This section of the website focuses on the writing of a marketing plan, an important part of a larger business plan, but sharing many similarities. Writing a marketing plan involves five steps, roughly following the marketing strategy framework by Robert Dolan, see the image accompanying this post.
Step 1: Initial business idea
The first step revolves around coming up with a general business idea or value proposition, based on gut feeling, previous experience and an initial scan of the market.
Step 2: Market analysis
The subject of the second step is mapping the internal and external environment of your company. This analysis is important for determining the value proposition more definitely by means of a more thorough and rational analysis of the market.
Step 3: Marketing strategy
The third step involves the marketing strategy with a focus on determining the target customers and a more specified value proposition, derived from insights in those target customers.
Step 4: Marketing tactics
Decisions from the marketing strategy are elaborated on in a tactical marketing action plan. In this step, the marketing strategy is translated in the four Ps: product features, pricing, promotion and place (distribution).
Step 5: Implementation and result measurement
Finally, in the 5th step you pay attention to implementation and result measurement (cost-benefit analysis).
The information on this website will provide you with specific exercises for each step, building upon basic and well-known marketing theories. Click here to go to step 1.