Writing a marketing plan for a small business means putting on paper who your customers are, what you want to achieve, through which channels and with what budget. For a small business that fits easily on one or two pages. The aim isn't a polished document, but a plan you can fall back on when things get busy.
Without a plan, you often do whatever shouts loudest at the time: an ad here, a post there. With a plan you make choices and can see afterwards what worked. Below you'll read how to put one together in six steps, with a one-page example.
Many business owners think a marketing plan is something for big companies with a marketing department. But a plan helps most when you're short on time and money. It means you:
- Don't have to work out again every month what you're going to do.
- Can say no to ad space sellers who don't fit your goal.
- Spend your budget on the channels that work.
- Can see after a few months what it has delivered.
- Can quickly explain the plan to others, such as an employee or an agency.
You don't need a marketing qualification. You know your customers and your business better than anyone. The plan helps you organise that knowledge and make choices with it.
Step 1: look at where you stand now
Start with an honest look at your current situation. Briefly answer these questions:
- Where do your customers come from now? Ask them, or check your records.
- Which services or products bring in the most?
- What do your main competitors do online, and what do they do less well?
- How is your website doing: fast, clear, easy to find?
- What have you already tried, and what did it deliver?
A handy tool is a SWOT: a list of your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Keep it to a few lines per box.
Step 2: set concrete marketing goals
A goal like 'more customers' is too vague. Make your goals SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. For example:
- 'Ten quote requests a month through the website, by the end of June.'
- 'Twenty new Google reviews this year.'
- 'Fifteen per cent of turnover from the new service, within twelve months.'
Pick two or three goals, not ten. Link them to what your business really needs: more revenue, better customers, less dependence on one client or more job applicants.
Step 3: define your target audience and your message
Who are you doing it for? Describe your ideal customer as concretely as possible: who are they, what do they need, what are they unsure about and where do they look? You'll read how to approach this in defining your target audience.
Then write in one sentence why that customer chooses you. That's your core message. For example: 'Your bike repaired within a day, with a clear price up front.' That sentence comes back on your website, in your ads and in your posts.
Step 4: choose your marketing channels
You don't have to be everywhere. Choose the channels where your customers are and that fit how they buy. A rough breakdown:
- People actively search for your service: SEO, Google Ads and your Google Business Profile.
- People need to get to know you first: social media and video.
- You sell to businesses: LinkedIn, networking and content on your website.
- You have lots of returning customers: email and a newsletter.
- You're local: Google Business Profile, reviews and local partnerships.
Start with two or three channels and do them well. In almost every plan, your website is the centre: all the traffic comes together there and that's where someone becomes a customer.
Step 5: set a budget and a schedule
Decide how much time and money you spend on marketing each month, and split it across your channels. You'll find a simple way to work it out in setting an online marketing budget.
Then put a schedule on paper. A yearly overview per quarter works well:
- What needs to happen first? Often that's the basics: a good website, a completed Google Business Profile, tracking with Google Analytics.
- Which seasons are busy or quiet in your industry?
- Which promotions, campaigns or launches are planned?
- Who does what, and how many hours a week does it take?
Step 6: measure and adjust
A marketing plan isn't a document you put in a drawer. Take a quick look at your numbers every month and a more thorough one every quarter. Questions to ask:
- Are we hitting our goals? If not, where's the problem?
- Which channel brings in the most, and the best, customers?
- What does a new customer cost per channel?
- What do we stop, and what do we do more of?
Make sure you can see where enquiries come from. You'll read how to set that up in measuring conversions.
A one-page marketing plan example
Here's what a plan for a local installation company might look like in brief:
- Situation: most customers come through word of mouth; the website is outdated.
- Goal: eight enquiries a month through the website, within nine months.
- Target audience: homeowners in the region considering a new central heating boiler or heat pump.
- Message: 'Honest advice and a fixed price, from a local tradesman.'
- Channels: new website, local SEO, Google Business Profile with reviews, Google Ads during the heating season.
- Budget and schedule: website and tracking first, then monthly SEO and a fixed ad budget.
- Measurement: enquiries per channel, reviewed monthly.
Help with your marketing plan
We're happy to help you shape a plan that fits your business and budget, and to carry it out afterwards if you'd like. Our online marketing, with SEO, Google Ads and social media, starts from €599 excl. VAT (€725 incl. VAT) per month, with no minimum term; cancel any month with one month's notice. If your website needs a refresh, a custom website starts from €1,799 excl. VAT (€2,177 incl. VAT).
Want to sharpen your marketing plan together? Book a free quickscan. In 30 minutes, online or on site, we discuss your situation and goals. Afterwards you get short written advice with a price indication, with no obligation.
Frequently asked questions
What should a marketing plan include?
The basics: your current situation, your goals, your target audience and message, your channels, your budget and schedule, and how you'll measure. For a small business that fits on one or two pages.
How long does it take to write a marketing plan for a small business?
You can often make a first version in a few hours, if you answer the questions honestly. After that, improve the plan every quarter based on what you measure.
What's the difference between a marketing plan and a marketing strategy?
The strategy is the big picture: who you're there for and why they choose you. The marketing plan makes that concrete with goals, channels, budget and a schedule.
How much budget do you need for a marketing plan?
That depends on your goals and what a customer is worth to you. Start with what you can spare, measure what it delivers and shift money to what works.
