The below outlines the sections and the type of information that should be included in each section.
Title Page - Set up page per APA guidelines; add page header and running head
Table of Contents – Optional but recommended; Use outline
1.0 Executive Summary - The Executive Summary appears at the beginning of the paper, but is written last. This introductory section is the hook to grab the reader 's interest. This section should summarize your plan with enough information to convince the reader to keep reading. If you were showing this plan to an investor, this section may be the key to your success.
2.0 Situation Analysis - What critical issues do you face? What forces in the macroenvironment need to be considered? What are the company’s capabilities?
2.1 Market Summary - How would you define the market? How big is the market? How fast is the market growing? What are the relevant trends?
2.2 SWOT Analysis - What are the Internal Strengths and Weaknesses, and External Opportunities and Threats?
2.3 Competition – Who are competitors? What are they doing? What is their position in the market? How do they compare?
2.4 Product (Service) Offering - What needs does the product or service fulfill or what problem does it solve? What is the product offering? What are the features, advantages and benefits?
2.5 Keys to Success - What are the most important factors to making your plan successful?
2.6 Critical Issues – How will you get your product or service to the consumer? Will you use distributors, intermediaries, warehouses, retailers, the internet, or …?
3.0 Marketing Strategy - Introduce your marketing strategies; What IMC approach are you planning? What marketing strategies will you use? What advertising strategies will you use? What types of media? Why did you choose these strategies? 3.1 Mission - What is the mission of your e-business? Your organization exists to accomplish something. Who is your
References: - Format reference for each of your research sources per APA guidelines (There should be at least one in text citation for each of the references on your reference page). How good is your Marketing Plan? Here 's the litmus test… Hand your Marketing Plan to a trusted friend who has a marketing background. Say to them, "If I gave this to you and asked you to execute this, would you be able to do so?" In effect, would your friend be able to take that which you hand them and -- with full understanding -- be able to drive the Marketing Plan 's execution? You may also want a relative, friend, or associate to read through your marketing plan for spelling and grammatical errors. After working on your marketing plan so diligently, it is always helpful to gain the perspective of a fresh set of eyes.