Marketing Strategy and Planning

A marketing strategy establishes an overall game plan or guide for how you will reach your prospects and convert them into customers. It’s critical to communicate your company’s core value proposition and ensure you can meet the needs and wants of the market. In addition to the value proposition, there are a few key components which are defined in the overall marketing strategy, including brand messaging and product positioning, a defined target customer and other high-level elements. 

Marketing Plan Example

After you have established your overall marketing strategy, it’s time to put together a marketing plan, or if you are launching a new product, a go-to-market plan. Remember, there are key differences between marketing strategies, plans and go-to-market/product launches. Think about it this way: A strategy tells you what the business will do to reach established goals. A marketing plan will detail the specific tasks, timelines and activities needed to support the marketing strategy, and is often planned by month, quarter or year. A go-to-market plan/product launch is just as detailed as a marketing plan, but is not a long-term plan. Instead, it focuses on the specific launch and the immediate details and tasks required. The long-term marketing plan will continue to develop and evolve.

Marketing Plan

  • An overview of your business’s marketing and advertising goals
  • A description of your business’s current marketing position
  • A timeline of when tasks within your strategy will be completed
  • Key performance indicators (KPIs) you will be tracking
  • A description of your business’s target market and customer needs
  • A description of how you will measure the performance of the strategy

Go-2-Market / Product Launch

  • Customer Research
  • Market & Competitor Research
  • Define Target Customer
  • Positioning and USPs
  • Define goals and KPIs
  • Develop list of potential partners, press, publications
  • Create Product Launch Road Map
    1. Marketing & Communications
    2. Sales
    3. Customer Service
  • Landing Page
  • Long-term Marketing Strategy

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