Lately, I’ve been asked for recommendations for a streamlined go-to-market plan template. This is a great request because I continue to see a lot of marketing teams get wrapped around the axle of a “10-step marketing plan” or some other beastly exercise. Now, please don’t mis-understand me: marketing planning is a serious, critical, and worthwhile exercise. Comprehensive planning exercises can be of great value. Yet, sometimes, a short-cut is needed. Here’s the punch line:
Table of Contents for a Streamlined Integrated Marketing Plan
- Marketing strategy overview
- Marketing objectives (With focus on the next 6 months)
- Target market prioritization (Prioritizing where the pro-active marketing investment will be)
- Personas (Creating an illustration of target buyers that we can empathize with)
- Positioning statement (Articulating our value and why we’re better than competing alternatives)
- Core messaging via The Message Box (Crafting our story/elevator pitch)
- Identifying key content (Listing & prioritizing resources and deliverables that prospects will value)
- Marketing blueprint(s) (A flow chart of lead-gen activities and offers to engage prospects)
- Campaign calendar (A roadmap to guide execution)
- Budget estimate (For execution of identified blueprints)
Looking for more info? Readers of the book can now download a PDF of a streamlined marketing plan (visit the Marketing Campaign Development download page) complete with additional examples of personas, positioning statements, message box, and blueprints. I share this for illustration purposes only. Your mileage will differ, as the saying goes.
Don’t yet have the book? No problem. You can purchase the paperback here, or the eBook here.