The best marketing plans aren’t complicated and drawn-out or even beautifully written. They simply outline what you sell, how you’ll sell it and who will want to buy it. With a marketing plan, you can ensure that you use your marketing dollars effectively to reach the right people.

You might have an annual or quarterly marketing plan, and you may have product marketing plans or social media marketing plans. These plans give you and your team a framework to prioritize work and get that work done, says Molly Talbert, a content marketing manager for Asana.

If you could use a refresher on how to create a marketing plan, read on. We break down Talbert’s eight steps to writing a marketing plan in this issue of Promotional Consultant Today.

1. Set a clear strategy. You need a marketing strategy before you create a plan. Talbert says a marketing strategy is the theory while the marketing plan is the action. She recommends asking questions such as: What is the goal? Who is my audience? What are my channels? Do I have the necessary resources?

2. Establish your success metrics. It’s important to know your goals and what you are measuring before diving into your marketing plan. For example, you might want to set goals around cost per lead or lead to customer conversion rate. Your key metrics should help you measure and track the performance of your marketing activities, says Talbert.

3. Study your competitors. Take a look at how your competitors are marketing themselves. This can give you ideas on how to make your business stand out, says Talbert. Maybe you’ll discover a new angle your competitors haven’t approached yet.

4. Integrate your marketing efforts. Your marketing toolbox is packed with tools like email, content, SEO, events and more. Make sure your marketing plan includes multiple supporting activities that all add up to a powerful marketing machine, says Talbert.

5. Get creative. Your marketing plan is a chance to let your creativity shine. Talbert recommends thinking about your audience and how you want them to feel and what you want them to do when they see your marketing. Promotional products allow you to engage with your target market is many unique ways.

6. Use your marketing plan. Once you create your marketing plan, don’t file it away on your desktop and never use it. Go to work on using your plan, especially once you have created or refined it. Talbert says you may want to consider a work management tool that can help you and your team mark major milestones and view your entire marketing plan. This can help ensure efforts aren’t being duplicated.

7. Tap into tech tools. From Google Docs and Slack to Trello and Asana, you have various tools at your fingertips to help streamline your marketing plan. In fact, Talbert says marketers can choose from thousands of tools to create the right tech stack for their team.

8. Track and analyze. Once you put your marketing plan in play, always measure performance. Talbert suggests periodically measuring your marketing efforts to look for improvement areas and understand what is working well and what you may need to adjust.

A marketing plan is like a road map for your business. It helps keep you on the right path, and when you learn what works, you can scale your tactics to drive even more growth.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Molly Talbert is a content marketing manager for Asana.