The short answer: A simple marketing plan answers seven questions: what you want to achieve, who you want to reach, why they should choose you, what you can spend, where you’ll show up, when you’ll do it, and how you’ll measure it. Write each answer in plain language on a page or two, then review it every 90 days.
What is a marketing plan, and do small businesses really need one?
A marketing plan is your roadmap: a short, living document that says who you’re trying to reach, what you’ll tell them, how you’ll reach them, and what it will cost. Yes, small businesses need one, maybe more than big ones, because every dollar and every hour counts.
Would you rather put a fork in your eye than write a marketing plan? Put the fork down, Sheila. It doesn’t have to be complicated.
The best part of having a plan is that it lets you make decisions with confidence. No more throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. A plan shows you what’s working and what isn’t, so you can shift instead of wasting time and money on tactics that don’t pay off. It also keeps your whole team pointed in the same direction.
How do you write a marketing plan, step by step?
Work through seven steps in order, and keep each one short. Remember who’s going to read your plan. It’s likely a team of people who are not marketing experts, so make it easy to understand.
Step 1: Set your goals
Write down what you’re trying to achieve, and don’t overthink it. “Sell X number of widgets” or “generate X qualified leads per month” works. Keep goals SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, and tie them to your business goals.
Common marketing goals include building brand awareness, ranking higher in search results, increasing website traffic, generating qualified leads, and increasing revenue. A goal without a plan is just a wish, so give these goals legs to run.
Step 2: Define your audience
Describe who buys from you: age, location, interests, and the problems they need solved. Most businesses have more than one audience. If that makes your head spin, look at your current customer list and group people by what they have in common.
Step 3: Nail your positioning and message
Decide what you need customers to know and why you’re the better choice. This is your selling proposition. Ditch the idea that you’re selling a physical item or service. No one sells bottled water. They sell a convenient, portable, and safe way to stay hydrated on the go.
Since every bottle of water does that, the brands that win get specific. Liquid Death stands out by leaning into what makes it different and speaking directly to its audience. Ask yourself what would make your customer pick you over the leading competitor. You may not be the cheapest, but every brand has moxie. What’s yours?
Step 4: Set your budget
Decide how much you can spend before you plan the tactics. It might feel backward, but it keeps you from planning your little heart out and then being disappointed. Include media costs (ads, printing, postage) and creative services (design, writing, video). If you need help landing on a number, our guide to building a marketing budget that works walks through it, and what marketing actually costs gives real price ranges.
Step 5: Choose your channels
Be where your customers already get their information. That might be your website, Google, email, social media, events, direct mail, or a billboard on Highway 10. Pick a few channels you can do well instead of many you’ll do halfway.
Step 6: Build a simple calendar
Map your tactics to months so you know what’s happening when. Note your busy seasons, holidays, product launches, and local events, then work backward to plan the promotion for each.
Step 7: Decide how you’ll measure success
Pick one or two numbers for each goal, like leads per month, website visits, email sales, or new followers, and check them monthly. Then adjust. A plan is a living, breathing guidebook, not a document that sits in a drawer.
What should a one-page marketing plan template include?
A one-page plan should include your goal, a budget summary, and a short breakdown of each tactic. Here’s the simple format we use with clients, and it works for any business, big or small.
- Goal: For example, “Increase awareness of ABC Company while generating leads for our retail store,” measured as X new leads, X new followers, and X in sales per month.
- Budget summary: Each tactic with its spend, plus a total. Circle back and adjust once your tactics are defined.
- Tactics: For each one, list the spend first (that’s what leadership wants to know), then the what (the tactic), the why (the goal it supports), and the how (a few bullet points).
Repeat that flow for every tactic, and you have a plan. We prefer the simple route.
What are the five things every new business needs first?
A new business needs a real brand, a working website, basic collateral, a way to be found, and reviews before it spends much on anything else. Gone are the days of hanging a “We’re Open” sign on the door. We launched our own agency in record time in 2023, and these are the five things we’d put first.
- Beautiful and bold branding. Good branding is much more than a logo. Walk away with a brand identity (logo, colors, typography, design style), brand messaging (voice, values, promise, audience), and ideally a brand guide to steer future decisions. Our branding services cover all three.
- A website with form and function. No website, or one that looks good but doesn’t work (or the other way around), costs you credibility instantly. If you want to edit it yourself, ask potential partners about that early.
- Brand-boosting collateral. Business cards, email signatures, brochures, stationery, and social cover photos all help you look established from day one.
- Strong searchability. SEO takes time, often months, to kick in. In the meantime, complete your Google Business Profile and other listings, and build an active social presence so people can find you.
- Reliable and trustworthy reviews. Reviews on Google, Facebook, and Yelp are social proof. Ask happy customers early and often, and reuse the best ones as testimonials on your website.
In our experience, businesses that skimp on a quality brand at the start tend to spend more later trying to fix it.
How often should you update your marketing plan?
Review your plan every 90 days and rewrite it once a year. Quarterly check-ins let you drop what isn’t working and double down on what is, without waiting a full year to find out. We lay out exactly how to do that in the 90-day reset your marketing actually needs.
One pro tip: if you work with an agency partner, bring them into your planning meetings. It’s easy to get stuck in the echo chamber of your own business when you’re on the inside, and an outside perspective helps.
What does a real plan look like in action?
A good plan turns a few clear goals into a handful of focused tactics, and it shows up in the numbers. When Destination: Woodbury launched its Central Park venue, the plan was specific: seven landing pages built for different audiences, supported by email, social, and digital ads. In four months, that work drove more than 1 million impressions, 12,700+ clicks, 400 inquiries, 68 tours, and 15 full-space events booked.
You don’t need a city-sized budget to plan that way. The same steps work for a new coffee shop in St. Cloud or a family manufacturer anywhere in the Midwest: clear goals, the right audience, a few channels done well, and numbers you actually check.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a small business marketing plan be?
One to two pages is plenty for most small businesses. A short plan is more likely to be read, shared, and followed. Add detail only where your team needs it to take action.
What is the difference between a marketing plan and a business plan?
A business plan covers the whole company, including operations, finances, and growth. A marketing plan focuses on how you’ll attract and keep customers: your audience, message, channels, budget, and measurement. Your marketing plan should support the goals in your business plan.
How much should a new business spend on marketing?
It depends on your industry, goals, and stage, and new businesses often spend more in the first year to build awareness. Set a number you can sustain, include both media and creative costs, and review it quarterly. Moxie Creative’s guide to building a marketing budget walks through the math.
Can I write a marketing plan without hiring an agency?
Yes. Answering the seven core questions about goals, audience, positioning, budget, channels, calendar, and measurement will get you a solid plan on your own. Many business owners bring in an agency or consultant to pressure-test the plan and handle the tactics they don’t have time or skills for.
What should I do first if I have no marketing at all?
Start with the basics that build trust: a clear brand, a working website, a complete Google Business Profile, and a few customer reviews. Once those are in place, add one or two channels where your customers spend time. Build from there as you learn what works.
Want a second set of eyes on your plan?
If you get stuck, we’re just a phone call away. We’ll help you turn your plan into something you can actually run.
