Some of our start-up clients have asked us. Why do I need a marketing communications plan? Can’t I “just-do-it?” Just-doing-it meaning, tackling the requirements as they come up. The short answer is, yes, you can just do it, but probably shouldn’t. There are many problems that result from the “just-do-it” approach to marketing communications. They include lack of focus & direction, inconsistency in approach, loss of program momentum and unexpected pressures on the budget.

A well thought-out marketing communications plan supports the objectives laid out in your business plan. It allows you to focus your marketing and corporate communications, making sure that all activities work together to support the big picture and fit within your budget. The strategy is very important because you are building the components of your company (brand, identity, and everything in between) And in doing so, your plan needs to put the required pieces in place at the right time.

So, what’s a marketing communication plan?
A marketing communications plan is a written document that lays out your promotional and communication tactics and identifies collateral material requirements and expenses that will be needed to support your tactics within a specified budget, over a period of time (usually 1 year). The plan answers the basic question, how and where am I going to make potential customers aware of my company, products, or services and what will I need to support my sales force? A plan helps you determine the most effective means of distributing your company’s messages to prospects and stakeholders.

What are the basic steps to creating an effective
marketing communications plan?

• Determine your budget
• Identify your business and marketing goals
• Research & analyze your target audience
• Look at what your competition is doing, and where they are doing it
• List and analyze opportunities for communications
• Evaluate and prioritize potential tactics
• Determine the costs of your plan & compare them to your budget, adjust accordingly
• Schedule proposed tactics into a calendar

What activities should a marketing plan include?

1. TACTICS – marketing activities that you want to do:

• Public relations
• Advertising
• Trade shows
• Direct marketing
• Search engine/internet marketing
• Seminars
• more…

2. COLLATERAL SUPPORT – things you’ll need to support your tactics:

• Web site, blog, wiki…
• Advertisements
• Trade show graphics
• Brochures/data sheets
• White papers/articles
• Sales presentations
• Pre & post design costs such as photography, printing, image processing…
• Product tours or demos
• Shipping costs
• more…

Marketing plan goals
You want the biggest bang for your buck. You want to reach as many real prospects as you can. You want to use the tactics that will give you the best results. You don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. Consider building in some flexibility – what would happen if circumstances were to freeze or decrease the budget?

How much should be spent executing an annual marketing plan?
There is no rule that says how much you should spend on a executing a marketing plan. It really depends on the company and it’s goals. Typically, a company’s marketing budget is based upon a percentage of forecast revenue for the upcoming year (1-3 percent). For start-ups, a marketing communications plan is usually budgeted within their business plan and may include oly some of the basic requirements to get the business out of the gate fast:

• Identity, logo, corporate guidelines, stationary, business cards…
• Web site, hosting plan, domain name…
• Collateral, brochure, data sheet, presentation, demo…

If you’re a start-up company, be sure to check out the Hutchins Crang special Kick-Start Program for start-up and developing companies.