I was speaking to a group awhile back and one of the first questions I posed to the audience was, "Do you have a marketing plan?" About 10 hands went up, rather tentatively. When I asked a woman in the front row, who had raised her hand, "What IS a marketing plan?" she replied nervously and with a bit of uncertainty, "Isn't it what you plan to do to market your business?"
Well, certainly that IS an umbrella answer. But what does that really mean?
At that point it became very clear to me that many solo professionals and small business owners don't really know what a marketing plan is. Yes, they may understand that it is what they plan to do to market their business, but what does that really mean?
I could say I plan to advertise, or I plan to use public relations, or I plan to create a website. Those are all things I plan to do to market my business, yet they do not equal a "marketing plan."
In addition to outlining the marketing activities you plan to use (that's what advertising, PR and a website are - they are not the plan itself, but rather ONE STEP in your plan), your marketing plan should establish the foundation for all of your marketing.
Over the next few weeks, I'll be discussing what some of those important foundation steps are.
In the meantime, if you'd like to share your response to the question, "What is a Marketing Plan?" feel free to post a comment.