Secrets

a guide to writing

your marketing plan

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contents

Overview

Introduction

Section A

What is a Marketing Plan? Why prepare a Marketing Plan? Characteristics of a Good Marketing Plan An essential Building block for your Business – Your Brand

Section B

Marketing Plan ‘A “how to” Guide’ What to include in your marketing plan Introduction Business overview Market audit Market analysis Market assumptions Business/brand activity review Strategic intent

Section C

Activating Your Marketing Plan Testing the market Market segmentation and targeting Making the 5Ps work for your business Budget Monitoring Effectiveness

Section D

Useful Links Marketing Plan Templates

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Page 3

Introduction

“An integral part of any business, large or small, is a marketing plan that sets out the business goals and objectives as well as the strategies and actions that will need to be implemented enroute to achieving them.” Cathal Muckian, Director, Bank of Ireland Business Banking. Good market planning can be a source of competitive advantage and helps you align marketing and sales resources most effectively behind your brand. Putting together a marketing plan can be a daunting prospect for a lot of business owners/managers and so we have put together this marketing guide to make the whole process a little easier and to help you construct a comprehensive marketing plan for your business that reflects your goals and objectives. This guide is intended to provide guidance and assistance in developing and implementing a successful marketing plan for your business. “This publication from Bank of Ireland Business Banking is timely and welcome. As Ireland moves up the value chain in all industry sectors, marketing must become a more widely practised business function. Marketin