About the template
One of the most important, yet often overlooked areas for the small business owner is the development of a marketing plan. An effective marketing plan will act as a reference document to help you to execute your marketing strategy. It will also help you to develop a methodical approach to creating services and products that satisfy your customers’ needs.
When writing a marketing plan you need to be clear about your marketing objectives and how you’re going to achieve them. A good marketing plan sets realistic and measurable objectives; includes budgets and action plans, and allocates responsibilities.
Your marketing plan will include the following elements:
• Marketing objectives and strategy of your business
• Your marketing mix
• Action plans and budgets
• Organisational implications and contingencies
• Evaluation and monitoring strategies
How to use this template
Prior to completing this marketing plan template, consider the following:
To complete the template:
1. Guidance text appears throughout the document, marked by the word Guidance. Where you see a guidance note, read and then delete it. Guidance has been added to help you complete the template and should not appear in your final version.
2. Using Word’s Replace function, search for {Business Name} and replace with your company name.
a. In Word’s Home ribbon, open the Find and Replace tool, choose Replace to open the Find and Replace tool. The Find and Replace dialog opens with the Replace tab selected.
b. Enter {Business Name} in the Find what field.
c. Enter your company name in the Replace with field.
d. Click Replace All
3. Replace {items in curly brackets} with your own wording.
4. Once you have finished work on the template, delete this and the following page.
5. Lastly refresh the page numbers in the table of contents.
a) Right mouse click on the table of contents
b) In the small menu that appears, choose ‘Update Field’ then ‘Update page numbers only’.
{Insert your Event Management Company logo here}
Marketing Plan for {name of event}
Contents
Marketing Plan for {name of event} 3
Event Management Company name 5
Event Name 5
Market Overview 6
Target market: 6
Customer profile: 6
Competitor profile: 6
Marketing Objectives 7
Goals/objectives: 7
Marketing Strategy 8
Your strategy and marketing mix: 8
Action Steps 9
Top 10 Action Steps: 9
Name of Event 10
Vision statement for the event: 10
Mission statement for the event: 10
Business objectives: 10
Short Term goals: 10
Long Term goals: 10
Products: 11
SWOT analysis 12
SWOT activity sheet 12
The Market Overview 14
Your Market 15
Market research and environmental/industry analysis:go to ibis world 15
Your Customers 16
Target customers: 16
Customer profile: 17
Your Competitors 18
Competitor analysis: 18
Your Marketing 19
Marketing Objectives:………………………………………………………19
Marketing Strategy: 21
Your PRODUCT or service 22
The PRICING of your product or service 24
Your POSITION (Place) in the marketplace 26
Sales and distribution channels 26
The PROMOTION of your product or service 28
The PEOPLE in your business (salespeople, staff etc.) 30
The PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT where the good/services are presented 32
Marketing Activity 33
Your Finances 35
Marketing Budget {YEAR} 35
Organisational Implications 37
Contingencies 37
Monitoring/measurement activities 38
Glossary 39
Event Management Company name
Event Name
2016 Melbourne dance showcase
Start writing here
Every studio need to showcase and perform two dance styles to attract potential clients .
Market Overview
Target market:
Young Optimism-
New experiences and personal fulfilment are important to them. They’re the Young Optimism Segment and they like to play as hard as they work.
Socially Aware-
Whether they’re saving the world or purchasing the latest innovative product, Socially Aware individuals like to be well informed before they make a decision.
Look At Me’-
All about the here and now, Look At Me individuals are usually teenagers who like to live large and loud. Peer-group acceptance is important to them and they’re very image conscious.
The demographics for the event will be student between year 9-12, unisexual, experienced or non-experienced on dance.
Customer profile:
Guidance: What’s the profile of an ideal customer for your event? In one or two sentences, clearly define your ideal customer – their needs, buying patterns and motivations for buying.
Start writing here
The event is to look for the customer who might want to join or buy the studio passes in the showcase, also looking for the customer who willing to spend time after work or school.
Mainly student who dance daily and looking for dance job.
Competitor profile:
Guidance: What’s the profile of a typical competitor for your event? What marketing mix do they use? Have you identified any gaps in their marketing strategy?}
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National Dance Championships of Australia.
……
Marketing Objectives
Goals/objectives:
Guidance: In one or two sentences, summarise the key marketing objectives for your event. Your objectives may be financial, with a goal to increase sales, marketing focused to build awareness of your product or service, or online to build engagement with online customers and business networks.
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30,000 video shares on social network.
Increase 30% new customer for each student.
Sale 100 tickets 3 months before the event
sale 200 tickets 2 months before the event
sale 350 tickets a months before the event
sale 450 ticket 2 week before the event
sale 500 1 week be for the event
Marketing Strategy
Your strategy and marketing mix:
Guidance: Use this section to summarise the overall strategy and marketing mix (The 7 P’s) you will use to position yourself within the market to meet your customers’ needs. Your strategy and marketing mix should take into account the activities that are relevant for your business. Remember to consider your digital strategy, which focuses on achieving your online objectives. Whatever your strategy, aim to differentiate yourself from your competitors, to encourage customers to choose your business first.
Start writing here
Action Steps
Top 10 Action Steps:
Guidance: Create a list of the Top 10 action steps that will bring your theoretical objectives (your marketing strategy and objectives) to life. E.g. Finish SWOT Activity Sheet, complete marketing budget}
Start writing here
Name of Event
Vision statement for the event:
Guidance: A Vision statement should describe WHERE you want your business to be in the future. It should communicate both the PURPOSE and VALUES of your business and answer the question, ‘Why are we here?’
We envision a bold new incarnation of dance, in which the old and the new are fused to create programs combining the dramatic vision and integrity of the great modern dance masterpieces with the creativity and energy of cutting by today’s most exciting choreographers.
Mission statement for the event:
Guidance: A Mission statement should outline HOW you will get to where you want your business to be in the future (Your Vision). It should define the PURPOSE and PRIMARY OBJECTIVES of your business and answer the question, ‘What do we do?’
Business objectives:
Short Term goals:
Guidance: What are three primary short-term goals for your event (6 Months)?
Goal/Objective Description By when
Students number increase Increase 40% student for event dance studio Within 3 months
Increase the renter Increase 20% renter to rent the studio during the day Within 6 months
Long Term goals:
Guidance: What are three primary long-term goals for your event (1-3 Years)?
Goal/Objective Description By when
Contract with school Every dance studio have at least 2 schools sign a contract in 2 years
Contract with singers Weekly studio hire contract for singers in 2 years
Contract with event company Event contract for the dance studio and the dancer In 3 years
Products:
Guidance: What products and/or services do you sell?
Product/Service Description Price
Normal ticket watch all dance show
watch the pop up dance workshop 10
Golden ticket watch all dance show
join 2 pop up workshops
free event’s T-shirt 25
SWOT analysis
Guidance: Use the table below to list each of your event’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities or Threats (S.W.O.T.).
Strengths Weaknesses
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Opportunities Threats
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SWOT activity sheet
Guidance: Outline how and when you plan to address each of the weaknesses/threats from your SWOT analysis above.
SWOT weakness/ threat Activity to address weakness/threat Completion date
The Market Overview
Guidance: Gathering information and identifying the key characteristics of your target market will help you to find the most effective way to reach your target customers. The Market Overview should provide an analysis of the market in which your business operates, including your customers, competitors and the market as a whole. Revisit this process regularly to ensure that your strategy remains relevant and targeted.
Start writing here
Your Market
Target market:
Guidance: Summarise the key statistics for your target market. This may include the size and growth potential of your market, as well as key demographics such as age, gender, income level etc.
Start writing here
Young Optimism-
New experiences and personal fulfilment are important to them. They’re the Young Optimism Segment and they like to play as hard as they work.
Socially Aware-
Whether they’re saving the world or purchasing the latest innovative product, Socially Aware individuals like to be well informed before they make a decision.
Look At Me’-
All about the here and now, Look At Me individuals are usually teenagers who like to live large and loud. Peer-group acceptance is important to them and they’re very image conscious.
The demographics for the event will be student between year 9-12, unisexual, experienced or non-experienced on dance.
Market research and environmental/industry analysis: (go to ibis world)
Guidance: What research have you completed to help analyse your market? Did you utilise a survey/questionnaire? If so, you may like to attach a copy of your survey/questionnaire and findings to the back of this plan. In this section, detail the results of the market research you have performed. Consider questions such as:
Is the area experiencing population growth or decline?
Does the region where you operate have a stable economy?
Are there any seasonal variations that might affect sales?
What is the size of the market?
What recent trends have emerged in the market?
Is there potential for growth in the market? How will you be able to capitalise on any opportunities?
How will your entrance affect the market/customers?
What external factors will affect your customers?
More information on DIY Market Research
Start writing here
Your Customers
Target customers:
Guidance: Who are your target customers and how do they behave? Include specific demographics such as age, social status, education and gender. What are your customers’ lifestyles, activities, values, needs, interests or opinions? Where are they located? Please adjust the column headings as required.
Customer Age Gender Ethnicity Education Location Lifestyle Values Interests
{insert Target customer – choose a name} {insert Customer’s Age} {insert Customer’s Gender} {insert Customer’s ethnic background} {insert Customer’s education level} {insert Customer’s location} {insert Customer’s lifestyle} {insert Customer’s values} {insert Customer’s interests}
Customer profile:
Guidance: What’s the profile of an ideal customer for your business? In a paragraph or two, clearly define your ideal customer – their needs, buying patterns and motivations for buying. This process will help you to develop a mental image of your ideal customer (often referred to as a customer avatar).
Your Competitors
Competitor analysis:
Guidance: Use the table below to analyse at least 3 competitors.}
Competitor Established date Size Market share (%) Value offered to customers Strengths Weaknesses
{insert Competitor’s event name} {insert When was their event established?} {insert Number of staff and/or turnover} {insert Estimated percentage of market share} {insert Unique value to customers, e.g. quality, price or customer service?} {insert What are your competitor’s main strengths?} {insert What are your competitor’s main weaknesses?}
Your Marketing
Marketing Objectives:
Guidance: Summarise the key marketing objectives for your business. Your objectives may be financial, with a goal to increase sales, or marketing focused, to build awareness of your product or service. An effective (and accountable) way to define your marketing objectives is to follow the ‘SMART’ acronym (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely) .
Examples of SMART marketing objectives
To achieve a 20% return on capital employed by April 2014 (Profitability Objective)
To gain 15% of the market for sports socks by November 2018 (Market Share Objective)
To make X brand of juice the preferred brand of 21-29 year old females in Australia by August 2019 (Branding Objective)
Detail your SMART marketing objectives in the table below:
Objective Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Timely
{insert Your specific marketing objective} { Is your objective specific?} { Can your objective be measured?} { Is your objective achievable?} { Is your objective realistic?} { Have you set a specific date for your objective to be achieved?}
Marketing Strategy:
Guidance: Use this section to detail the overall strategy you will use to position yourself within the market to meet your customers’ needs. Whatever your strategy, you goal should be to differentiate yourself from your competitors to encourage customers to choose your business first. The specific elements that make up your marketing strategy are typically referred to as the marketing mix. Each element can be varied to broaden the appeal of products and services, and will therefore have a direct impact on sales.
The 8 P’s of marketing
Your PRODUCT (or SERVICE)
The PRICING of your product or service
Your POSITION (place) in the marketplace
The PROMOTION of your product of service
The PEOPLE in your business (salespeople, staff etc.)
The PROCESS represents the buying experience
The PHYSICAL environment where the good/services are presented
PRODUCTIVITY and Quality is an essential part of meeting customer needs
Click any of the links above to find out more about a specific element and how it can be applied.
Start writing here
Your PRODUCT or service
Guidance: Here you should describe your long-term product strategy in detail. If you are providing a service then you should consider your service(s) as your product(s).
You will need to consider:
What features and benefits do you offer?
The unique selling position – what makes your product/service different from your competitors’?
Potential spin-off products or services?
Product or Service Features Benefits Unique Selling Position Support Spin Offs
{What is your product or service?} {What are the features of your product or service? {What are the customer benefits of your product or service?} {What makes your product or service unique?} {What additional support do you offer? E.g. warranty, money back etc.} {Are there any potential spin-off products or services you can offer?}
The PRICING of your product or service
Guidance: Price is a critical component of your marketing mix. Why? Because choosing the right price for your products or services will help you to maximise profits and also build strong relationships with your customers. By pricing effectively you will also avoid the serious financial consequences that can occur if you price too low (not enough profit) or too high (not enough sales).
Setting prices for your products and services might seem like a daunting task, however, it doesn’t need to be … just remember:
you are in business to make a profit (and that’s ok!)
most business owners underprice the value that they deliver
your sales and marketing strategy should defend your prices
Your overall pricing strategy will depend on your marketing, business and lifestyle objectives. So, before you start the research process spend some time defining your income (and net profit) aspirations. Also take a look at the small business expected income benchmarks on the ATO website.
Product or Service Price Costs Net Profit Comp. Price Value
{What is your product or service?} {What is the price of your product or service?} {What is the total cost of selling your product or service?} {What Net Profit is made from selling your product or service?} {What is your competitor’s pricing for this product or service? {What unique value does your product or service offer/deliver?}
Your POSITION (Place) in the marketplace
Guidance: Place refers to the channels and locations for distributing your product, related information, and support services. This is how you will position your product or service in the marketplace.
This includes:
the place where the product/service can be bought
the distribution channel
Place represents the location where a product can be purchased. It is often referred to as the distribution channel. This may include any physical store (supermarket, departmental stores) as well as virtual stores (e-markets and e-malls) on the Internet. This is crucial as this provides the place utility to the consumer, which often becomes a deciding factor for the purchase of many products across multiple product categories.
Sales and distribution channels
Channel type Products/services Percentage of sales (%) Channel strategy
{e.g. Shopfront, internet, direct mail, export or wholesale.} {List all the products/services sold via this channel} {What percentage of overall sales do you expect to sell via this channel?} {Why have you decided to use this channel type? How and when will you use it? What is the strategy behind using this channel type for this particular product/service?}
The PROMOTION of your product or service
Guidance: State how you currently promote and market your business now (or intend to). Compare (where applicable) what your competitors do for promotion, noting what does and doesn’t work for them as well as yourself. Regardless of how good your business is, if you don’t promote it and tell people you exist, it’s unlikely you will make many sales.
Promotion is more than selling and advertising your business. It’s about attracting the right people to use and reuse your business. There are a number of techniques to use and they can be combined in various ways to create the most cost effective strategy for your needs.
Detail your promotion techniques into six categories:
• online
• public relations
• advertising
• promotion
• packaging or personal selling
• branding
Direct marketing is often added to the marketing mix despite being part of advertising rather than marketing.
Product or Service Online Public Relations Advertising Promotion Packaging Branding
{What is your product or service?} {What online strategies are you using?} {What PR strategies are you using? {What advertising strategies are you using?} {What promotion strategies are you using?} {What packaging strategies are you using?} {What branding strategies are you using?}
The PEOPLE in your business (salespeople, staff etc.)
Guidance: Every employee in your business (if you have them) can influence the marketing of your products and services. Knowledgeable and friendly staff can contribute to creating satisfied customers, and can provide the unique selling experience that an organisation is often seeking. If an outstanding team provides a competitive advantage, then the quality of recruitment and training becomes essential to achieving your marketing objectives.
Some questions to consider when assessing your team members:
Are they prepared to talk with clients in detail about your products and services?
Do you have training in place to drive constant improvement?
Do your team understand the process for handling client interactions?
Are staff members empowered to make decisions (and act) on the business’s behalf?
Do they have the communication skills to be effective?
Name Job Title Department Responsibilities
{ e.g.Mr Chris Brantley}
{e.g. Marketing/ Sales Manager} {e.g. Sales} {insert the main responsibilities of this position}
The PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT where the good/services are presented
Guidance: The physical environment where your products or services are sold and delivered can have a significant impact upon how your customers experience your business. The physical environment represents the tangible aspects of selling your products and services, such as the quality of the furnishings in your consulting rooms or the design of your reception area. Creating a positive physical environment doesn’t have to be costly – a vase full of fresh flowers can make a big difference.
Use the table below to outline the physical environments that your customers experience when they buy your products or services and any improvements you might be able to make.
Name Selling Environment Delivery Environment Improvements
{What is your product or service?} {Where is the product or service sold?} {Where is the product or service delivered?} {What changes can you make to improve the Physical Environment?}
Marketing Activity
Guidance: Once you have defined your marketing mix, the next step is to detail the specific activities that you will undertake to achieve your marketing objectives. As you create these activities, keep referring back to your marketing mix – it will help you to assess which activities are worth the time and effort to implement.
What steps or activities will you undertake to achieve your marketing objectives?
Marketing activity/milestone Person responsible Date of expected completion Cost ($) Success indicator
{Print advertising, online advertising, mail-out, giveaway, media release, event, website, blog/social media, public relations, branding and artwork, or publications and catalogues.} {Who is responsible for completing this task?} {When do you expect to complete the marketing activity?} {Estimated cost of activity.} {What indicator/ measurement result will need to be met before this activity is considered a success?}
Your Finances
Marketing Budget {YEAR}
Guidance: To complete this marketing budget, you should rely heavily on your financial statements and projections. Double-click the table below to enter your details or attach your own budget at the back of this marketing plan.
Organisational Implications
Guidance: Organisational implications are often overlooked when business owners tackle a marketing plan. For example, if your goal is to increase your customer base by 15% and therefore your staff by 10% – will you be able to house them in your current offices? Could you outsource some tasks? It’s important to consider and document these decisions in your plan.
Use the space below to outline any organisational implications, which you feel may affect the implementation of your marketing plan.
Start writing here
Contingencies
Guidance: All plans in business should remain flexible (and adjustable) as you are often working with assumptions. The more planning you do, the better you will become at predicting. However, as you are learning the needs of your market – it is fair to say that some of your assumptions are going to fall short of expectation.
Use the space below to outline any contingencies (alternative options) which may assist if things don’t go as planned.
Start writing here
Monitoring/measurement activities
Guidance: Reviewing the impact of your marketing should be a periodic activity. List the details of each review in the table below.
Marketing activity Date of review Monitoring methods Review outcomes
{Print advertising, online advertising, mail-outs, giveaways, media releases, events, website, blog/social media, public relations, branding and artwork, or publications and catalogues.} {e.g. Month/Year} {What tools did you use to measure/monitor the impact of your marketing activities?} {e.g. What were the results for the promotional period? What were your sales/profit figures? How many new/repeat customers did you receive? How many customers visited your website? Etc.}
Glossary
Term Definition
Blog a shortened word for Weblog (see Weblog).
Channel a way of delivering something to its destination, whether it is a message to be communicated or a physical product to be delivered.
Contract a legally enforceable agreement made between two or more parties. A contract may be a verbal contract or a written contract (or may be partly verbal and partly written).
Demographics the characteristics of a population or segment of the population, commonly examined demographics include age, gender, ethnicity, knowledge of languages, employment status, mobility and geographic location.
Domain name an identification string (name) that identifies an organisation’s address on the internet, either a website address or an email address. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System (DNS). Read more information about Domain Name System on Wikipedia
Blog (also known as a weblog) an individual’s or organisation’s online website displaying a reverse-chronological list of entries (known as posts). Posts typically include thoughts, observations, promotions, links, images or videos. A Weblog is publically available and allows readers to comment on posts.
Goods and Services Tax – GST a broad-based tax of 10 per cent on the sale of most goods and services in Australia.
High-end usually refers to expensive or high quality products/services.
Market position refers to the position your event has in the market, usually in relation to its competition.
Milestone a goal or objective with a target date.
Mission statement a statement (usually internally facing) which outlines how a business (organisation) intends to achieve its Vision. It should define the PURPOSE and PRIMARY OBJECTIVES of the business and answer the question, ‘What do we do?’
Social media a group of technology including Blogs, online networks (e.g. Twitter, Facebook, Snap chat, LinkedIn) and online collaboration tools often used to expand your network/market reach or collaborate on a large scale.
Unique selling position a characteristic of a business or a product/service that sets it apart from the competition.
Vision statement a statement (usually public facing) which outlines where a business (organisation) wants to be in the future. It should communicate both the PURPOSE and VALUES of the business and answer the question, ‘Why are we here?’
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