Marketing memo: Marketing Plan Criteria
Here are some Questions to ask in evaluating a marketing plan.
1. Is the plan simple and succinct? Is it easy to understand and act on? Dose it communicate its content clearly and practically? Is it not unnecessarily long?
2. Is the plan complete? Does it include all the necessary elements? Does it have the right breadth and depth? Achieving the right balance between completeness and lots of detail and simplicity and clear focus is often the key to a well-constructed marketing plan.
3. Is the plan specific? Are its objectives concrete and measurable? Does it provide a clear course of action? Does it include specific activities, each with specific dates of completion, specific persons responsible, and specific budgets?
4. Is the plan realistic? Are the sales goals, expense budgets, and milestone dates realistic? Has a frank and honest self-critique been conducted to raise possible concerns and objections?
Most marketing plans cover one year in anywhere from 5 to 50 pages. Smaller businesses may create shorter or less formal marketing plans; corporations generally require highly structured documents. Every part of the plan must be described in considerable detail. Some companies post their marketing plan on an internal Web site so everyone can consult it and collaborate on changes. A marketing plan usually contains the following sections.