differenza tra business plan e marketing plan

Esperto Business Plan

La differenza tra Business Plan e Piano Marketing

Qual è la differenza tra un marketing plan e un business plan? Un business plan include un marketing plan? Perché qualcuno dovrebbe fare uno senza l’altro?

Si tratta di domande che mi vengono poste molto spesso e per questo motivo ho deciso di fare un articolo specifico.

Differenza tra business plan e piano marketing: obiettivi e contenuti diversi

Il business plan è un documento più ampio e completo che descrive l’intera strategia aziendale, mentre il piano marketing si concentra specificamente sugli aspetti di marketing e vendita.

Business plan

• Copre tutti gli aspetti del business: strategia generale, finanze, operazioni, prodotti/servizi, ecc.
• Include proiezioni finanziarie dettagliate
• Descrive la visione e missione aziendale complessiva
• Analizza la fattibilità e sostenibilità dell’intero progetto imprenditoriale

Piano marketing

• Si focalizza solo su strategia e tattiche di marketing
• Approfondisce analisi di mercato, target, posizionamento, canali
• Definisce obiettivi e KPI specifici di marketing
• Pianifica in dettaglio azioni e budget di marketing

Differenza tra business plan e piano marketing: differenti destinatari

Il business plan ha un pubblico più ampio, mentre il piano marketing è ad uso principalmente interno.

• Utilizzato per presentare l’azienda a investitori e finanziatori
• Serve come guida strategica per il management
• Documento operativo per il team marketing/vendite
• Non solitamente condiviso con stakeholder esterni

Differenza tra business plan e piano marketing: orizzonte temporale

• Copre solitamente un periodo di 3-5 anni
• Ha tipicamente un orizzonte di 1 anno

Livello di dettaglio

• Offre una visione d’insieme dell’azienda
• Meno dettagliato sugli aspetti operativi di marketing
• Molto dettagliato su strategie, tattiche e azioni di marketing
• Include piani operativi specifici per canali e campagne

Relazione tra business plan e piano marketing

Il piano marketing è in genere una componente del business plan più ampio. Un business plan professionale include sempre una sezione dedicata alla strategia di marketing, che può poi essere ulteriormente approfondita in un piano marketing separato[1][2].

In sintesi, il business plan fornisce il quadro strategico complessivo dell’azienda, mentre il piano marketing declina nel dettaglio le strategie e le azioni specifiche di marketing per raggiungere gli obiettivi aziendali.

Differenza tra business plan e piano marketing: approfondimenti

Il business plan comprende tutti gli aspetti del business.

Un business plan copre l’intero business, compresa la strategia generale, i piani finanziari, i mercati target, le vendite, i prodotti e i servizi, le operazioni, e come tutti si relazionano tra loro. Un marketing plan, al contrario, si concentra sul marketing: strategia di marketing, mercati target, marketing mix, messaggistica, programmi, ecc. Il flusso di cassa è vitale per un business plan, ma di solito non è incluso in un marketing plan.

Cosa comprende un piano marketing a differenza di un business plan

Un piano marketing comprende le seguenti parti

a. un analisi mercato approfondita

b. un analisi dei segmenti dei clienti target (a chi vendiamo)

c. quali sono i canali di promozione ed acquisizione della clientela

d. quali sono i canali di vendita e distribuzione dei prodotti e servizi

e. quali sono le strategie ed i canali di comunicazione

Un business plan professionale include sempre un piano marketing

Un business plan professonale include sempre la parte di marketing. L’enfasi varia, e ho visto alcuni piani che si concentrano più sul prodotto o sul servizio che sul marketing.

Quando ha senso fare solo il piano marketing?

Ha senso fare un piano di marketing piuttosto che un business plan quando abbiamo le idee chiare sul business e dobbiamo concentrarci su marketing, canali di acquisizione dei clienti e canali di vendita/distributivi.

Business plan: risposte alle domande frequenti

Cos’è un business plan.

Un Business Plan è un documento che descrive in dettaglio la strategia di una azienda per raggiungere obiettivi specifici. Include piani per il marketing, le operazioni, i finanziamenti e la crescita.

Perché è importante un Business Plan?

È importante perché funge da guida per la gestione dell’azienda e come strumento di presentazione per attirare investitori o finanziamenti. Aiuta a chiarire obiettivi, strategie e potenziali ostacoli.

Quali elementi dovrebbe contenere un Business Plan?

Un Business Plan dovrebbe includere un sommario esecutivo, descrizione dell’azienda, analisi di mercato, organizzazione e gestione, linee di prodotto o servizi, marketing e vendite, richiesta di finanziamento, proiezioni finanziarie e un’appendice.

Come posso rendere il mio Business Plan SEO-friendly?

Per rendere un Business Plan SEO-friendly online, includi parole chiave pertinenti nella tua descrizione del business e nei titoli delle sezioni, pubblica riepiloghi o parti del tuo piano su blog o siti web ottimizzati per i motori di ricerca e crea contenuti correlati che indirizzino al tuo business plan o al sito web della tua azienda.

Quanto spesso dovrei aggiornare il mio Business Plan?

Dovresti rivedere e aggiornare il tuo Business Plan almeno una volta all’anno o quando ci sono cambiamenti significativi nella tua attività, nel mercato o nell’ambiente economico.

Posso usare un modello per il mio Business Plan?

Sì, i modelli possono essere un ottimo punto di partenza, ma assicurati di personalizzarlo per riflettere accuratamente la tua unica proposta di valore, il mercato target e le strategie specifiche.

Piano marketing: risposte alle domande frequenti

Cos’è un piano marketing.

Un Piano Marketing è un documento strategico che definisce le azioni di marketing di un’azienda per raggiungere obiettivi specifici entro un determinato periodo di tempo. Include analisi di mercato, target di riferimento, obiettivi, strategie, budget e metriche per misurare il successo.

Quali sono gli elementi chiave di un Piano Marketing?

Gli elementi chiave includono l’analisi SWOT (punti di forza, debolezze, opportunità, minacce), la definizione del target di mercato, gli obiettivi di marketing, le strategie per raggiungere questi obiettivi, il piano d’azione, il budget e le metriche di valutazione.

Come posso definire il mio target di mercato nel Piano Marketing?

Per definire il target di mercato, è necessario condurre ricerche di mercato per comprendere le esigenze, i desideri e i comportamenti del tuo pubblico ideale. Segmenta il mercato in base a criteri demografici, geografici, psicografici e comportamentali​ ​.

Perché è importante l’analisi SWOT in un Piano Marketing?

L’analisi SWOT aiuta a identificare i fattori interni ed esterni che possono influenzare il successo delle tue strategie di marketing. Questa analisi fornisce una base solida per prendere decisioni strategiche informate.

Come posso misurare il successo del mio Piano Marketing?

Per misurare il successo, stabilisci metriche e KPI (Indicatori Chiave di Prestazione) specifici all’inizio del piano. Questi possono includere traffico web, lead generati, tasso di conversione, ROI (ritorno sull’investimento) e altri indicatori rilevanti per i tuoi obiettivi​ ​.

Qual è il ruolo del contenuto nel Piano Marketing?

Il contenuto gioca un ruolo cruciale nel Piano Marketing, aiutando a costruire il marchio, a coinvolgere il target di mercato e a convertire i potenziali clienti. Una strategia di content marketing efficace dovrebbe essere parte integrante del piano, con contenuti ottimizzati per SEO per migliorare la visibilità online​ ​.

Differenze tra business plan e piano marketing: conclusioni

In conclusione si redige uno specifico piano di marketing quando si vuole approfondire la parte di mercato, acquisizione dei clienti e vendita. Nel business plan professionale questa parte è apprfondita ma spesso le aziende non dispongono di un piano professionale e quindi non hanno una strategia di marketing generata da un analisi adeguata, per questo motivo spesso hanno un business plan adeguato ma con la parte di marketing inadeguata e quindi si dedicano a sviluppare un piano marketing approfondito.

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ANDREA DAMA

ESPERTO in BUSINESS PLAN

In circa 20 anni di esperienza lavorativa ho acquisito esperienze in ambito commerciale (6 anni ) controllo di gestione ( 6 anni ) supporto alla direzione aziendale, diventando in seguito consulente direzionale e manager a P IVA ( 10 anni ) affrontando professionalmente situazioni eterogenee in settori e dimensioni aziendali di ogni tipo.

Lavorando e studiando ho ottenuto un diploma di perito tecnico, una laurea breve in Amministrazione Aziendale, una laurea in Economia Aziendale ed un Master in Finance e Merchant Banking (operazioni straordinarie, private equity-venture capital, start up).

Questo background mi permette di avere una visione a 360° delle problematiche aziendali, garantendo una notevole efficacia in fase di analisi, di pianificazione e di svolgimento delle attività operative. 

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• Marketing Plan

Marketing plan vs business plan: What’s the difference?

For business owners, nonprofit directors, and community group leaders, the process of writing a business plan or creating a marketing plan can seem intimidating. They may know the ins and outs of what they do every day and have fantastic ideas on how to grow and market their organizations, but the act of putting it on paper often feels like stepping into a world with opaque rules and confusing jargon.

Fortunately, the reality of both business and marketing plans is that they aren’t nearly as complicated as many people think. In fact, most business owners have written both without realizing it, even if only in an informal manner.

Creating a formal business or marketing plan uses a lot of the same steps business owners already take when sketching out new marketing ideas on a napkin or doing some quick back-of-the-envelope math to figure out how to expand into a new city.

But before moving forward with the process, it’s important to know which one you need. In other words, what’s the difference between a marketing plan and a business plan?

Create a marketing plan that works for your business with Jotform’s easy-to-use marketing form templates .

The biggest difference between a business plan and a marketing plan is the scope of what they cover. While both documents can be quite lengthy and thorough, they don’t address the exact same information.

A business plan is typically a much broader document that covers every aspect of your business: operations, supply chains, human resources, materials costs, and — yes — marketing. In fact, a marketing plan will usually be a section of a business plan.

Marketing plans tend to focus much more narrowly on the specifics of making customers aware of and likely to buy a product or service. A marketing plan may touch on some of the same things a business plan does, like the cost of goods sold, but only as they relate to being able to sell those goods to consumers.

Another key difference between the two is how far into the future they look. Business plans, for example, tend to cover a much longer period than marketing plans. A typical window for a business plan, for example, is about five years. A typical window for a marketing plan, on the other hand, will be a year to three years.

The two are updated differently as well. Business plans rarely need to be replaced or updated unless there’s a significant change in the business — a completely new product category, a new business model, or some global event that changes the way a company performs its core function.

Marketing plans are often updated every year. They tend to be part of the yearly budgeting activities that help business owners plan how they will allocate resources to various departments.

This makes sense when you think about it. Companies change their marketing much more often than they change their business model.

The reasons for creating a marketing plan and a business plan are often similar but not identical. Most often, business owners create both to secure financing. Banks and investors frequently ask for business and marketing plans before agreeing to loan money or invest in the company.

But external demands aren’t the only or even the most important reasons to write both kinds of plans. A business plan is a great way to formalize the ideas behind how and why a company works the way it does. It’s a fantastic way for business owners to put down on paper many of the things they’ve been intuitively doing, and cement processes and procedures for running a company.

Business plans are also great at helping you to prepare for future needs. By going through the exercise of writing a full business plan, business owners get an idea of where they are and what kinds of initiatives and resources they need to meet their goals.

Marketing plans are also incredibly useful internally. As we mentioned above, they are an important part of the annual budgeting process. Sitting down and thinking through all of the marketing needs can help both validate a company’s marketing initiatives as well as determine the ideal amount of money to allocate toward marketing.

The bottom line

A marketing plan is a part of a business plan. That’s the easiest way to remember the difference between the two. The business plan shapes everything about the way a company works, and lays out big-picture goals and ideas.

The marketing plan paints a more detailed picture of how the company will use marketing to achieve the goals laid out in the business plan. The marketing plan is department level and has to coexist with plans for other departments — HR, operations, legal and regulatory, and others.

Both plans are important in successfully running a company, but the business plan is more important because it will at least outline some marketing initiatives. For business owners who only have time to create one, the business plan is the logical choice.

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1 Comments:

319 days ago

dear as far as i read your passage about marketing and business plan i would like to request that you send me some samples of business and marketing plan in FMCG scope thank you

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Business Plan vs. Marketing Plan

Back to Business Plans

Written by: Carolyn Young

Carolyn Young is a business writer who focuses on entrepreneurial concepts and the business formation. She has over 25 years of experience in business roles, and has authored several entrepreneurship textbooks.

Edited by: David Lepeska

David has been writing and learning about business, finance and globalization for a quarter-century, starting with a small New York consulting firm in the 1990s.

Published on March 3, 2023

Starting a business usually requires both a business plan and a marketing plan. The first has many components, including a marketing section, and covers all facets of the business. The second is essentially an expanded and more detailed version of the marketing section of your business plan.

Both are dynamic documents that will change over time as you learn more about your business. This guide lays out all the details of what goes into a business plan and what is in a marketing plan.

• Business Plan Components

A business plan has eight essential components .

1. Executive Summary 

The executive summary opens your business plan, but it’s the section you’ll write last . It summarizes the key points and highlights the most important aspects of your plan. Often investors and lenders will only read the executive summary; if it doesn’t capture their interest they’ll stop reading, so it’s important to make it as compelling as possible.

The components should include:

• The business opportunity – what problem are you solving in the market?
• Your idea, meaning the product or service you’re planning to offer, and why it solves the problem in the market better than other solutions.
• The history of the business so far – what have you done to this point? When you’re just getting started, this may be nothing more than coming up with the idea, choosing a business name , and forming a business entity.
• A summary of the industry, market size, your target customers, and the competition.
• A strong statement about how your company is going to stand out in the market – what will be your competitive advantage?
• A list of specific goals that you plan to achieve in the short term, such as developing your product, launching a marketing campaign, or hiring a key person. 
• A summary of your financial plan including cost and sales projections and a break-even analysis.
• A summary of your management team, their roles, and the relevant experience that they have to serve in those roles.
• Your “ask”, if applicable, meaning what you’re requesting from the investor or lender. You’ll include the amount you’d like and how it will be spent, such as “We are seeking $50,000 in seed funding to develop our beta product”. 

Remember that if you’re seeking capital, the executive summary could make or break your venture. Take your time and make sure it illustrates how your business is unique in the market and why you’ll succeed.

The executive summary should be no more than two pages long, so it’s important to capture the reader’s interest from the start. 

2. Company Description/Overview

In this section, you’ll detail your full company history, such as how you came up with the idea for your business and any milestones or achievements. 

You’ll also include your mission and vision statements. A mission statement explains what you’d like your business to achieve, its driving force, while a vision statement lays out your long-term plan in terms of growth. 

A mission statement might be “Our company aims to make life easier for business owners with intuitive payroll software”, while a vision statement could be “Our objective is to become the go-to comprehensive HR software provider for companies around the globe.”

In this section, you’ll want to list your objectives – specific short-term goals. Examples might include “complete initial product development by ‘date’” or “hire two qualified sales people” or “launch the first version of the product”. 

It’s best to divide this section into subsections – company history, mission and vision, and objectives.

3. Products or Services Offered 

Here you’ll go into detail about what you’re offering, how it solves a problem in the market, and how it’s unique. Don’t be afraid to share information that is proprietary – investors and lenders are not out to steal your ideas. 

Also specify how your product is developed or sourced. Are you manufacturing it or does it require technical development? Are you purchasing a product from a manufacturer or wholesaler? 

You’ll also want to specify how you’ll sell your product or service. Will it be a subscription service or a one-time purchase?  What is your target pricing? On what channels do you plan to sell your product or service, such as online or by direct sales in a store? 

Basically, you’re describing what you’re going to sell and how you’ll make money.

4. Market Analysis 

The market analysis is where you’re going to spend most of your time because it involves a lot of research. You should divide it into four sections.

Industry analysis 

Research and describe exactly what’s happening in your industry, such as growth rate, market size, and current trends. Where is the industry predicted to be in 10 years? Provide links to your sources. 

Detail your company’s place in the market. Will your product fit a certain niche? Is there a sub-industry your company will fit into? How will you keep up with industry changes? 

Competitor analysis 

Now you’ll dig into your competition. Detail your main competitors and how they differentiate themselves in the market. For example, one competitor may advertise convenience while another touts superior quality. Also highlight your competitors’ weaknesses.

Next, explain how you’ll stand out. Detail your competitive advantages and how you’ll sustain them. This section is extremely important and will be a focus for investors and lenders. 

Target market analysis 

Here you’ll describe your target market and whether it’s different from your competitors’.  For example, maybe you have a younger demographic in mind? 

You’ll need to know more about your target market than demographics, though. You’ll want to explain the needs and wants of your ideal customers, how your offering solves their problem, and why they will choose your company. 

You should also lay out where you’ll find them, where to place your marketing and where to sell your products. Learning this kind of detail requires going to the source – your potential customers. You can do online surveys or even in-person focus groups. 

Your goal will be to uncover as much about these people as possible. When you start selling, you’ll want to keep learning about your customers. You may end up selling to a different target market than you originally thought, which could lead to a marketing shift. 

SWOT analysis 

SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and it’s one of the more common and helpful business planning tools.   

First describe all the specific strengths of your company, such as the quality of your product or some unique feature, such as the experience of your management team. Talk about the elements that will make your company successful.

Next, acknowledge and explore possible weaknesses. You can’t say “none”, because no company is perfect, especially at the start. Maybe you lack funds or face a massive competitor. Whatever it is, detail how you will surmount this hurdle. 

Next, talk about the opportunities your company has in the market. Perhaps you’re going to target an underserved segment, or have a technology plan that will help you surge past the competition. 

Finally, examine potential threats. It could be a competitor that might try to replicate your product or rapidly advancing technology in your industry. Again, discuss your plans to handle such threats if they come to pass. 

5. Marketing and Sales Strategies

Now it’s time to explain how you’re going to find potential customers and convert them into paying customers.  

Marketing and advertising plan

When you did your target market analysis, you should have learned a lot about your potential customers, including where to find them. This should help you determine where to advertise. 

Maybe you found that your target customers favor TikTok over Instagram and decided to spend more marketing dollars on TikTok. Detail all the marketing channels you plan to use and why.

Your target market analysis should also have given you information about what kind of message will resonate with your target customers. You should understand their needs and wants and how your product solves their problem, then convey that in your marketing. 

Start by creating a value proposition, which should be no more than two sentences long and answer the following questions:

• What are you offering
• Whose problem does it solve
• What problem does it solve
• What benefits does it provide
• How is it better than competitor products

An example might be “Payroll software that will handle all the payroll needs of small business owners, making life easier for less.”

Whatever your value proposition, it should be at the heart of all of your marketing.

Sales strategy and tactics 

Your sales strategy is a vision to persuade customers to buy, including where you’ll sell and how. For example, you may plan to sell only on your own website, or you may sell from both a physical location and online. 

On the other hand, you may have a sales team that will make direct sales calls to potential customers, which is more common in business-to-business sales. Sales tactics are more about how you’re going to get them to buy after they reach your sales channel. 

Even when selling online, you need something on your site that’s going to get them to go from a site visitor to a paying customer. By the same token, if you’re going to have a sales team making direct sales, what message are they going to deliver that will entice a sale? 

It’s best for sales tactics to focus on the customer’s pain point and what value you’re bringing to the table, rather than being aggressively promotional about the greatness of your product.

Pricing strategy

Pricing is not an exact science and should depend on several factors. First, consider how you want your product or service to be perceived in the market. If your differentiator is to be the lowest price, position your company as the “discount” option. 

Think Walmart, and price your products lower than the competition. If, on the other hand, you want to be the Mercedes of the market, then you’ll position your product as the luxury option. 

Of course you’ll have to back this up with superior quality, but being the luxury option allows you to command higher prices. You can, of course, fall somewhere in the middle, but the point is that pricing is a matter of perception. 

How you position your product in the market compared to the competition is a big factor in determining your price. Of course, you’ll have to consider your costs, as well as competitor prices. Obviously, your prices must cover your costs and allow you to make a good profit. 

Whatever pricing strategy you choose, you’ll justify it in this section of your plan.

6. Operations and Management 

This section is the real nuts and bolts of your business – how it operates on a day-to-day basis and who is operating it. Again, this section should be divided into subsections.

Operational plan

Your plan of operations should be specific , detailed and mainly logistical. Who will be doing what on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis? How will the business be managed and how will quality be assured? Be sure to detail your suppliers and how and when you’ll order raw materials. 

This should also include the roles that will be filled and the various processes that will be part of everyday business operations. Just consider all the critical functions that must be handled for your business to be able to operate on an ongoing basis. 

Technology plan

If your product involves technical development, you’ll describe your tech development plan with specific goals and milestones. The plan will also include how many people will be working on this development, and what needs to be done for goals to be met.

If your company is not a technology company, you’ll describe what technologies you plan to use to run your business or make your business more efficient. It could be process automation software, payroll software, or just laptops and tablets for your staff. 

Management and organizational structure 

Now you’ll describe who’s running the show. It may be just you when you’re starting out, so you’ll detail what your role will be and summarize your background. You’ll also go into detail about any managers that you plan to hire and when that will occur.

Essentially, you’re explaining your management structure and detailing why your strategy will enable smooth and efficient operations. 

Ideally, at some point, you’ll have an organizational structure that is a hierarchy of your staff. Describe what you envision your organizational structure to be. 

Personnel plan 

Detail who you’ve hired or plan to hire and for which roles. For example, you might have a developer, two sales people, and one customer service representative.

Describe each role and what qualifications are needed to perform those roles. 

7. Financial Plan 

Now, you’ll enter the dreaded world of finance. Many entrepreneurs struggle with this part, so you might want to engage a financial professional to help. A financial plan has five key elements.

Startup Costs

Detail in a spreadsheet every cost you’ll incur before you open your doors. This should determine how much capital you’ll need to launch your business. 

Financial projections 

Creating financial projections, like many facets of business, is not an exact science. If your company has no history, financial projections can only be an educated guess. 

First, come up with realistic sales projections. How much do you expect to sell each month? Lay out at least three years of sales projections, detailing monthly sales growth for the first year, then annually thereafter. 

Calculate your monthly costs, keeping in mind that some costs will grow along with sales. Once you have your numbers projected and calculated, use them to create these three key financial statements: 

• Profit and Loss Statement , also known as an income statement. This shows projected revenue and lists all costs, which are then deducted to show net profit or loss. 
• Cash Flow Statement. This shows how much cash you have on hand at any given time. It will have a starting balance, projections of cash coming in, and cash going out, which will be used to calculate cash on hand at the end of the reporting period.
• Balance Sheet. This shows the net worth of the business, which is the assets of the business minus debts. Assets include equipment, cash, accounts receivables, inventory, and more. Debts include outstanding loan balances and accounts payable.

You’ll need monthly projected versions of each statement for the first year, then annual projections for the following two years.

Break-even analysis

The break-even point for your business is when costs and revenue are equal. Most startups operate at a loss for a period of time before they break even and start to make a profit. Your break-even analysis will project when your break-even point will occur, and will be informed by your profit and loss statement. 

Funding requirements and sources 

Lay out the funding you’ll need, when, and where you’ll get it. You’ll also explain what those funds will be used for at various points. If you’re in a high-growth industry that can attract investors, you’ll likely need various rounds of funding to launch and grow. 

Key performance indicators (KPIs)

KPIs measure your company’s performance and can determine success. Many entrepreneurs only focus on the bottom line, but measuring specific KPIs helps find areas of improvement. Every business has certain crucial metrics. 

If you sell only online, one of your key metrics might be your visitor conversion rate. You might do an analysis to learn why just one out of ten site visitors makes a purchase. Perhaps the purchase process is too complicated or your product descriptions are vague. 

Learning why your conversion rate is low gives you a chance to improve it and boost sales. 

8. Appendices

In the appendices you can attach documents such as manager resumes or other documents that support your business plan.

• Marketing Plan Components

A marketing plan, as mentioned above, is a more detailed version of the marketing strategy section of your business plan. It includes six components.

1. Marketing Objectives

Start by detailing your short-term marketing goals. This could be “Reach 10,000 monthly site visitors by next year’” or “Acquire 500 new customers by May”. Be sure to set clear and attainable goals so your marketing team understands its targets. 

2. Target Market

You’ll want to document exactly who you’re trying to reach with your marketing. You should’ve already done a target market analysis for your business plan, and you’ll use it here. 

What Problem Are You Solving?

Whatever your product or service, it needs to solve a problem in the market. So, ask yourself, what problem does my business solve? Next, consider who faces that problem. 

A plumbing company, for instance, solves the problem of broken pipes. Who deals with that problem?  Homeowners and property owners and managers. 

Depending on your business, it may not be obvious who has the problem you’re solving. If it’s not clear, do more research. Either way, knowing who faces the problem you’re solving is just the beginning. You need to know much more about your target customers.

Research Your Market and Competition

Now, dig into your market with some online research. Do some Google and Bing searches about your target demographic, where they shop and live, what appeals to them and so on. 

Next, check out your competition to see who they’re marketing to. It may help to study their marketing through the eyes of a consumer. 

What need do they fill? Who would find their marketing appealing? Where do they advertise? If their ads appear on TikTok, they’re looking to attract a younger market. 

This market research should give you a general profile of your target market – but that’s not enough.

Talk to Potential Customers

To learn more about your target market, go straight to the source. The best way to learn their needs and wants, why they’d buy your product and how they’ll use it, is to ask them via a phone or email survey. 

If you’ve yet to make any sales, it’s probably best to post your survey online then promote it on social media by offering a small reward, such as a gift certificate. Just make sure you ask the right questions to get the information you’re looking for. 

You can also hold in-person focus groups and offer your goods at a discount for participants. 

Create Customer Profiles

Now it’s time to build detailed profiles of your target customers. You may have found that your product will appeal to more than one group of people. These are called customer segments, and all your segments together make up your target market. 

Create descriptions of each group with all the information you’re learned. These profiles should include:

• Pain points: the problems they have that you’re solving
• Benefits your product provides
• Their interests: what do they care about?
• Buying patterns: where do they shop?
• Age, location, income level, other factual information 

3. Value Proposition

Now you can use these profiles to craft a value proposition that will serve as the foundation of all your marketing. You may need to devise more than one value proposition to target different segments.

Your value propositions should be no more than two sentences long and answer the following questions:

• How is it better than competitors’ products

An example might be “Payroll software that handles all the payroll needs of small business owners, making life easier for less.” 

Remember that you need to align your value proposition with the wishes of your target market.

4. Marketing Activities

Now you’ll layout the specific marketing activities that you plan to conduct. Your target market analysis should have told you where you’re most likely to find potential customers, so if you found out that your potential customers use TikTok, you can post and run ads there. 

You’ll want to only perform the marketing activities that are most likely to reach your potential customers so that you’re not wasting marketing dollars. If getting found online is important to you, focus on search engine optimization (SEO) and social media ads.

Make the activities as specific as possible, such as “Run a TikTok ad promoting ____ for three months.”

5. Marketing Budget

Now, determine what these activities will cost and set a budget. When you go through this process, you may find that you need to adjust your marketing to stick to the budget you can afford.

Your marketing budget needs to align with your goals. If one of your goals is to obtain 500 new customers, which will generate $10,000 in revenue, you can’t spend more than that on marketing. You have to make sure you’re getting a good return on your investment, or at least breaking even. 

Now you’ll determine your key performance indicators (KPIs) to gauge the success of your marketing.

If you sell only online, one of your key marketing metrics might be your visitor conversion rate. You might do an analysis to learn why just one out of ten site visitors makes a purchase. 

Perhaps the purchase process is too complicated or your product descriptions are vague. The point is, learning why your conversion rate is low gives you a chance to improve it and boost sales. 

Similarly, if you’re not getting enough site visitors, you may need to revisit your SEO strategies. 

A business plan outlines the overall mission, objectives, and strategies of a business, encompassing aspects like operations, finances, and organizational structure.

In contrast, a marketing plan focuses specifically on strategies and tactics to promote products or services, detailing target audiences, promotional methods, and market positioning.

While the business plan provides a comprehensive view of the entire business, the marketing plan hones in on attracting and retaining customers.

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Business Plan vs. Marketing Plan

What's the difference.

A business plan and a marketing plan are both essential documents for any organization, but they serve different purposes. A business plan outlines the overall goals, objectives, and strategies of a company, providing a comprehensive roadmap for its operations and growth. It includes sections on the company's mission, target market, products or services, financial projections, and competitive analysis. On the other hand, a marketing plan focuses specifically on the marketing activities and strategies that will be employed to promote the company's products or services. It includes sections on market research, target audience, marketing objectives, pricing, distribution channels, and promotional tactics. While a business plan provides a holistic view of the organization, a marketing plan zooms in on the marketing efforts to achieve the business goals.

Further Detail

Introduction.

When it comes to running a successful business, having a well-defined plan is crucial. Two key components of this planning process are the business plan and the marketing plan. While both plans serve different purposes, they are interconnected and play vital roles in achieving business objectives. In this article, we will explore the attributes of a business plan and a marketing plan, highlighting their unique features and how they complement each other.

Business Plan

A business plan is a comprehensive document that outlines the overall strategy, goals, and operations of a company. It serves as a roadmap for the organization, providing a clear direction for its future growth and success. A business plan typically includes sections such as an executive summary, company description, market analysis, organizational structure, product/service offerings, financial projections, and more.

One of the primary purposes of a business plan is to secure funding from investors or financial institutions. It demonstrates the viability and profitability of the business, showcasing the potential return on investment. Additionally, a business plan helps in attracting key stakeholders, partners, and employees by providing a detailed overview of the company's mission, vision, and values.

Furthermore, a business plan acts as a strategic tool for decision-making and resource allocation. It helps the management team identify potential risks, challenges, and opportunities, allowing them to develop contingency plans and allocate resources effectively. By setting clear objectives and milestones, a business plan enables the organization to measure its progress and make necessary adjustments to stay on track.

In summary, a business plan is a comprehensive document that outlines the overall strategy, goals, and operations of a company. It serves as a roadmap, attracts investors, facilitates decision-making, and provides a framework for measuring progress.

Marketing Plan

A marketing plan, on the other hand, focuses specifically on the marketing activities and strategies of a business. It is a subset of the broader business plan and provides a detailed roadmap for reaching the target market, promoting products/services, and achieving sales objectives. A marketing plan typically includes sections such as market research, target audience analysis, competitive analysis, marketing objectives, marketing strategies, budget allocation, and evaluation metrics.

The primary goal of a marketing plan is to create awareness, generate interest, and drive customer acquisition. It outlines the marketing mix, including product, price, place, and promotion, to effectively position the offerings in the market. By conducting market research and analyzing customer behavior, a marketing plan helps identify the target audience's needs, preferences, and pain points, enabling the development of tailored marketing campaigns.

Moreover, a marketing plan provides a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of marketing initiatives. It sets specific goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of marketing campaigns, such as customer acquisition cost, conversion rates, brand awareness, and customer satisfaction. By regularly monitoring and analyzing these metrics, businesses can make data-driven decisions and optimize their marketing efforts for better results.

In summary, a marketing plan is a subset of the business plan that focuses on the marketing activities and strategies. It aims to create awareness, drive customer acquisition, and provides a framework for evaluating marketing initiatives.

Interconnection and Complementarity

While the business plan and marketing plan serve different purposes, they are interconnected and complement each other in several ways. Firstly, the marketing plan is derived from the business plan. The overall business strategy, goals, and target market identified in the business plan provide the foundation for developing the marketing plan. The marketing plan aligns with the broader business objectives and ensures that marketing efforts are in line with the company's vision and mission.

Secondly, the marketing plan provides valuable insights and data that inform the business plan. Through market research, customer analysis, and competitive analysis, the marketing plan helps identify market trends, customer preferences, and competitive advantages. This information is crucial for developing a robust business strategy, identifying growth opportunities, and mitigating potential risks.

Furthermore, the business plan and marketing plan work together to allocate resources effectively. The financial projections and budget allocation in the business plan are influenced by the marketing plan's objectives and strategies. For example, if the marketing plan emphasizes digital advertising and social media campaigns, the business plan may allocate a larger portion of the budget to marketing activities in those areas.

Lastly, the business plan and marketing plan are iterative documents that require regular review and updates. As market conditions change, customer preferences evolve, and new opportunities arise, both plans need to be adjusted accordingly. The marketing plan provides valuable feedback and insights to refine the business plan, ensuring that the company remains competitive and adaptable in a dynamic market environment.

In conclusion, the business plan and marketing plan are essential components of a successful business strategy. While the business plan provides a comprehensive overview of the company's overall strategy, goals, and operations, the marketing plan focuses specifically on the marketing activities and strategies. Both plans are interconnected and complement each other, with the marketing plan derived from the business plan and providing valuable insights for its development. Together, these plans enable businesses to attract investors, drive customer acquisition, allocate resources effectively, and adapt to changing market conditions. By developing and implementing well-crafted business and marketing plans, organizations can increase their chances of achieving long-term success.

Comparisons may contain inaccurate information about people, places, or facts. Please report any issues.

Understanding The Differences Between A Business Plan and Marketing Strategy

For business owners or other company leaders, understanding the differences between having a business plan and a marketing strategy are two critical elements that should be at the forefront of your business. While these terms may sound synonymous, they are built and reflected differently throughout successful companies. 

Several key stakeholders should be aware of the business plan to ensure alignment and effective execution. These include the executive team (CEO, COO, CFO), senior management (department heads, managers, and team leaders), Board of Directors, key employees, and advisors or consultants. Ensuring these stakeholders know and understand the business plan promotes alignment, accountability, and a unified approach to achieving the company’s goals.

What Is A Business Plan?

A business plan serves as the blueprint for your business. It can include your vision and mission statements, services you offer, accountability chart, SOPs, financials, sales, and marketing plans. Consider it the “big picture” or roadmap to success that guides all other aspects of your business. 

What Should Be Included In Your Business Plan:

• Executive Summary: A succinct overview of the business, its mission, and its unique value proposition.
• Market Analysis: A detailed assessment of the industry landscape, target market demographics, and competitors.
• Company Description: A narrative describing the nature of the business, its products or services, and organizational structure.
• Marketing and Sales Strategy: A strategic approach to promoting and selling products or services to target customers.
• Financial Projections: Forecasts of revenue, expenses, and cash flow over a defined period, typically three to five years.

Your business plan will ultimately set your team up for success. When creating this plan, consider your industry and what your clients care most about—ensure all that information lives within it! 

How Is A Marketing Strategy Different From Your Business Plan?

On the other hand, your marketing strategy is only a piece of your business plan. It zooms in on the tactics and techniques you will employ to grow your business. It’s a dynamic roadmap delineating how to effectively market your products or services to your target audience, leveraging channels, messaging, and campaigns.

Key Elements of A Marketing Strategy Include: 

• Target market
• The “how” to achieve your marketing goals
• Target audience definition
• Goals & objectives
• Product, price, place, and promotion
• Social media, keywords, and advertising
• Identifying your ideal audience and where they are 
• Budget and KPIs

Why Are Both Essential To Your Business?

Your business plan and marketing strategy are intertwined but essential for different reasons. A well-crafted business plan provides the strategic framework and direction for the entire organization. By aligning the marketing strategy with the broader business objectives outlined in the plan, every marketing initiative becomes purposeful and contributes to the overarching goals.

“As a business owner, it is your responsibility to ‘steer the ship.’ Having a well-documented business plan not only makes it easier for your team to understand your vision and expectations but also helps any partner to jump in and help execute. The most successful marketing programs I have participated in are those based on collaboration and trust. When the client sets the goals and vision, our team can create the roadmap for getting there!” – Jenna Sherrick, Senior Marketing Manager

Thinking big picture, a business plan sets up more than just your marketing up for success. Business plans eliminate internal conflict by reducing confusion and getting your team thinking with one goal in mind. Successful teams work together in harmony when they know what they are doing, why they are doing it, and for what purpose or end goal. It can also be a great resource for new leadership employees during the onboarding process. 

Employing Marketing Strategy In Real Life

Evolve Systems has managed the marketing strategy and website development for KeyeStrategies and Poised for Exit for over five years. During our time with this client, we have seen their online engagement grow, which is a positive sign that the marketing is “working.” 

Our team works directly with the KeyeStrategies project manager on strategy and implementation, with monthly status reports, quarterly planning, and weekly check-ins. All of these initiatives have enabled a small firm to do BIG things! Speaking of big things, our team was recently tasked with merging the Poised for Exit website with the primary website, KeyeStrategies. We created a landing page to connect the two websites seamlessly.

A business plan and a marketing strategy are the building blocks for a strong foundation for your organization. But, business owners must recognize the differences between the two and the role each plays in driving sustainable growth and success. By synergizing these two pillars, businesses can confidently navigate the complexities of the marketplace, ultimately realizing their full potential and achieving enduring prosperity.

Get Started On Your Marketing Strategy

At Evolve, we love working with business owners and other organization members as a key player in your marketing strategy. Our team of experts wants to guide you through all the areas of marketing and website development to reach your full potential. If you are looking for a partner in your marketing strategy, let’s start the conversation today !

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Business Plan vs. Marketing Plan: What’s the Difference?

The main difference between a Business Plan and Marketing Plan is that a Business Plan outlines overall goals and strategies for the entire company, while a Marketing Plan focuses specifically on promoting products or services.

Before we move to more differences, let’s first understand Business Plan and Marketing Plan:

• Business Plan : A business plan is like a map that shows how a business will work and grow. It includes goals, how to reach them, and how to handle challenges. It helps people understand what the business does and how it will make money.
• Marketing Plan : A marketing plan is a plan that explains how a business will let people know about its products or services. It includes ways to reach customers, like ads or social media. The goal is to make people interested in what the business offers.

Now, let’s get to Business Plan vs Marketing Plan:

Major differences between Business Plan and Marketing Plan

So, these are the main differences between the entities.

• Brand Marketing vs. Growth Marketing
• B2B Content Marketing vs. B2C Content Marketing
• Affiliate Marketing vs. Pyramid Scheme

You can see other “differences between…” posts by clicking here .

If you have a related query, kindly feel free to let me know in the comments below.