hi all,

could you help me to know all about what is marketing plan and its elements.

hope for a quick reply

Hi....

A Marketing Plan is a written document that details the actions necessary to achieve a specified marketing objective(s). It can be for a product or service, a brand, or a product line. It can cover one year (referred to as an annual marketing plan), or cover up to 5 years. A marketing plan may be part of an overall business plan. In general terms, it must:

describe and explain the current situation
specify the expected results (objectives)
identify the resources that will be needed (including financing, time, and skills)
describe the actions that will need to be taken to achieve the objective(s)
devise a method of monitoring results and adjusting the plan where necessary
There are many formats for marketing plans and every company does it a little different, but the outline that follows is a very complete format. Using this format will produce a 30 to 40 page plan. Many companies prefer an abridged format that would yield a 10 to 20 page plan.

Title page
Executive Summary
Current Situation - Macroenvironment

economy
government
legal
technology
ecological
sociocultural
supply chain

Current Situation - Market Analysis

market definition
market size
market segmentation
industry structure and strategic groupings
Porter 5 forces analysis
competition and market share
competitors' strengths and weaknesses
market trends

Current Situation - Consumer Analysis

nature of the buying decision
participants
demographics
psychographics
buyer motivation and expectations
loyalty segments

Current Situation - Internal

company resources
financial
people
time
skills

objectives

mission statement and vision statement
corporate objectives
financial objective
marketing objectives
long term objectives

corporate culture

Summary of Situation Analysis

external threats
external opportunities
internal strengths
internal weaknesses
key success factors in the industry
our sustainable competitive advantage

Marketing research

information requirements
research methodology
research results

Marketing Strategy - Product

product mix
product strengths and weaknesses
perceptual mapping
product life cycle management and new product development
Brand name, brand image, and brand equity
the augmented product

product portfolio analysis

B.C.G. Analysis
contribution margin analysis
G.E. Multi Factoral analysis
Quality Function Deployment

Marketing Strategy - Market share objectives

by products,
by customer segments,
by geographical markets

Marketing Strategy - Price

pricing objectives
pricing method (eg.: cost plus, demand based, or competitor indexing)
pricing strategy (eg.: skimming, or penetration)
discounts and allowances
price elasticity and customer sensitivity
price zoning
break even analysis at various prices

Marketing Strategy - Promotion

promotional goals
promotional mix
advertising reach, frequency, flights, theme, and media
sales force requirements, techniques, and management
sales promotion
publicity and public relations
electronic promotion (eg.: Web, or telephone)

Marketing Strategy - Distribution

geographical coverage
distribution channels
physical distribution and logistics
electronic distribution
Implementation

personnel requirements

assign responsibilities
give incentives
training on selling methods
financial requirements

management information systems requirements

month-by-month agenda
pert or critical path analysis

monitoring results and benchmarks

adjustment mechanism

contingencies (What if's)

Financial Summary

assumptions
pro-forma monthly income statement
contribution margin analysis
breakeven analysis
Monte Carlo analysis

Appendix

pictures and specifications of the new product

results from research already completed

Note that all these elements are not a damn must in all the marketing plans. But this much elements are needed if you want to make it complete.

Hope this helps you...

A marketing plan is a written document that details the necessary actions to achieve one or more marketing objectives. It can be for a product or service. Template for a basic marketing plan, including situation analysis, market segmentation, alternatives, recommended strategy, and implications .

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Alex1985

Marketing plan is a paper document which covers necessary information about a product, service, a brand or a product line.To be most effective, the plan has to be formalized, usually in written form, as a formal `marketing plan'.

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Maria0809