  • Revenue: Total income generated from sales.
  • Sales Growth Rate: Percentage increase in sales over a specific period.
  • Conversion Rate: Percentage of leads that convert into customers.
  • Average Deal Size: Average value of a sales transaction.
  • Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): Cost incurred to acquire a new customer.
  • Sales Cycle Length: Average time it takes to close a sale.
  • Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Predicted revenue generated throughout a customer’s lifecycle.
  • Win Rate: Percentage of opportunities that result in a sale.
  • Churn Rate: Percentage of customers lost over a given period.
  • Upsell and Cross-sell Rate: Percentage of existing customers who purchase additional products or services.

Marketing KPIs:

  • Lead Generation: Number of new leads acquired.
  • Website Traffic: Number of visitors to the website.
  • Conversion Rate (Marketing): Percentage of website visitors who take a desired action.
  • Click-Through Rate (CTR): Percentage of people who click on a specific link.
  • Cost per Lead (CPL): Cost associated with acquiring a new lead.
  • Social Media Engagement: Likes, shares, comments, and other interactions on social media.
  • Email Open and Click-through Rates: Percentage of opened emails and clicked links.
  • Content Engagement: Interaction with blog posts, videos, or other content.
  • Brand Awareness: Measured through surveys, social media mentions, or search volume.
  • Return on Investment (ROI): Ratio of the net profit from marketing campaigns to the cost of those campaigns.

Overall Business KPIs:

  • Customer Satisfaction (CSAT): Measurement of customer satisfaction.
  • Net Promoter Score (NPS): Indicator of customer loyalty and likelihood to recommend.
  • Market Share: Company’s portion of the total market.
  • Brand Equity: Perceived value and strength of a brand in the market.
  • Customer Retention Rate: Percentage of customers retained over a period.

Regularly monitoring these metrics provides insights into performance, helping businesses make informed decisions and optimize their sales and marketing strategies.

Define your sales and marketing strategies

How are you going to generate demand for your product or service? At this stage in your plan, you can start to define how you will reach your ideal customers and move them through the buyer’s journey. Integrated marketing campaigns that use various channels, such as social media and paid ads, are a great way to get started. Additionally, you should include lead generation strategies such as content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), and targeted promotions to nurture prospects and guide them through the sales funnel.

It’s important here that you work with your sales enablement team to create relevant content for the sales team .

Formulate a sales team structure and training program

A well-defined sales team structure and comprehensive training program are vital to a successful sales and marketing plan. The structure of the sales team should outline roles, responsibilities, and reporting hierarchies to ensure efficient workflow and clear lines of communication.

Along with getting the structure right, you must ensure that your sales reps have the right training and coaching to improve their skills, ramp up product knowledge, and stay aligned with the right messaging and communication techniques.

Teams should work closely with sales enablement to schedule regular training sessions that not only focus on enhancing existing skills but also address emerging market trends and customer expectations. Continuous improvement is key, and fostering a culture of learning within the sales team contributes to adaptability and responsiveness. This dual emphasis on structure and training ensures the sales team is well-organized and equipped to navigate challenges.

Download resource: What Good Onboarding, Training, and Coaching Look Like

Create a sales forecasting model

Creating a sound forecasting model provides a structured framework for predicting future sales performance. This model involves analysis of historical sales data, market trends, and external factors that might impact sales.

The sales forecasting model should incorporate variables such as product demand, pricing strategies, and market conditions to provide a comprehensive and accurate estimation.

A well-crafted model not only aids in resource allocation, inventory management, and budgeting but also serves as a proactive tool for anticipating challenges and capitalizing on emerging opportunities, contributing to the overall success of the sales and marketing plan.

Continuously Optimize

Recognizing that markets, consumer behaviors, and competitive landscapes evolve, an effective plan should be agile and responsive. This involves regularly reviewing KPIs, analyzing data, and soliciting feedback to identify areas for improvement.

Whether refining marketing strategies, adjusting sales tactics, or fine-tuning messaging, the goal is to stay attuned to shifts in customer preferences and market trends. By fostering a culture of continuous optimization, businesses can adapt swiftly, capitalize on emerging opportunities, and mitigate potential challenges.

Execute Your Sales and Marketing Plan with Highspot’s Sales Enablement Platform

Aligning your sales and marketing plans is no easy task. Highspot’s sales enablement platform aligns marketing initiatives with sales goals to maximize collaboration. By tracking key metrics across the buyer’s journey, you’ll know how to drive measurable revenue growth that improves lead acquisition and retention. Book a demo today !

The Highspot Team works to create and promote the Highspot sales enablement platform, which gives businesses a powerful sales advantage to engage in more relevant buyer conversations and achieve their revenue goals. Through AI-powered search, analytics, in-context training, guided selling, and 50+ integrations, the Highspot platform delivers enterprise-ready sales enablement in a modern design that sales reps and marketers love.

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6 Tips for Creating a Great Business Marketing Plan

E very successful company needs a well-thought-out business plan to outline its course of action. A marketing strategy is one key part of that plan: It spells out critical information, including how a business will distinguish itself from competitors and what the team will aim to achieve.

While marketing plans don't always produce immediate results, they are still a crucial aspect of a business plan and should be given a considerate amount of attention. A complete and effective marketing strategy can reveal opportunities through new audience segments, changes in pricing strategy or by differentiating the brand from the competition.

Here's how to create an effective marketing plan for your business. 

How to develop a business marketing plan

A focused marketing plan sets two goals. The first is to maintain engagement and customer loyalty , and the second is to capture market share within a specific audience segment of your target audience.

Your marketing plan outlines the strategies you'll use to achieve both goals and the specific actions your marketing team will employ, such as the specific outreach campaigns, over which channels they will occur, the required marketing budget and data-driven projections of their success.

Marketing is a science-driven commitment that typically requires months of data to refine campaigns, and an interconnected marketing plan keeps your business committed to its long-term goals. 

All marketing guidelines will circle back to the four P's: product, price, place and promotion. The following tips are starting points that will ingrain the habit of continually returning to these four P's.

1. Create an executive summary.

Marketing campaigns should not be considered individual functions. Marketing is the story of your brand as told to customers; like any narrative, its tone and characters should remain consistent. An executive summary details your marketing goals for the next year and helps tie each campaign together. 

When establishing your marketing goals, they should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound – or SMART. These goals should work together to achieve both internal and external harmony, telling a consistent story that informs customers of your exact message while building on its previous chapters. 

For example, you may set a SMART goal to increase your company's social media traffic by 15% in a 90-day time frame, and plan to achieve this by creating four relevant, informative and high-quality posts per week on each platform, using your company's brand kit. 

2. Identify your target market.

Before you write a marketing plan, you need to find and understand your niche. Ask yourself who the specific demographic is that you're targeting. For example, if your business sells 30-minute meals, then those who work traditional 9-to-5 jobs are likely in your market. Study that group of individuals to understand their struggles and learn how your business can solve the problem.

FYI: Targeting your audience can drastically improve the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and help you avoid wasting resources on fruitless campaigns.

3. Differentiate your brand with inbound marketing.

Inbound marketing utilizes internal tools – such as content marketing, social media activity and search engine optimization (SEO) – to attract a customer's attention primarily through online communication. Content marketing can include informative blog posts, interviews, podcasts with relevant industry figures or supplementary guides on how to best use your product. For example, if you sell cooking supplies, consider posting several fun recipes around the holidays that your tools can help prepare.

Each of these strategies empowers the others in a loop to achieve greater customer attention. A strong content offering can improve your search engine ranking, which brings more people to your website and social pages. You can then share those developed content pieces to that wider audience, who will again improve your search engine rankings. All of this can be done without the expense of a famous endorser or commercial advertising campaign. 

4. Identify competitors that also target your customers.

No matter how original your product or service may be, there is always competition for your target customer's dollar. Small business personnel seldom take the time to study their competitors in-depth or pinpoint companies outside their industry that are just as capable of luring customers away. Knowing who your competitors are, their core competitive advantages, and how they might respond to your offerings – like price cuts or increased communication – helps you devise strategies to combat such losses. 

By seeking out these competitors, you can develop ways to differentiate your business by providing consumers with the things they may be lacking from your competition. Observe how your competitors operate to find ways in which you can stand out and steer your target audience toward your business. 

Did you know? According to SmallBizGenius, 19% of small businesses fail because of their competitors. 

5. State your brand position for your target customers.

Ultimately, your brand – and what it symbolizes for customers – is your strongest advantage. You should be able to write a simple declarative sentence of how you will meet customer needs and beat the competition. The best positioning statements focus on solving a problem for the customer in a way that promotes the best value.

6. Budget the plan. 

When implementing a strategy, consider the marketing budget you will allot. Marketing requires money for various reasons, including paid promotions, marketing software, events and outsourced costs. Consider your budget when creating the plan so that there is money available to spend on marketing tactics to achieve your goals. 

While drafting the plan and evaluating your course of action, note the estimated cost, assets, and time required to achieve the stated goals; this will help when it comes time to set the actual calculated budget. Any goals that you create should be realistically achievable within the budget you have set. 

Key takeaway: When developing your marketing plan, you should know why a customer would use your product, differentiate your brand from competitors, and audit your product offering and message to ensure consistency.

Channels to include in your marketing plan

Once you know the elements of your plan, the next step is to develop the blueprint of how you will reach your target customers. Aside from traditional print and broadcast media, here are three digital marketing channels that many business owners utilize.

Social media

Social media is an essential part of businesses' marketing plans, because every type of customer is on some type of platform – such as Facebook , Twitter or LinkedIn . You may feel overwhelmed at the possibilities, but focus on the sites that can benefit your business the most.

Brett Farmiloe, founder of internet marketing company Markitors, advised companies starting out in social media to get to know their customers and the platforms they use.

"Figure out where your customers are spending their time, and set up shop on those platforms," he told Business News Daily. "Develop a content strategy that can be executed internally, [and then] execute your strategy by posting branded content on your selected platforms."

Though email marketing is not as new as social media marketing, it is an effective and popular choice for small business owners. Companies can implement email marketing techniques in many ways, including newsletters, promotional campaigns and transactional emails. For instance, Mailchimp and Constant Contact help companies manage their email drip campaigns .

Farmiloe added to set your email marketing efforts apart from the others by segmenting your markets.

"Not all subscribers want to receive the same blast," he said. "Smart email marketers take the time to segment subscribers at the outset, and then continue to segment based on subscriber activity. Through segmentation, companies reduce the amount of unsubscribes, increase open rates and, most importantly, increase the amount of actions taken from an email send."

The popularity of smartphones and tablets has changed how companies target consumers. Since people have these devices with them nearly all the time, companies are looking to implement strategies that reach customers on their gadgets.   

"Mobile marketing is interruptive," Farmiloe said. "It's because of this power that a marketer has to let the consumer determine how and when to receive marketing material. That's why almost every app comes with the option to turn notifications on or off. The consumer has to hold the power with mobile marketing."

Key takeaway: Use digital marketing channels – such as social media, email and mobile – to reach customers, but only after researching each channel in depth and developing a strategy to capture consumers' interest. 

Monitoring results

Well-defined budgets, goals and action items – with appropriate personnel assigned to each – can make your marketing plan a reality. Think about how much you're willing to spend, the outcomes you expect and the necessary tasks to achieve those outcomes.

Analytical tools that track customer behavior and engagement rates can serve as a helpful guide for your marketing strategy . Unlike billboards or commercials, digital channels allow you to assess each step of the customer journey and gain insights on the individual patterns and intent of prospects. Intention can soon develop into prediction, empowering your marketing team to develop campaigns that consistently reach target audiences at the right time. 

You can find more tips for measuring your marketing ROI here.

Jordan Beier and Adryan Corcione contributed to the writing and reporting in this article. Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.

Every successful company needs a well-thought-out business plan to outline its course of action. A marketing strategy is

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Business Plan: What It Is + How to Write One

Discover what a business plan includes and how writing one can foster your business’s development.

[Featured image] Woman showing a business plan to a man at a desk.

What is a business plan?

A business plan is a written document that defines your business goals and the tactics to achieve those goals. A business plan typically explores the competitive landscape of an industry, analyzes a market and different customer segments within it, describes the products and services, lists business strategies for success, and outlines financial planning.  

In your research into business plans, you may come across different formats, and you might be wondering which kind will work best for your purposes. 

Let’s define two main types of business plans—the traditional business plan and the lean start-up business plan. Both types can serve as the basis for developing a thriving business, as well as exploring a competitive market analysis, brand strategy, and content strategy in more depth. 

There are some significant differences to keep in mind [ 1 ]: 

The traditional business plan is a long document that explores each component in depth. You can build a traditional business plan to secure funding from lenders or investors. 

The lean start-up business plan focuses on the key elements of a business’s development and is shorter than the traditional format. If you don’t plan on seeking funding, the lean start-up plan can serve mainly as a document for making business decisions and carrying out tasks. 

Now that you have a clear business plan definition, continue reading to learn how to start writing a detailed plan that will guide your journey as an entrepreneur.  

How to write a business plan 

In the sections below, you’ll build the following components of your business plan:

Executive summary

Business description 

Products and services 

Competitor analysis 

Marketing plan and sales strategies 

Brand strategy

Financial planning

Explore each section to bring fresh inspiration and reveal new possibilities for developing your business. Depending on which format you're using, you may choose to adapt the sections, skip over some, or go deeper into others. Consider your first draft a foundation for your efforts and one that you can revise, as needed, to account for changes in any business area.

1. Executive summary 

This is a short section that introduces the business plan as a whole to the people who will be reading it, including investors, lenders, or other members of your team. Start with a sentence or two about your business, your goals for developing it, and why it will be successful. If you are seeking funding, summarize the basics of the financial plan. 

2. Business description 

Use this section to provide detailed information about your company and how it will operate in the marketplace.

Mission statement: What drives your desire to start a business? What purpose are you serving? What do you hope to achieve for your business, the team, and your customers? 

Revenue streams: From what sources will your business generate revenue? Examples include product sales, service fees, subscriptions, rental fees, license fees, and more. 

Leadership: Describe the leaders in your business, their roles and responsibilities, and your vision for building teams to perform various functions, such as graphic design, product development, or sales.  

Legal structure: Are you operating as a partnership or a corporation? If you’re registering a specific legal structure within your province or territory , include it here and the rationale behind this choice. 

3. Competitor analysis 

This section will include an assessment of potential competitors, their offers, and marketing and sales efforts. For each competitor, explore the following:

Value proposition: What outcome or experience does this brand promise?

Products and services: How does each one solve customer pain points and fulfil desires? What are the price points? 

Marketing: Which channels do competitors use to promote? What kind of content does this brand publish on these channels? What messaging does this brand use to communicate value to customers?  

Sales: What sales process or buyer’s journey does this brand lead customers through?

4. Products and services

Use this section to describe everything your business offers to its target market. For every product and service, list the following: 

The value proposition or promise to customers, in terms of how they will experience it

How the product serves customers, addresses their pain points, satisfies their desires, and improves their lives

The features or outcomes that make the product better than those of competitors

Your price points and how these compare to competitors

5. Marketing plan and sales strategies 

In this section, you’ll draw from thorough market research to describe your target market and how you will reach it. 

Who are your ideal customers?   

How can you describe this segment according to their demographics (age, ethnicity, income, location, etc.) and psychographics (beliefs, values, aspirations, lifestyle, etc.)? 

What are their daily lives like? 

What problems and challenges do they experience? 

What words, phrases, ideas, and concepts do consumers in your target market use to describe these problems when posting on social media or engaging with your competitors?  

What messaging will present your products as the best on the market? How will you differentiate messaging from competitors? 

On what marketing channels will you position your products and services?

How will you design a customer journey that delivers a positive experience at every touchpoint and leads customers to a purchase decision?

6. Brand strategy 

In this section, you will describe your business’s design, personality, values, voice, and other details that go into delivering a consistent brand experience. 

What are the values that define your brand?

What visual elements give your brand a distinctive look and feel?

How will your marketing messaging reflect a distinctive brand voice, including tone, diction, and sentence-level stylistic choices? 

How will your brand look and sound throughout the customer journey? 

Define your brand positioning statement. What will inspire your audience to choose your brand over others? What experiences and outcomes will your audience associate with your brand? 

7. Financial planning  

In this section, you will explore your business’s financial future. If you are writing a traditional business plan to seek funding, this section is critical for demonstrating to lenders or investors that you have a strategy for turning your business ideas into profit. For a lean start-up business plan, this section can provide a useful exercise for planning how you will invest resources and generate revenue [ 2 ].  

Use any past financials and other sections of this business plan, such as your price points or sales strategies, to begin your financial planning. 

How many individual products or service packages do you plan to sell over a specific time period?

List your business expenses, such as subscribing to software or other services, hiring contractors or employees, purchasing physical supplies or equipment, etc.

What is your break-even point, or the amount you have to sell to cover all expenses?

Create a sales forecast for the next three to five years: (No. of units to sell X price for each unit) – (cost per unit X No. of units) = sales forecast.

Quantify how much capital you have on hand.

When writing a traditional business plan to secure funding, you may choose to append supporting documents, such as licenses, permits, patents, letters of reference, resumes, product blueprints, brand guidelines, the industry awards you’ve received, and media mentions and appearances.

Business plan key takeaways and best practices

Remember: Creating a business plan is crucial when starting a business. You can use this document to guide your decisions and actions and even seek funding from lenders and investors. 

Keep these best practices in mind:

Your business plan should evolve as your business grows. Return to it periodically, such as every quarter or year, to update individual sections or explore new directions your business can take.

Make sure everyone on your team has a copy of the business plan, and welcome their input as they perform their roles. 

Ask fellow entrepreneurs for feedback on your business plan and look for opportunities to strengthen it, from conducting more market and competitor research to implementing new strategies for success. 

Start your business with Coursera 

Ready to start your business? Watch this video on the lean approach from the Entrepreneurship Specialization :

Article sources

BDC. “ Step 2—Prepare a winning business plan , https://www.bdc.ca/en/articles-tools/start-buy-business/start-business/create-effective-business-plan." Accessed November 13, 2022.

CBDC. " NEW fillable CBDC Business Plan ,   https://www.cbdc.ca/en/new-fillable-cbdc-business-plan." Accessed November 13, 2022.

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service business marketing plan

IMAGES

  1. How to Form a Successful Marketing Plan

    service business marketing plan

  2. Reading: Using and Updating the Marketing Plan

    service business marketing plan

  3. What is a Marketing Plan & How to Write One [+Examples]

    service business marketing plan

  4. How to write a marketing plan for a service-based business

    service business marketing plan

  5. 30 Professional Marketing Plan Templates ᐅ TemplateLab

    service business marketing plan

  6. Writing a Marketing Plan

    service business marketing plan

VIDEO

  1. Business Marketing

  2. This is business 🥱… #Business#Entrepreneurship#Startup#SmallBusiness#Marketing#Sales#Leadership

  3. How to know if your marketing plan is working in your business 🤩

  4. Small Business Marketing Packages

  5. 5 Data-Driven Marketing Strategies for Business Growth

  6. Is Your Trades Business Slowing Down?

COMMENTS

  1. How to write a marketing plan for a service-based business

    For a service-based business, the traditional targets you would put into a marketing plan include: Number of enquiries (phone / email / online / face-to-face) Number of leads generated (quotes, sales calls) Number of sales. Revenue generated.

  2. Service Business Marketing 101: Basics and Tips

    A service business is a business that promotes and offers a service as its main entity. Rather than selling manufactured products, a service business rendered specialty services that may require the assistance of a professional or a trained specialist. A service business typically either relies on people or on equipment to deliver services ...

  3. What is a Marketing Plan & How to Write One [+Examples]

    A marketing plan is a strategic document that outlines marketing objectives, strategies, and tactics. A business plan is also a strategic document. But this plan covers all aspects of a company's operations, including finance, operations, and more. It can also help your business decide how to distribute resources and make decisions as your ...

  4. Service Business Marketing Plan Template

    ClickUp's Service Business Marketing Plan template is designed to help you streamline your marketing efforts and achieve your business objectives. Here are the main elements of this template: Custom Statuses: Keep track of the progress of your marketing tasks with 6 different statuses, including Cancelled, Complete, In Progress, Needs Input ...

  5. A Complete Marketing Plan Template for Service Companies

    A good marketing plan can help service companies differentiate themselves from their competition and gain market share. Here's a marketing plan template that will help your service company plan their next six months of marketing, and pave the way for a brighter future. ... Service business management software can help you track the success of ...

  6. 5 Steps to Create an Outstanding Marketing Plan [Free Templates]

    4. Customer Analysis. In this part of the marketing plan outline, you get plenty of space to share all the data you collected during your market research. If your company has already done a thorough market research study, this section of your marketing plan might be easier to put together.

  7. Effective Methods For Marketing a Service Business

    And that's because, in a service business, that matters a lot. 6. Identify and clearly outline how you chose the price for your service. You don't need to post this on your website or share it on social media. But, you do need to have this figured out so that you understand how you came to the price.

  8. Create a Marketing Plan [+20 Free Templates]

    Discover how to write a marketing plan, plus over 20 customizable templates to help you develop a powerful marketing plan that drives business growth. ... Cost: Includes all expenses related to marketing and selling products and services for the company. Convenience: The customer shopping experience must be as simple as possible for the client.

  9. The Core Of A Professional Services Marketing Plan

    They still need to do three essential things: 1. Further refine the goals to make them as specific as possible. 2. Develop tactics that are targeted and manageable to help them achieve the goals ...

  10. How To Write an Outstanding Service Business Plan

    A strategic marketing plan can help your service business increase brand awareness, build trust, reach and engage customers and prospects, and drive sales. Impactful marketing plans include the following elements: Marketing goals that align with strategic business objectives ; A centralized process to track progress toward marketing goals

  11. 8 Effective Methods for Marketing a Service Business

    Be very clear. Complimentary previews for loyal clients. Social media. Keep good relationships. Be in the news. Reviews and testimonials. Revise your marketing campaign. 1. Be in Contact With Your Customers to Market Your Service Business.

  12. Marketing Plan Templates with Guide

    Download Business Marketing Plan Template. Word | PDF | Smartsheet. This template takes all of the essential elements of a marketing plan and organizes them into sections, but you can also add and remove components of the plan according to your needs. Use this customizable template to write your executive summary, mission and vision statements ...

  13. Service Business Plan Template & Guide [Updated 2024]

    For a service business plan, your marketing plan should include the following: Product: in the product section, you should reiterate the type of service business that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific services you will be offering. For example, in addition to a lawn care business, you may offer to trim trees ...

  14. How To Write A Marketing Plan

    Research. It is important to know what other people besides you think about your company, so spend some time before writing your marketing plan talking to employees, customers, shareholders and ...

  15. What is Service Marketing? Definition, Strategies, Examples

    Defining a marketing plan for your service-based business is essential to your business' growth. Your strategy should focus on satisfying the needs of your target audience and building a long-term relationship with them through consistent interaction. Below is a guide on how you can define a successful service marketing strategy. 1.

  16. Service Business Marketing Plan Sample [2024]

    The marketing plan for a service business accomplishes the following goals: Clearly sends a message as to how the service meets a market need or delivers a solution to a problem. Defines the marketing objectives. Explains the value offered and how it is unique compared to the services offered by the competition.

  17. What Is a Marketing Plan? And How to Create One

    A marketing plan is a document that a business uses to execute a marketing strategy. It is tactical in nature, and, as later sections of this article explore, it typically includes campaign objectives, buyer personas, competitive analysis, key performance indicators, an action plan, and a method for analyzing campaign results.

  18. What Is a Marketing Plan? Types and How to Write One

    Marketing Plan: A marketing plan is a business's operational document for advertising campaigns designed to reach its target market . A marketing plan pulls together all the campaigns that will be ...

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

    A small business marketing plan is a detailed roadmap that spells out the target audience, goals, and methods a business will use when advertising its products. Planning also includes creating a workable marketing budget and tracking the progress of marketing efforts, updating the plan to reflect success or failure.

  20. Sample Cleaning Service Business Plan

    The cleaning service 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 cleaning service business as Growthink's Ultimate Cleaning Service Business Plan Template, but it can help you write a cleaning service business plan of your own.

  21. PDF MAPP

    ing messages, marketing information, tactics and plans for your specific business. By the end of the MAPP Program you will be left with a written Marketing Action Plan that you can start to implement immediately. Action Plan Marketing and MAPP provide the structure; you create your own plan. The Seven MAPP Steps are as follows: 1.

  22. How to Create an Effective Sales and Marketing Plan

    Marketing Plan Template: The Essential Components. An effective marketing plan outlines a business's strategies and tactics to achieve its marketing objectives. Here are the key components that typically go into creating a new marketing plan: Executive Summary. Brief overview of the marketing plan, including goals, strategies, and key components.

  23. 6 Tips for Creating a Great Business Marketing Plan

    Marketing is a science-driven commitment that typically requires months of data to refine campaigns, and an interconnected marketing plan keeps your business committed to its long-term goals.

  24. PDF The Marketing Plan Workbook for Independent Professionals

    This Marketing Plan Workbook is a condensed outline of all of my eight marketing systems. To get the most from this eBook, just read and do the exercises, and

  25. 2024 Digital Marketing Strategy Guide

    A digital marketing strategy is the plan you have for your marketing campaign. It looks at demographics, product benefits and platforms to find success. The digital marketing campaign is the ...

  26. Business Plan: What It Is + How to Write One

    A business plan is a written document that defines your business goals and the tactics to achieve those goals. A business plan typically explores the competitive landscape of an industry, analyzes a market and different customer segments within it, describes the products and services, lists business strategies for success, and outlines ...

  27. 7 Outstanding SaaS Marketing Campaign Examples and Key Takeaways

    While this indicates more business opportunities for SaaS firms - it also means massive competition. ... Trello's word-of-mouth marketing with freemium plan. Trello, a renowned project management and collaboration tool, ... Dropbox is a cloud file storage or hosting service provider launched in 2007. At that time, the market was crowded ...

  28. PDF IT ADVISERS (EXAMPLE IT BUSINESS PLAN)

    Partners will necessarily be involved in the fulfillment of the core business proposition, providing the expertise to the clients. The initial personnel plan is still tentative. It should involve 3-5 partners, 1-3 consultants, 1 strong marketing person, an office manager. Later we add more partners, consultants and and sales staff.

  29. Business Plan Template.docx

    Alex Adams, Carly Hanin, Elizabeth Ostop, Lauren Schoff, Sruthi Sanju 1. Name: Glow 2. Mission: to provide women with glowing tanned skin that leaves them smelling fresh and confident about themselves. 3. Industry: Beauty industry 4. Product or Service: Self Tanner 5. Team Roles: Title: Alex- COO Elizabeth- Marketing Manager Lauren - CEO Carly - CFO Sruthi - HR Manager Responsibilities: Alex ...

  30. Run Your Best Business

    Get Started. "We didn't have any marketing, but when I got serious about services, I knew I needed a marketing company." "Our business has been able to grow in a way that, without Scorpion, I for sure can tell you from a digital standpoint, we would not have been able to make it." "We were kind of very all over the place with our marketing.