Marketing Plan

The information for this article was derived from many sources, including Michael Porter's book
Competitive Advantage and the works of Philip Kotler. Concepts addressed include 'generic'
strategies and strategies for pricing, distribution, promotion, advertising and market
segmentation. Factors such as market penetration, market share, profit margins, budgets,
financial analysis, capital investment, government actions, demographic changes, emerging
technology and cultural trends are also addressed.

There are two major components to your marketing strategy:

 how your enterprise will address the competitive marketplace

 how you will implement and support your day to day operations.

In today's very competitive marketplace a strategy that insures a consistent approach to offering
your product or service in a way that will outsell the competition is critical. However, in concert
with defining the marketing strategy you must also have a well defined methodology for the day
to day process of implementing it. It is of little value to have a strategy if you lack either the
resources or the expertise to implement it.

In the process of creating a marketing strategy you must consider many factors. Of those many
factors, some are more important than others. Because each strategy must address some unique
considerations, it is not reasonable to identify 'every' important factor at a generic level.
However, many are common to all marketing strategies. Some of the more critical are described
below.

You begin the creation of your strategy by deciding what the overall objective of your enterprise
should be. In general this falls into one of four categories:

 If the market is very attractive and your enterprise is one of the strongest in the industry
you will want to invest your best resources in support of your offering.
 If the market is very attractive but your enterprise is one of the weaker ones in the
industry you must concentrate on strengthening the enterprise, using your offering as a
stepping stone toward this objective.
 If the market is not especially attractive, but your enterprise is one of the strongest in the
industry then an effective marketing and sales effort for your offering will be good for
generating near term profits.
 If the market is not especially attractive and your enterprise is one of the weaker ones in
the industry you should promote this offering only if it supports a more profitable part of
your business (for instance, if this segment completes a product line range) or if it
absorbs some of the overhead costs of a more profitable segment. Otherwise, you should
determine the most cost effective way to divest your enterprise of this offering.

Having selected the direction most beneficial for the overall interests of the enterprise, the next
step is to choose a strategy for the offering that will be most effective in the market. This means
choosing one of the following 'generic' strategies (first described by Michael Porter in his work,
Competitive Advantage).

 A COST LEADERSHIP STRATEGY is based on the concept that you can produce and
market a good quality product or service at a lower cost than your competitors. These low
costs should translate to profit margins that are higher than the industry average. Some of
the conditions that should exist to support a cost leadership strategy include an on-going
availability of operating capital, good process engineering skills, close management of
labor, products designed for ease of manufacturing and low cost distribution.
 A DIFFERENTIATION STRATEGY is one of creating a product or service that is
perceived as being unique "throughout the industry". The emphasis can be on brand
image, proprietary technology, special features, superior service, a strong distributor
network or other aspects that might be specific to your industry. This uniqueness should
also translate to profit margins that are higher than the industry average. In addition,
some of the conditions that should exist to support a differentiation strategy include
strong marketing abilities, effective product engineering, creative personnel, the ability to
perform basic research and a good reputation.
 A FOCUS STRATEGY may be the most sophisticated of the generic strategies, in that it
is a more 'intense' form of either the cost leadership or differentiation strategy. It is
designed to address a "focused" segment of the marketplace, product form or cost
management process and is usually employed when it isn't appropriate to attempt an
'across the board' application of cost leadership or differentiation. It is based on the
concept of serving a particular target in such an exceptional manner, that others cannot
compete. Usually this means addressing a substantially smaller market segment than
others in the industry, but because of minimal competition, profit margins can be very
high.

Pricing
Having defined the overall offering objective and selecting the generic strategy you must then
decide on a variety of closely related operational strategies. One of these is how you will price
the offering. A pricing strategy is mostly influenced by your requirement for net income and
your objectives for long term market control. There are three basic strategies you can consider.

 A SKIMMING STRATEGY
If your offering has enough differentiation to justify a high price and you desire quick
cash and have minimal desires for significant market penetration and control, then you set
your prices very high.
 A MARKET PENETRATION STRATEGY
If near term income is not so critical and rapid market penetration for eventual market
control is desired, then you set your prices very low.
 A COMPARABLE PRICING STRATEGY
If you are not the market leader in your industry then the leaders will most likely have
created a 'price expectation' in the minds of the marketplace. In this case you can price
your offering comparably to those of your competitors.
Promotion
To sell an offering you must effectively promote and advertise it. There are two basic promotion
strategies, PUSH and PULL.

 The PUSH STRATEGY maximizes the use of all available channels of distribution to
"push" the offering into the marketplace. This usually requires generous discounts to
achieve the objective of giving the channels incentive to promote the offering, thus
minimizing your need for advertising.
 The PULL STRATEGY requires direct interface with the end user of the offering. Use of
channels of distribution is minimized during the first stages of promotion and a major
commitment to advertising is required. The objective is to "pull" the prospects into the
various channel outlets creating a demand the channels cannot ignore.

There are many strategies for advertising an offering. Some of these include:

 Product Comparison advertising

In a market where your offering is one of several providing similar capabilities, if your
offering stacks up well when comparing features then a product comparison ad can be
beneficial.
 Product Benefits advertising
When you want to promote your offering without comparison to competitors, the product
benefits ad is the correct approach. This is especially beneficial when you have
introduced a new approach to solving a user need and comparison to the old approaches
is inappropriate.
 Product Family advertising
If your offering is part of a group or family of offerings that can be of benefit to the
customer as a set, then the product family ad can be of benefit.
 Corporate advertising
When you have a variety of offerings and your audience is fairly broad, it is often
beneficial to promote your enterprise identity rather than a specific offering.

Distribution
You must also select the distribution method(s) you will use to get the offering into the hands of
the customer. These include:

 On-premise Sales involves the sale of your offering using a field sales organization that
visits the prospect's facilities to make the sale.
 Direct Sales involves the sale of your offering using a direct, in-house sales organization
that does all selling through the Internet, telephone or mail order contact.
 Wholesale Sales involves the sale of your offering using intermediaries or "middle-men"
to distribute your product or service to the retailers.
 Self-service Retail Sales involves the sale of your offering using self service retail
methods of distribution.
 Full-service Retail Sales involves the sale of your offering through a full service retail
distribution channel.
Of course, making a decision about pricing, promotion and distribution is heavily influenced by
some key factors in the industry and marketplace. These factors should be analyzed initially to
create the strategy and then regularly monitored for changes. If any of them change substantially
the strategy should be reevaluated.

The Environment
Environmental factors positively or negatively impact the industry and the market growth
potential of your product/service. Factors to consider include:

 Government actions - Government actions (current or under consideration) can support or

detract from your strategy. Consider subsidies, safety, efficacy and operational
regulations, licensing requirements, materials access restrictions and price controls.
 Demographic changes - Anticipated demographic changes may support or negatively
impact the growth potential of your industry and market. This includes factors such as
education, age, income and geographic location.
 Emerging technology - Technological changes that are occurring may or may not favor
the actions of your enterprise.
 Cultural trends - Cultural changes such as fashion trends and life style trends may or may
not support your offering's penetration of the market

The Prospect
It is essential to understand the market segment(s) as defined by the prospect characteristics you
have selected as the target for your offering. Factors to consider include:

 The potential for market penetration involves whether you are selling to past customers
or a new prospect, how aware the prospects are of what you are offering, competition,
growth rate of the industry and demographics.
 The prospect's willingness to pay higher price because your offering provides a better
solution to their problem.
 The amount of time it will take the prospect to make a purchase decision is affected by
the prospects confidence in your offering, the number and quality of competitive
offerings, the number of people involved in the decision, the urgency of the need for your
offering and the risk involved in making the purchase decision.
 The prospect's willingness to pay for product value is determined by their knowledge of
competitive pricing, their ability to pay and their need for characteristics such as quality,
durability, reliability, ease of use, uniformity and dependability.
 Likelihood of adoption by the prospect is based on the criticality of the prospect's need,
their attitude about change, the significance of the benefits, barriers that exist to
incorporating the offering into daily usage and the credibility of the offering.

The Product/Service
You should be thoroughly familiar with the factors that establish products/services as strong
contenders in the marketplace. Factors to consider include:

 Whether some or all of the technology for the offering is proprietary to the enterprise.
  The benefits the prospect will derive from use of the offering.
 The extent to which the offering is differentiated from the competition.
 The extent to which common introduction problems can be avoided such as lack of
adherence to industry standards, unavailability of materials, poor quality control,
regulatory problems and the inability to explain the benefits of the offering to the
prospect.
 The potential for product obsolescence as affected by the enterprise's commitment to
product development, the product's proximity to physical limits, the ongoing potential for
product improvements, the ability of the enterprise to react to technological change and
the likelihood of substitute solutions to the prospect's needs.
 Impact on customer's business as measured by costs of trying out your offering, how
quickly the customer can realize a return from their investment in your offering, how
disruptive the introduction of your offering is to the customer's operations and the costs
to switch to your offering.
 The complexity of your offering as measured by the existence of standard interfaces,
difficulty of installation, number of options, requirement for support devices, training and
technical support and the requirement for complementary product interface.

The Competition
It is essential to know who the competition is and to understand their strengths and weaknesses.
Factors to consider include:

 Each of your competitor's experience, staying power, market position, strength,

predictability and freedom to abandon the market must be evaluated.

Your Enterprise
An honest appraisal of the strength of your enterprise is a critical factor in the development of
your strategy. Factors to consider include:

 Enterprise capacity to be leader in low-cost production considering cost control

infrastructure, cost of materials, economies of scale, management skills, availability of
personnel and compatibility of manufacturing resources with offering requirements.
 The enterprise's ability to construct entry barriers to competition such as the creation of
high switching costs, gaining substantial benefit from economies of scale, exclusive
access to or clogging of distribution channels and the ability to clearly differentiate your
offering from the competition.
 The enterprise's ability to sustain its market position is determined by the potential for
competitive imitation, resistance to inflation, ability to maintain high prices, the potential
for product obsolescence and the 'learning curve' faced by the prospect.
 The prominence of the enterprise.
 The competence of the management team.
 The adequacy of the enterprise's infrastructure in terms of organization, recruiting
capabilities, employee benefit programs, customer support facilities and logistical
capabilities.
  The freedom of the enterprise to make critical business decisions without undue influence
from distributors, suppliers, unions, creditors, investors and other outside influences.
 Freedom from having to deal with legal problems.

Development
A review of the strength and viability of the product/service development program will heavily
influence the direction of your strategy. Factors to consider include:

 The strength of the development manager including experience with personnel

management, current and new technologies, complex projects and the equipment and
tools used by the development personnel.
 Personnel who understand the relevant technologies and are able to perform the tasks
necessary to meet the development objectives.
 Adequacy and appropriateness of the development tools and equipment.
 The necessary funding to achieve the development objectives.
 Design specifications that are manageable.

Production
You should review your enterprise's production organization with respect to their ability to cost
effectively produce products/services. The following factors are considered:

 The strength of production manager including experience with personnel management,

current and new technologies, complex projects and the equipment and tools used by the
manufacturing personnel.
 Economies of scale allowing the sharing of operations, sharing of production and the
potential for vertical integration.
 Technology and production experience
 The necessary production personnel skill level and/or the enterprise's ability to hire or
train qualified personnel.
 The ability of the enterprise to limit suppliers bargaining power.
 The ability of the enterprise to control the quality of raw materials and production.
 Adequate access to raw materials and sub-assembly production.

Marketing/Sales
The marketing and sales organization is analyzed for its strengths and current activities. Factors
to consider include:

 Experience of Marketing/Sales manager including contacts in the industry (prospects,

distribution channels, media), familiarity with advertising and promotion, personal selling
capabilities, general management skills and a history of profit and loss responsibilities.
 The ability to generate good publicity as measured by past successes, contacts in the
press, quality of promotional literature and market education capabilities.
 Sales promotion techniques such as trade allowances, special pricing and contests.
  The effectiveness of your distribution channels as measured by history of relations, the
extent of channel utilization, financial stability, reputation, access to prospects and
familiarity with your offering.
 Advertising capabilities including media relationships, advertising budget, past
experience, how easily the offering can be advertised and commitment to advertising.
 Sales capabilities including availability of personnel, quality of personnel, location of
sales outlets, ability to generate sales leads, relationship with distributors, ability to
demonstrate the benefits of the offering and necessary sales support capabilities.
 The appropriateness of the pricing of your offering as it relates to competition, price
sensitivity of the prospect, prospect's familiarity with the offering and the current market
life cycle stage.

Customer Services
The strength of the customer service function has a strong influence on long term market
success. Factors to consider include:

 Experience of the Customer Service manager in the areas of similar offerings and
customers, quality control, technical support, product documentation, sales and
marketing.
 The availability of technical support to service your offering after it is purchased.
 One or more factors that causes your customer support to stand out as unique in the eyes
of the customer.
 Accessibility of service outlets for the customer.
 The reputation of the enterprise for customer service.

Conclusion
After defining your strategy you must use the information you have gathered to determine
whether this strategy will achieve the objective of making your enterprise competitive in the
marketplace. Two of the most important assessments are described below.
Cost To Enter Market
This is an analysis of the factors that will influence your costs to achieve significant market
penetration. Factors to consider include:

 Your marketing strength.

 Access to low cost materials and effective production.
 The experience of your enterprise.
 The complexity of introduction problems such as lack of adherence to industry standards,
unavailability of materials, poor quality control, regulatory problems and the inability to
explain the benefits of the offering to the prospect.
 The effectiveness of the enterprise infrastructure in terms of organization, recruiting
capabilities, employee benefit programs, customer support facilities and logistical
capabilities.
 Distribution effectiveness as measured by history of relations, the extent of channel
utilization, financial stability, reputation, access to prospects and familiarity with your
offering.
  Technological efforts likely to be successful as measured by the strength of the
development organization.
 The availability of adequate operating capital.

Profit Potential
This is an analysis of the factors that could influence the potential for generating and maintaining
profits over an extended period. Factors to consider include:

 Potential for competitive retaliation is based on the competitors resources, commitment to

the industry, cash position and predictability as well as the status of the market.
 The enterprise's ability to construct entry barriers to competition such as the creation of
high switching costs, gaining substantial benefit from economies of scale, exclusive
access to or clogging of distribution channels and the ability to clearly differentiate your
offering from the competition.
 The intensity of competitive rivalry as measured by the size and number of competitors,
limitations on exiting the market, differentiation between offerings and the rapidity of
market growth.
 The ability of the enterprise to limit suppliers bargaining power.
 The enterprise's ability to sustain its market position is determined by the potential for
competitive imitation, resistance to inflation, ability to maintain high prices, the potential
for product obsolescence and the 'learning curve' faced by the prospect.
 The availability of substitute solutions to the prospect's need.
 The prospect's bargaining power as measured by the ease of switching to an alternative,
the cost to look at alternatives, the cost of the offering, the differentiation between your
offering and the competition and the degree of the prospect's need.
 Market potential for new products considering market growth, prospect's need for your
offering, the benefits of the offering, the number of barriers to immediate use, the
credibility of the offering and the impact on the customer's daily operations.
 The freedom of the enterprise to make critical business decisions without undue influence
from distributors, suppliers, unions, investors and other outside influences
 SWOT
 This is a commonly used form of marketing analysis. It looks at both your business and
the external environment to anticipate possible future action you may need to take to
defend or expand your market position.
 SWOT stands for Strengths; Weaknesses; Opportunities; and Threats.
 (i) Strengths
 Here you should list the main strengths of your business and products/services. This
should include not only the areas that your business or products are good at, but also high
profit margins, successful current marketing campaigns and similar strengths. e.g. Our
business has a reputation for excellent quality customer service.
 Strengths are internal factors, and are usually related to your business only.
 (ii) Weaknesses
 Here you should list the main weaknesses of your business and products/services. This
should include the areas that you feel your business could improve on, or are limiting
 your quality or expansion. e.g. Our slow production speed makes it difficult for us to
meet shipment dates effectively.
 Weaknesses are internal factors, and are usually related to your business only.
 (iii) Opportunities
 Here you should list what you believe to be the best opportunities available in your
market, or new markets you believe your business can succeed in. e.g. Gap in market for
smaller versions of our products.
 Remember, a weakness may be an opportunity in disguise! e.g. If we fix the weakness in
our manufacturing speed whilst maintaining quality, we have an opportunity to offer
faster delivery to our customers.
 Opportunities are almost always external, although they may rely on internal strengths.
e.g. An opportunity is available by advertising our strengths in quality of service.
 (iv) Threats
 Here you should list what you believe to be the biggest threats to your business. This
could include competitors, government regulations, changes in customer attitudes and
other such areas. e.g. Our competitors are planning to launch a big new product in the
next 6 months.
 Threats are almost always external, although they may rely on internal weaknesses or
external factors that limit your strengths. e.g. If our competitors lower their prices and we
match them, we may be left with an unprofitable product

Creating a Marketing Plan

Step 1- Gathering information

A marketing plan should be made at least once a year regardless of the size of the company. The
first step when trying to create a marketing plan is to gather all the information you need about
your company as well as the current business environment situation. After all this information
has been gathered and compared both to the situation of the previous years (historical analysis)
as well as compared to the other main competitors a quite accurate image should already be
formed. After a general impression has begun forming it's time to move on to the second step.

Step 2 – The SWOT analysis

The main focus of any business plan should be the SWOT analysis. The acronym stands for
Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats. This is a core element of the marketing plan
that can offer more insights than anything else on the marketing plan because it deals with all the
aspects that determine the current state of the business.

The SWOT analysis should be applied to all the elements of the marketing mix from the product
itself to the distribution and promotion strategies as usually these elements offer the most
accurate responses, being the perfect base for formulating the future objectives.
 

Step 3-Formulating objectives

After the SWOT analysis a few objectives should

already being crystallizing in the mind of the
entrepreneur. The objectives should be varied,
targeting as many of the problem areas as it is
realistically possible in the time line that has been
set. Long term objectives (set for a period of 5+
years) and short term objectives (< 1 year) should
be correlated and different strategies should be
elaborated for each one of them.

Step 4-Setting the budget

The budget should contain both the expenses that will be required to apply the strategies that
were established at the previous step as well as how these expenses will be distributed depending
on the importance and priority of each objective as well as the incomes that are expected from
the implementation of these strategies. The most challenging part of this step is figuring out the
best areas to splurge on and the ares that should be kept at low, reasonable levels.

Step 5- Establishing a control system

The final step when creating a marketing plan is establishing an effective control system
designed to analyze the entire process and to point out the inevitable difficulties, errors and
problems that will inevitably occur. A good control system is one that is able to point out the
challenges before the actual starting process begins, during the process as well as after the
process has been completed.