Guide · Marketing
Marketing Plan Template: A Simple One Page Format
Marketing plan template basics are simple: a good one fits on one page and has six blocks. Those blocks are goals, audience, channels, budget, owners and review dates. Below is the layout, a plain way to fill in each block, and the review dates to put in your calendar before the new year starts.
Why one page is enough
A marketing plan connects your business goals to the work you will do to reach customers. HubSpot says a plan does not need to be long. It should be clear, easy to act on, and tied to real results.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) says a plan turns your strategy into action. It also helps you stay on schedule and on budget. Both sources list the same core parts, just in different words.
One page forces a choice. If a line does not fit, it is probably not a priority for the coming year. That is the point.
Sources: HubSpot, What is a marketing plan and how to write one; U.S. Small Business Administration, Marketing and sales
The one page layout
Draw six boxes on a single page. Fill them in this order. Each box has one job.
Block The question it answers Keep it to 1. Goals What result do we want this year? 3 goals at most 2. Audience Who are we trying to reach? 1 or 2 short profiles 3. Channels Where will we reach them? 2 to 4 channels 4. Budget What will it cost? One total, split by line 5. Owners Who does each part? One name per line 6. Review dates When do we check the plan? 4 dates, one per quarter HubSpot also suggests a short list of what the plan will not cover. Add a small "not this year" line under the goals. It stops side requests from quietly growing the plan.
Sources: HubSpot, What is a marketing plan and how to write one; U.S. Small Business Administration, Marketing and sales
Fill in goals and audience
Start with goals. The SBA gives common examples: more email subscribers, more market share, or sales up by a set percent. Pick numbers you can measure. HubSpot warns against vanity numbers such as impressions. Ask what real result you are chasing, such as demo requests, sign-ups or cost per lead.
The SMART idea helps here. A goal should be specific, measurable, and set against a date. The term was first proposed by George T. Doran in the November 1981 issue of Management Review. A weak goal reads "get more leads". A SMART goal reads "reach 40 new leads a month from the website by 30 June".
Next, the audience. The SBA asks you to describe the market in detail, including size, traits and trends that affect demand. HubSpot says a one page profile of goals, challenges and buying habits is often enough. Our guide to the customer persona shows how to write one.
Sources: U.S. Small Business Administration, Marketing and sales; HubSpot, What is a marketing plan and how to write one; Wikipedia, SMART criteria
Fill in channels and budget
List the channels you will use, such as online ads, email, search, social posts or events. HubSpot breaks the channel step into four parts: the type of content, the goal for each type, where it will be shared, and how often.
Choose fewer channels than you want. HubSpot shares one case where a team put 90% of its effort into two channels because they kept beating the rest. A small team does better by doing two things well.
For the budget, the SBA says to include a full breakdown of costs and to be as exact as you can. HubSpot groups costs into four buckets:
- Tools and software, such as email and analytics.
- Content, such as writers and designers.
- Paid media, such as search and social ads.
- People, such as new hires or contractors.
Even a rough number per line shows where the money goes. Fix it once, then track the real spend against it.
Sources: HubSpot, What is a marketing plan and how to write one; U.S. Small Business Administration, Marketing and sales
Set owners and review dates
HubSpot likes to end a plan with who does what. A simple list of names and tasks is enough. If you work with freelancers, list them too, so nothing falls through the gaps.
Then set review dates. The SBA says to compare your marketing and sales costs with the revenue they bring in, and to check you are getting a positive return on investment. It says plans should be kept up to date at least once a year. A quarterly check is better, because a bad channel is easier to cut in March than in December.
Review What to check End of Q1 Are goal numbers on track? Cut any channel that is not working End of Q2 Spend against budget. Move money to the best channel End of Q3 Cost per result by channel. Draft next year's goals End of Q4 Final results against each goal. Write the next plan Track your results in one place. Our guide to the marketing dashboard covers that, and UTM parameters help you tell which channel brought each visit.
Sources: HubSpot, What is a marketing plan and how to write one; U.S. Small Business Administration, Marketing and sales
Common mistakes
- Too many goals. Three is plenty.
- Goals with no number or no date.
- A channel list that copies a competitor, not your audience.
- No owner. A task with two names has no owner.
- A plan that is filled in once and never opened again.
HubSpot makes the same point: a good plan is not about filling in a template. The template is only a frame. The thinking is what makes it work.
Sources: HubSpot, What is a marketing plan and how to write one
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