Are Marketing Plans Really Necessary?

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If you want to be successful at marketing your small business then the answer is of course YES. There are numerous reasons why we tell ourselves we do not need a marketing plan but in fact they are just excuses that are stopping you from being more successful.

Apart from all the usual reasons why marketing planning is necessary at the end of the day it just makes it easier to build and strengthen relationships with your customers.

Here are some of the reasons why some small businesses do not develop a marketing plan.

I do not have the time to complete a plan
Often the time factor is due to not knowing where to start, however today there are numerous books, templates, articles and software available to help and guide you. Just remember you do not have to develop a marketing plan in 30 minutes as it is not a race and you always fine tune the marketing plan over time.

I don’t need a plan as I know what my customers want
Think of yourself as a customer and you will quickly realise that this statement cannot be absolutely true all the time, especially these days. The simple reason is that customers are constantly changing their attitudes and behaviour as circumstances change around them. Most markets are dynamic so you need to have a plan in place to retain your customers and attract the most profitable ones so you can keep ahead of your competitors.

I don’t have a lot to spend on marketing so I do not need a marketing plan
Whether you have $500 or $5,000 to spend you need to maximize the results from your marketing activity. Also if you are providing a service then your time is money and you want to make sure that you are not wasting a minute of it. A plan is necessary to ensure you are spending your time and money on the right marketing tools and tactics that will attract and retain the customers you want.

The year has already started so I will think about it next year
Whilst it is ideal to have developed your marketing plan before the start of your financial year, do not let this stop you from developing one for the remainder of the year.

Whilst developing a marketing plan is necessary, success will not be achieved unless action is taken to implement the plan and track the results.