If it's not in writing, it doesn't exist. When you put your marketing plan in writing you formalize your ideas. You no longer thinking about marketing. A written marketing plan makes it real. It becomes a resource to your sales and marketing staff.

Your written marketing plan should include things like:

First quarter of next year, we are redesigning our website.

Second quarter, we are redesigning our brochures, catalogs, and redesign our logos.

The next calendar year we will exhibit at four trade shows.

Your marketing plan should include detailed and measurable objective such as:

In January, we will update our website. Because we have had the same website design for five years and it looks out of date and the content needs updating. The marketing department will be in charge of the website redesign project. The website redesign project will start by the 15th of January, and it will be completed by March 15th. The budget for the website redesign is $12,000.

Descriptions like the above about redesigning your company website are important. It is not enough to write that we are going to redesign our brochure or design a new logo. You have to be specific.

A written marketing plan will serve as reference for your team. You can refer to it during company meetings. It is a game plan that is part of your overall strategy. The best marketing plans become ingrained in the corporate culture. It is always on the surface. It becomes part of the conversation. Talk about it, hang it on the walls, make it part of the company. Every employee has to have, at least, a general understanding of your marketing plan.

Follow up on the deadlines you have set for each action item. Refer to your marketing plan at least once each month and make sure you meet deadlines.

If you need to make adjustment to the plan. It is not set in stone. An effective marketing plan is going to be adjusted to the changes the company goes through. There may be changes to the overall economy, or changes in the competitive environment. Make adjustments as needed.

Here are some important areas every marketing plan should include:

• Projected revenue
• Geographic scope
• Distribution channels
• Target markets served
• Services/Products offered