A marketing plan is a request for funds in return for a promised level of incremental revenues, unit sales, market share or profits. One can develop marketing plans for products, services, market segments or brands. The critical components of a marketing plan includes the following:
- Summary
- Objectives (attract new consumers, create new uses, increase share of requirements, incent trial, encourage repeat purchase, encourage add-on purchase, increase awareness, increase loyalty, change value perception, increase emotional bond, extend into new product and service categories, etc.)
- Situation Analysis
- Market analysis
- Competitive context
- Customer profile (segments, needs, attitudes, behaviors, insights, etc.)
- Strategies and tactics (touching upon all key marketing components that will be used: product, packaging, pricing, distribution, advertising, publicity, sales promotion, selling, etc.).
- Operations considerations (impact on plant capacity, need for new assets, etc.)
- Financial projections
- Pro forma profit and loss statements, balance sheets, cash flows, etc., including funds required to execute plan
- Supporting customer research (qualitative research, concept testing, volumetric modeling, market test results, etc.)
- Risks and contingency plans
