\"A marketing plan is a strategic document that specifies your organization\u2019s target markets, marketing objectives, programs, and activities to achieve them, expected timescales, resources to be utilized, according to defined budgets, and how success will be measured<\/em>\".<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This is logical and simple and that's what we need to achieve through the structure of an effective marketing plan. However, for today's marketing where digital marketing channels are so important we need a marketing plan and template structure that are fit for purpose. That's why we developed the RACE Growth System<\/em> since it details the communications activities that need to be used for success.<\/p>\n In this post, I will explain RACE OSA, a practical three-part marketing plan structure particularly suitable for small and medium businesses to rapidly develop comprehensive marketing plans. OSA stands for:<\/p>\n For each of these 3 parts, I will summarize what you need to include and why. There are 5 steps in each part giving 15 sections in all. This is simple enough to make it quick and easy, but detailed enough to work in the real world.<\/p>\n You can download our Free marketing plan template<\/a> based on this 15-step OSA structure!<\/p>\n Free marketing plan template<\/strong><\/p>\n Our popular marketing planning template is structured across the Smart Insights RACE OSA Framework. Join Smart Insights as a Free Member to download our marketing plan template today<\/p>\n Access the Free marketing plan template<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n Many marketing plan templates were created long ago for larger businesses and aren\u2019t so relevant to small and startup businesses competing in today\u2019s marketplace where effective digital marketing is essential. Long plans with sections labelled \u2018mission and vision statement\u2019 and \u2018corporate strategies\u2019 are irrelevant for smaller businesses.<\/p>\n Our recommended format is far more practical since it relates to the real-world challenges and opportunities of a smaller business. The template shares the key features of our RACE Growth system since it is designed to be:<\/p>\n But first, we need to remind ourselves of the goals for our marketing plan and how it fits within the business as a whole. We will also introduce the Smart Insights RACE Growth System.<\/p>\n The purpose of a marketing plan is to define strategies to engage audiences in order to achieve business objectives.<\/p>\n The goal of a marketing plan is to ensure marketing activities are structured, relevant, and timely to achieve an organization\u2019s objectives.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a plan defining your company's sustainable competitive position, structuring and setting marketing goals, and defining the resources necessary to achieve your business vision.<\/p>\n A marketing plan should include:<\/p>\n So, to summarize, a solid marketing plan outline has:<\/p>\n Where does the marketing plan fit within the business? Here\u2019s another way of understanding the context of a marketing plan, to put it into context with other types of plans, as shown in this table:<\/p>\n The process of marketing planning within an organization will differ, depending on whether a strategic marketing plan or an operational marketing plan is utilized. Here are the differences between the two:<\/p>\n In an organization\u2019s planning process, marketing links:<\/p>\n Before we get into the details, let's look at the big picture which defines the process you will follow to develop and implement your marketing plan.<\/p>\n Within the RACE system, we call this process OSA to keep it simple - marketing plans don't have to be complex.\u00a0 OSA stands for Opportunity, Strategy, Action. The visual outline shows some of the activities that are needed to plan for success under each stage of OSA.<\/p>\n Within OSA for a marketing plan format, these are the sections we recommend that are included in our template with more details on each.<\/p>\n Opportunity<\/p>\n Strategy:<\/p>\n Action:<\/p>\n Use our free planning templates to get started with using RACE to grow your business. These will help you create a 90-day prioritized plan<\/strong> to improve your results from digital marketing. We recommend 25+ key marketing activities across RACE that are essential for businesses to compete by improving their digital marketing maturity.<\/em><\/p>\n Free marketing plan template<\/strong><\/p>\n Our popular marketing planning template is structured across the Smart Insights RACE OSA Framework. Join Smart Insights as a Free Member to download our marketing plan template today<\/p>\n Access the Free marketing plan template<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n Marketing planning will assist in the day-to-day running of any size, type or age of business. The targets and milestones set will help organizations, from small start-ups to large corporates, to effectively:<\/p>\n In smaller businesses, the scope of a plan is typically annual and for the whole business. Typically, SMEs are working with smaller budgets and tighter turnaround times.<\/p>\n A marketing plan for a small business typically looks to identify where to prioritize the investment of time and available budget to generate results.<\/p>\n Smaller organizations typically have:<\/p>\n Such differences between large and smaller organizations tend to be reflected in the development of marketing plans.<\/p>\n When establishing a small start-up, marketing planning is an essential element. \u00a0A small number of these businesses launch and grow, but for those that are successful, a strategic marketing approach will ensure continued development.<\/p>\n In large organizations, its focus will change, depending on the type of organization. \u00a0A separate marketing plan might be:<\/p>\n A marketing plan in a large organization may integrate a number of plans, specific to individual parts of the business. It is practical planning that takes place at a divisional, business unit, or individual company level.<\/p>\n Larger organizations with clearly defined management structures and a wealth of resources will make use of marketing principles very differently from smaller organizations.<\/p>\n Did you know - nearly half of companies don't have a clearly defined digital marketing strategy<\/a>? These companies are missing opportunities for better integration and risk losing customers due to out-of-date processes.<\/p>\n Savvy marketers and Smart Insights members already recognize that a practical, integrated marketing plan is essential for business growth in 2024 and beyond.<\/p>\n If you're looking for a quick marketing plan structure to hone your performance and strategize your approach to marketing, why not download our free marketing plan template<\/a>?<\/span><\/p>\n Although the techniques for marketing planning may vary between different sizes and types of organizations, the outcome is always the same: to implement the objectives, strategies, and activities in order to gain an advantage.<\/p>\n That's why our RACE Framework<\/a> is structured across a simple 5-step marketing and sales funnel which can be applied to every size of business from startups to multinational corporations:<\/p>\n The plan should not be formulated or used in isolation; it should be informed by the corporate objectives identified in your organization\u2019s business plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n Integrated with a marketing plan may also be a digital plan, multi-channel plan and campaign plan, for example.\u00a0 The marketing plan informs these plans and vice-versa.<\/p>\n An effective marketing plan will ensure the integration of activities, the scheduling of requirements, distinguishing responsibilities and the provision of benchmarks for measuring success.<\/p>\n Different organizations will utilize differing plans, covering different areas and timeframes. What is crucial in a business is that the plans being utilized, the timeframes allocated, and how they integrate with each other are collectively established.<\/p>\n Structure your marketing plan around a funnel proven to boost performance. Join Smart Insights as a Free Member for instant access to our Free marketing plan template<\/a> to hone your skills and drive the results you need.<\/p>\nOpportunity > Structure > Action.\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n
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What is the purpose of a marketing plan?<\/h3>\n
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The business context of a marketing plan<\/h4>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nWhen to use a marketing plan?<\/h3>\n
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What should your plan include? Our recommended marketing plan structure<\/h3>\n
3-step marketing plan outline<\/h4>\n
![\"OSA](\"https:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/OSA-explainer-2023.png\")
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<\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n Which types of businesses use marketing plans?<\/h3>\n
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Marketing plans for small businesses<\/h4>\n
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Marketing plans for large organizations<\/h4>\n
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Structure an effective marketing plan with RACE<\/h3>\n
How to format your marketing funnel<\/h4>\n
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![\"Race](\"https:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Race-Planning-Framework.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHow does a marketing plan relate to other plans?<\/h3>\n