HOW TO CREATE

A SUCCESSFUL
MARKETING PLAN
Summary
Introduction............................................................................................... 3
What is a Marketing Plan?........................................................................ 5
Why do you need a Marketing Plan?....................................................... 7
What kind of business needs a Marketing Plan?.................................. 10
How do you build a Marketing Plan?..................................................... 13
What are the main kinds of Marketing Plans?...................................... 15
What are the steps for a successful Marketing Plan?.......................... 19
What are the best Marketing strategies for your plan?.......................36
How do you execute your Marketing Plan?...........................................43
Conclusion...............................................................................................46
Introduction
↑ Summary

If you are starting a business and want to

find out how to grow, or maybe you work in
a Marketing department already and want to
think about the next year's strategies for the
company, the best solution is always to start
with a Marketing Plan.

Based on data and analysis, a Marketing Plan

documents all the common goals and shows
the team how to achieve them. It's just like
a map pointing to your final destination and
finding the best paths to reach it.

In this interactive eBook, we will talk about

how to build a Marketing Plan, from planning
to practice, so you can bring effective results
to your business using a varied set of tools.

4
What is a
Marketing Plan?
↑ Summary

A Marketing Plan is a document that embodies all strategies, tools, and

stages to be followed by a Marketing team, including goals, KPIs, reports,
and any other data that is relevant as a guide for the whole company.

It can be a broader, iterating plan for the department. It can also be specific
to building and executing a one-off or seasonal campaign (like Black Friday),
strategy (Content Marketing), and/or products and services a brand offers.

This plan is a vital tool for Marketing Management. It guides ideas and
actions, so the department's goals are achieved in an efficient way,
contributing to growth.

As a management asset, it is tied to the business's core administration.

It is part of its tactical planning as it connects the strategic development
(longer and broader goals) to the operational demands in each area
(shorter and more specific).

There aren't rules on time frames, content, or complexity. It all depends on

goals, available resources, and adjusting effort and expectations to each
reality — so it is never overwhelming or forgotten in a drawer somewhere.

6
Why do you need a
Marketing Plan?
↑ Summary
Many businesses are born without knowing that much about
Marketing's relevance to success. But as soon as they start
operating, they realize how necessary it is to advertise their
products, attract clients, and develop relationships with them.
Only then do they act: a Facebook page, some printed
pamphlets or brochures, some business cards. Ok, those are
solid steps to market a brand, but there isn't any strategy
behind them, right?
Another common situation is a Marketing team with a
plan, but all the ideas are only in the leader's head. The
other members are just executing orders without a good
comprehension regarding the company's end goal and how
their efforts affects that outcome.
In both cases, the odds are not in favor of effective results.
Here is where a Marketing Plan's importance comes into play.
It defines a common route, so the whole team works as one
to achieve relevant results within the timeframe available.
Instead of loose ideas, your Marketing actions follow a
clearer, cohesive direction. The KPIs become more reliable
and the best path to tread more evident. Thus, it is easier to
cooperate and converge efforts towards greater strategic
goals for the business.
A Marketing Plan isn't just for CEOs, CMOs, and board
members. This document should be a guide for the whole
team, so they can understand their responsibilities and how
their work contributes to a better brand.
8
↑ Summary

From that structure it provides to processes

and teams, a Marketing Plan also fulfills
other roles:

# support decision-making from data,

research, and reports;

# optimize Marketing investments to avoid

waste and maximize returns;

# improve communication and integration,

raising the team's motivation;

# map the business scenario to identify

better opportunities and predict threats;

# generate results in the short, medium, and

long terms with sustainable strategies.

With all those aspects laid out, a Marketing

Plan is more than a document: it is a powerful
tool to improve marketing management.

9
What kind of business
needs a Marketing Plan?
↑ Summary

As we explained in this content, a Marketing Plan is

a document built to direct and streamline a business'
Marketing efforts. But what kind of company needs that?
Can anyone have a Marketing Plan?

The answer is yes. No matter your segment or size, it is

crucial to understand the market in which your brand is
inserted. Then you can map opportunities, challenges,
and plan how Marketing can lead you to your goals.

That way, any business (B2B, B2C, small or big) should

invest in building a Marketing Plan and revising it every
year so it can reflect the real needs as you grow.

A software company, for example, has challenges and

opportunities far different from a cosmetic brand. What
we offer here is an approach to understanding those
particularities and then building a customized plan to put
your ideas into practice.

Now start thinking about the specific scenario your

company faces and build your Marketing Plan.

11
How do you build a
Marketing Plan?
↑ Summary
Many companies grow when they are
starting, but soon lose their way due to a
lack of planning — either by not recognizing
what is vital to the business or by prioritizing
the wrong actions. The first step to building
a Marketing Plan is to understand its
relevance and allocate resources and effort
to make it happen.
The plan is even likely to face some
resistance, like the lack of a planning culture,
people not knowing how it works, or some
excuse like not enough time to do it.
However, it is exactly this process that will
improve management and ensure that all
activities are aligned to generate the expected
results for Marketing. A Marketing Plan is not a
waste of time: it is optimization for the future!
If managers and collaborators know the
importance of the Marketing Plan and are
determined to carry it out, you have your first
win. But it is also necessary to understand
that it is not just a document: it is the result of
a planning process, which involves research,
analysis, and interpretation.
There is no Marketing Plan without market
research. It is a benchmark of the company
itself and the scenario in which it is inserted
to support more accurate decisions. It
guarantees that the strategies laid out don't
fail when faced with real-life scenarios.
13
↑ Summary
Knowing the business' reality is also crucial to align the
Marketing Plan with the strategic planning — especially with
your mission, vision, values, and long-term goals. That is
essential to build an efficient plan tailored for the business.
In this process, it is also important to involve the whole team.
They are the ones in constant contact with the core of the
business and know the reality of the functions they perform.
Their relevance is not only in the information they bring: it's
also in the motivation they gather by participating in this
construction. Beyond that, it is necessary to bring in other
departments. Integration with Sales, for example, is essential to
create strategies that result in more conversions and revenue.
Finance and Purchasing teams also assist with resource and
budget decisions; HR, in task delegation. You need to understand
that Marketing is not an island and that the Marketing Plan
becomes more robust and efficient when everyone is involved.
14
What are the main kinds
of Marketing Plans?
↑ Summary

The Strategic Marketing Plan is the broadest of them. It

outlines long-term goals and strategies without defining
actions. Then, the Tactical Marketing Plan details those in a
more consolidated project.

If the team defined Content Marketing as one of its pillars, for

example, the tactical plan will detail this strategy, with medium-
term objectives, channels, budgets, and other definitions.

Finally, the Operational Marketing Plan defines the day-

Marketing Plan by level
This planning can be divided into different management levels
to be more efficient, just like the general planning of the
company. It can be a strategic, tactical, or operational plan.
They are documented, respectively, as:
# Strategic Marketing Plan;
# Tactical Marketing Plan;
# Operational Marketing Plan.
to-day routine of each strategy. It details short-term
goals, tasks, assignees, timelines, and other more specific
definitions to put it into action.
As you can see, they have different levels and have interlinks
between them, so that the larger objectives of the Strategic
Marketing Plan are achieved. If they are not broken down into
the tactical and operational levels, they become unreachable.
16
↑ Summary

Marketing Plan by strategy

The plans that detail strategies are at the tactical level. They are more objective,
as they focus on a specific tactic, but cannot be separated from the strategic
plan, which guides the decisions made here. These are some examples:

# Digital Marketing Plan;

# Content Marketing Plan;
# Social Media Marketing Plan;
# Relationship Marketing Plan;
# Product Marketing Plan;
# Social Marketing Plan;
# Endomarketing Plan.

This kind of approach can be used by larger companies that have sub-areas
and dedicated teams in the Marketing department for each strategy. But it is
also adopted when a specific plan is central to the brand's growth at that time.

For example: if the Strategic Marketing Plan has defined that the company
needs a loyalty strategy to improve results, it may be necessary to build a
tactical plan specifically for it.

17
↑ Summary

Marketing Plan by campaigns

Marketing plans that focus on specific campaigns are

often at the operational level. They work in the short
term and must be focused on operationalizing actions.
See some examples:

# Mother's Day Marketing Plan;

# Black Friday Marketing Plan;
# Product Launch Marketing Plan;
# Event Marketing Plan.

Once again, the definitions within those projects should

not be separated from the strategic and tactical plans.
If the company's ultimate goal is to increase revenue
by 30% that year, the Black Friday campaign should
contribute to that goal.

18
What are the steps for a
successful Marketing Plan?
↑ Summary

Now, let's unravel the structure of a Marketing Plan. Here,

we will suggest the steps for creating a more comprehensive
and complete Marketing Plan by level. But they can also be
adapted for the other types.

Notice that these steps are also part of the marketing

planning process. Along the way, you can write down the
insights you have and start building a draft, which also tends to
follow this sequence. So, let's see what the stages to elaborate
a Marketing Plan are.

20
↑ Summary

Step 1: data analysis

and stratification

Before starting the plan itself, it is important to stop

and analyze your company, your competitors, and
the market in general. It's no use getting your hands
dirty to create action plans if you don't even know how
the market is doing, what the demand is, and what the
company's current challenges are.

Next, it is also essential to understand what your main

challenges are in the targeted timeframe and the goals
you intend to achieve in order to get it right.

You can see that strategy is super important right now,

right? Next, we will explain in greater depth the main
steps to analyze the market and define strategic goals
for your Marketing Plan.

21
↑ Summary

Business benchmark

This whole process begins by looking inwards. Try to get an

Helpful Harmful
overview of your current situation, looking at the business
structure, the number of employees, sales volume, billing
history, resources, current positioning, and goals.

Internal
Origin
In addition to describing the business, it is important to make a Strengths Weaknesses
deeper analysis of the company's strengths and weaknesses,
as well as the opportunities and threats that can influence
the business' performance. The SWOT Analysis framework is

External
Origin
Threats
the most suitable tool for this step.
Opportunities
The analysis of the company itself ensures that the plan is
adequate for its reality and fits into the budget, in addition
to aligning it with strategic planning decisions so that it
meets growth goals.

22
↑ Summary

Business landscape analysis

After that, it's time to look outside. In a business landscape
analysis, you should collect data from the macro
environment and the microenvironment, to investigate
factors that may affect the company's performance during the
Marketing Plan execution period.
In the macroenvironment, the analysis should look at the
major expectations and trends in your neighborhood, the
country, and the world. Those have to do with your business in
the following categories:
In the microenvironment, the analysis focuses on the
company's sector and the main players involved. In this case,
Porter's 5 Forces framework helps to think about the main
factors that move the micro-environment:
# the rivalry between competitors;
# bargaining power of suppliers;
# bargaining power of customers;
# threats from new competitors;
# threats from new products or services.

# demographic; All these factors can be combined to build scenarios

# economic; (optimistic, neutral, pessimistic) for the future and devise
# natural; strategies that strengthen the company whatever the case.
# technological; Thus, the Marketing Plan is designed to anticipate these
# legal and political; factors, whether positive or negative for the company.
# sociocultural.

23
↑ Summary

Competitors benchmark

Among the aspects analyzed in your microenvironment, one of them

deserves to be highlighted: competition. Look for information on your
competitors' performance, the audience they are reaching, how they
communicate with the buyer persona, how they advertise their products, and
how much return they are generating.

As a competitive intelligence tool, the analysis of competitors in the

Marketing Plan allows you to:

# seek insights for your strategies;

# anticipate trends and competitors' movements;
# identify your position and market share;
# identify opportunities for better positioning and having more competitive
# advantages.

Maybe you think you can't get data from competitors because they are
confidential, but some tools allow you to take a deeper look at the competition,
monitor their movements, and know what they are doing (all within ethical
premises, ok?). Google Alerts, SEMrush, and SimilarWeb are some examples.

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↑ Summary

Definition of goals and objectives

motivating, in addition to defining a common horizon at which

The definition of goals is at the heart of a Marketing Plan. But
everyone should aim.
it is important to go through all the steps that we have already
mentioned, as they provide the basis for these objectives to
But pay attention: it is useless to define vague objectives,
be aligned with the business and market's reality, as well as to
such as “sell more”, “have more engagement on social
target the right audience.
networks” or “increase the website's traffic”. These are some
examples of more efficient targets to guide strategies:
To make this process easier, we recommend that the main
challenges you need to face are defined first. It will help you
# generate 1,000 e-commerce orders in one year;
understand which specific aspects the team should prioritize.
# increase engagement rate to 10% by July 2023;
# reach 10,000 site visitors in two years.
Then, to set the right goals, the SMART framework is an
awesome ally. SMART is the acronym for the following
Those are much more specific, measurable, and time-bound.
characteristics that your goals must have:
To know if they are realistic and attainable, it is necessary to
go back to your benchmarks to guarantee that the values and
# specific;
deadlines make sense.
# measurable;
# attainable;
It is worth remembering that we are defining objectives at the
# realistic;
strategic level here. Ideally, they should determine what the
# time-bound.
Marketing team as a whole wants to achieve within a longer
timeframe. If you are creating a plan for a specific strategy, you
When the Marketing Plan follows those guidelines, the goals
can now set more unique goals.
are more likely to be achieved. They become clearer and more

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↑ Summary

Definition of strategies

Here, we start to get into the tactical side of the

Marketing Plan, like how to solidify the process into
specific strategies, which must then be broken down
into an operational structure. In this step, you must
define the strategic guidelines and actions that will
contribute to achieving your goals.

Example: if the goal is to generate 2,000 leads by the

next year, you will probably need a Digital Marketing
strategy, which can be broken down into Inbound
Marketing, Content Marketing, SEO, and so on.

Since we are on the strategic level, you can just outline

the main strategies and break them down into specific
projects at the tactical level (an Inbound Marketing
Plan, for example).

If you prefer to concentrate everything into a single plan,

you can now detail ideas and actions, as well as your
specific goals and indicators.

26
↑ Summary
Definition of KPIs
If you have defined measurable goals, this phase is much
easier. After all, being measurable means that you can use
metrics to track your performance and know if the team has
achieved the expected results.
We're not talking about plain metrics, but Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs). Do you know the difference between them?
Metrics are any value that evaluates the performance of
some action, such as the number of website visitors or
interactions on social media. KPIs are also metrics, but they
are directly related to goals. That means they tell you if you
are on the right track and if you have reached the milestones
outlined in the plan.
A KPI needs to be relevant to your objective. If you want to
generate leads through blogging, for example, the number of
leads, total traffic, and organic traffic can be good KPIs.
A good KPI has some particularities. They are:
# available for periodic measurement;
# important to the core business;
# practically relevant;
# helpful to make smart choices.
Of course, you can also monitor other metrics. But KPIs are
the ones that really show your Marketing Plan's success in
practice, so they must be closely monitored.
For this to happen, it is crucial to establish an evaluation and
control routine so they can indicate possible adjustments
to improve the results – if they are deviating from the
established goals.
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↑ Summary

Step 2: planning for action

Once the strategizing stage has been completed, it's time to Through action plans, it is possible to know which resources
unfold your action plans and proceed with tactical planning! It you can use, how much of the budget should be reserved,
will direct your Marketing Plan by breaking your larger goals which departments are involved and which metrics will be used
into smaller actionable tasks. to measure all of this.

Check out the steps below to create action plans and get even
closer to achieving your marketing goals.

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↑ Summary
Buyer Persona creation
Before creating action plans, it is crucial to know to whom
they will be directed, as your audience must always be at
the center of your tactical planning. Many company goals are
related to customers — current and future.
Unlike your target audience, the buyer persona deepens your
perception of the habits, values, expectations, and pains of
your average lead. That data is summarized in the description
of a fictional character that represents the company's
ideal customer. At this point, you can also trace the buyer's
journey related to them.
Think about your customer's path from consideration to
deciding and concluding the purchase. Also their behavior,
doubts, and challenges at each stage. This way, you can map
out the ideal content, channels, and arguments for each
stage of the journey.
While the target audience approach brings a generic
description for segmentation and brand positioning purposes,
the buyer persona is a more complex and in-depth human
profile, used to outline content and relationship strategies. So
it is very important in the process to define your action plans.
To speed up your work, access the Fantastic Persona Generator!
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↑ Summary

Budget and Resources

What tools will the team need to execute your action plans? How much will
you have to invest in each strategy? It is time to check out your pockets!

Among the marketing costs you should consider are:

# tools acquisition;
# hiring and training;
# paid media campaigns;
# contracting new services;
# expenses with the internet, telephone, energy, etc.

Marketing is one of the most costly areas for businesses, so investments

need to be well thought out, well-executed, and be part of the Marketing
Plan as a whole.

Consider all the essential strategies to achieve the goals you defined before.
Then, determine the resources needed to carry out each of them and what
budget the company needs invested to put them into practice.

Finally, ensure that you have all this well-documented to follow up on and,
if necessary, update during the execution of action plans, according to your
reality and operational needs.

30
↑ Summary
Schedule and Delegation
At this stage, define a schedule to enable the plan's
execution, as well as those in charge of each of its parts.
This is vital to make sure that the deadlines are plausible
and to show stakeholders their responsibilities so they are
committed to the Marketing Plan.
Here, you can set long-term dates and more general
attributions. Then, when developing each action plan in
more detail, it is possible to better define tasks and those
responsible in the medium and short term.
A good strategy is to use a project control worksheet, so
you can have an overview of all those definitions. Thus, it
will also be possible to follow the actions over time and the
current status of each one.
SLA Definition
As we mentioned earlier, some strategies defined in your
Marketing Plan may involve other departments. When the
execution stage begins, all teams need to be aligned and
know their respective responsibilities.
The SLA (Service Level Agreement) between two or more
areas is a good way to get everyone on the same page. This
tool determines each team's role and establishes clear
goals and concepts, keeping the focus on the right activities
and the same objectives.
For example, it is very important to define the extent to which
the Marketing team is responsible for the relationship with
leads, and when the Sales team starts to call the shots. In
this way, both will be aligned and will be aware of what each
other person's boundaries are.
Invest in creating a document that will solidify the
responsibilities of each area, the concepts that need to
be clear between them, how data will be shared, and what
tasks will be done, when necessary.
Don't forget to invite all collaborators to participate so
there is an agreement that makes sense for everyone and is
possible to execute.
31
↑ Summary

Step 3: execution and improvement

When creating a Marketing Plan, it is not always necessary to

define more practical details on execution, but you need to
keep in mind that the team responsible for each action plan
will have to define a routine that involves planning, execution,
monitoring, and iterating.

For everything to go as planned, it is important to align

tasks and tools that will be part of the operational stage.
Even if you do not register this information in the Marketing
Plan, be sure to meet with the team leaders and agree on
some good practices.

To bring some examples and make this step more practical,

let's consider a Digital Marketing Plan. Digital channels are
currently used by most companies, as 91,8% of the U.S.
population has access to the internet.

Next, check out how you can present and implement

improvements in a Content Marketing Plan, which was greenlit
based on the business's buyer personas, with a defined
budget and actors in a structured action plan.

32
↑ Summary

Content Mapping

Content mapping is one of the first steps to executing any Digital

Marketing strategy that involves the creation of content for channels like
social media and blogs.

Only by mapping all your ideas clearly will you understand your visitor's journey
from the first interaction to becoming a customer. In this process, you define
themes and choose keywords to explore at each stage of the Sales Funnel.

This step is crucial to ensure your publishing calendar meets your audience's
demand. Through it, you can plan how to better position your blog, but also:

# understand the main solutions for a buyer persona's pains;

find the optimal search volume for the type of content and time frame of
your project;
# apply SEO best practices to the strategy;
# analyze the results obtained.

Several tools can help you in this process. If you want to delve even deeper into
the subject, we recommend reading our Complete Guide to Content Mapping.

33
↑ Summary

Traffic generation

There's no point in investing in a strategy that involves content

In the digital field, traffic corresponds to the flow of visitors to a
production if you don't have a good way to distribute it or use
website, blog, or institutional page. Those users can be attracted
it to guide new visitors to your website. So you need to choose
organically — through content published by the business — or
the channels that make the most sense for the strategy
through paid traffic strategies — in which a company makes
defined in the Marketing Plan.
financial investments to increase its online presence.

Investing in improvements can also be a tool for standing out.

There are numerous ways to raise traffic, so it is important to
A culture of experimentation in marketing can make all the
define the most relevant sources and how your team can
difference in results.
improve on actions and content that will lead to more people
visiting your website.
Different customers, from different sectors of the economy,
may have different needs and habits. By testing variables
Check out some of the main traffic generation channels:
(formats, content, and even design elements), you can figure
out how to drive more traffic and even convert more. The
# banners and CTAs;
possibilities are endless!
# e-mail marketing;
# push notifications;
# pop-ups;
# social media.

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↑ Summary
Generating and nurturing leads
A lead represents a potential customer. They are people who
have shown interest in purchasing your product or service by
filling out online forms or having rich interactions with your brand.
Leads go through many stages in their journeys, from the
moment they are aware and interested in the solution you offer
to the moment they make a purchase.
Throughout this path, the lead's purchase decision matures.
The way to nurture the process is to implement a series of
actions that build and reinforce a relationship with them,
gaining trust and directing them to purchase.
Keep in mind that the most effective action plan to attract
and nurture leads may change along the way, according to
the results of tests and what the KPIs say.
Your team needs to create a new habit: to always search for
innovative strategies to attract new leads. At the same time,
nurture those who are already in your Sales Funnel. For this to
happen, give the team freedom to share and experiment with
new ideas, always considering the strategic goals defined in
your Marketing Plan. That way, it will be possible to run tests
and validate hypotheses in search of better results.
35
What are the best Marketing
strategies for your plan?
↑ Summary

Marketing strategies represent the paths a plan should

follow to achieve this department's goals and, as a result,
improve business indicators. But what are they exactly?
What are the best ones?

There is a multitude of Marketing strategies that can

meet different objectives, but we will highlight those
closely related to Digital Marketing.

You can break them down in your strategic plan or

create specific projects for each one, aligned with your
goals. Note that we are not talking specifically about
channels: they are broader tactics, which can encompass
different mediums (such as social media, e-mail
marketing, website, blog, etc.).

Now, let's get to them.

37
↑ Summary
Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing focuses on attracting potential customers
and nurturing relationships with leads throughout a Sales
Funnel — from first contact to the buying decision.
An Inbound Marketing strategy must foresee the buyer's
journey stages and know how to make the lead take steps
towards a purchase at each one. For that, it involves actions
like creating landing pages, Content Marketing, SEO, building
relationships, and, at the bottom of the funnel, closing sales.
Outbound Marketing
Outbound Marketing, unlike Inbound, consists of customer
prospecting strategies. Instead of attracting leads, the
Marketing team actively goes after them.
In Digital Marketing, Outbound is usually related to paid
campaigns, such as sponsored links, social media ads, and
website banners. Those have more segmentation possibilities
and measurement power than organic strategies.
Outbound Marketing is often seen as the opposite of Inbound,
as if the team had to choose one. But it is possible and
recommended to reconcile Inbound and Outbound strategies
throughout the buyer's journey, according to the stages in
which they are most relevant and impactful. In this way, your
interactions with the audience become more efficient.
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↑ Summary
Content Marketing
Content Marketing is based on
producing and distributing relevant
content for customers, which addresses
common questions and generates
interest in the subject, so you can bring
them closer to the brand. This strategy
helps your business build authority
online, improve brand awareness, and
generate leads for marketing.
Content Marketing uses SEO strategies
(Search Engine Optimization) and mediums
such as blogs, social networks, and e-mail
marketing. It is usually one of the pillars of
the Inbound Marketing strategy.
Relationship Marketing
Relationship Marketing is made with
strategies that follow and reach the
customer throughout the buyer's journey.
To keep them close, the brand has to offer
relevant content, exclusive conditions, and
personalized communication.
It usually involves social media channels,
e-mail marketing, and closed groups
(Facebook and messengers), in addition to
a CRM tool, which concentrates the data
and the log from interactions with leads.
Relationship Marketing also often appears
in Inbound Marketing strategies, especially
at the lead nurturing stage — which aims
to strengthen your connection while
considering a purchase decision.
Retention Marketing
Retention Marketing encompasses ideas
and actions aimed at those who are
already converted customers. It is based
on Relationship Marketing, as the objective
here is to make them stay longer with the
brand, choosing you over the competition.
This strategy can be adopted when the
business perceives a high churn rate or
when the CAC is higher than the ideal
– in which case, it is better to focus on
loyalty, a more cost-efficient tactic to
improve sales.
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↑ Summary

Marketing focused on Branding

Branding is a definition used to indicate strategies aimed at

strengthening a brand's image in the market, and increasing
awareness, trust, and loyalty. Good branding practices can be
built into a successful Marketing strategy.

A big trend in retail is to buy products from suppliers at a

more competitive price to customize the packaging with
your company's brand. This practice enables the creation of
personalized offers, which contribute to brand promotion and
the opening of other sales channels to the public.

As technology allows companies to create increasingly

attractive advertising pieces, with interactivity and high-value
content for the buyer's journey, it is easier to adhere to this
strategy. But pay attention: graphical quality is essential to
maintain customers' trust!

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↑ Summary
Influencer Marketing
Influencer Marketing is the partnership strategy between
brands and influencers. The goal is to get closer to
customers through a person they admire, trust, and identify
with – who, therefore, can influence purchase decisions.
According to McKinsey, recommendations from friends and
family carry ten times more weight than recommendations
from POS salespeople. Consider not just the big digital
influencers — who, in practice, have become accessible only
to big brands — but micro and nano-influencers, who have a
smaller but often more engaged audience.
Interactive Marketing
Interactive Marketing consists of creating opportunities for
interaction between a brand and its audience. It is part of
Content Marketing, as it involves producing pieces such as
quizzes, polls, calculators, infographics, etc.
Interactive Marketing offers a valuable experience to leads
while collecting valuable data for the Marketing and Sales
teams — not just contact data, but profiles and interests,
gathered from the interactions with the content.
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↑ Summary

Social Media marketing

There is a multitude of Marketing options

for every business on social media. With
more engagement and reach, channels like
Instagram and Facebook have become true
marketplaces. Sponsored ads, supported
by good e-mail marketing practices, are
the most used strategies by retailers to
advertise products today.

These channels are also essential for

promoting content and other Marketing
pieces, especially those with more visual
appeal — and the potential to go viral —
such as lists, news, quizzes, infographics,
and buzz content.

In this approach, it is important to adapt the

content's headline to each social network, since
the main purpose should be to draw the public's
attention, create an attractive description, and
stimulate the audience's engagement.

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How do you execute
your Marketing Plan?
↑ Summary

Plan your work, work your plan. This business philosophy
means that there is no point in carrying out the entire process
of creating the Marketing Plan if it is not put into practice
according to its definitions. First, remember what we talked
about regarding strategic, tactical, and operational plans.
In addition, the ideal is for Marketing to define a management
method to structure and guide actions. Currently, many teams
work with Agile Marketing, which adopts agile methodologies
in project management, with short work cycles and flexible
plans to quickly adapt to market shifts.

To put your plan into action, it is ideal to break it down to the

operational level, so that its execution is feasible. That way,
strategic definitions are carried unchanged and consolidated
all the way into the team's day-to-day work.

The operational plan must include Action Plans.

Implementations that must contain:

# tasks that must be performed;

# the time frame of each activity;
# how they should be performed;
# who is responsible;
# what the budget for executing each task is.

To engage the team, the Marketing Plan and Action Plan

documents must be clear and available to all. When you
know what you have to do, with a deadline and purpose,
involvement and motivation increase.

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↑ Summary
Traditionally, however, teams tend to adopt the Waterfall
methodology, which is a linear and sequential approach to
tasks – simpler to apply, but with more rigid plans.
Another possibility is the OKR method (Objectives and Key
Results). It is an approach focused on getting things done,
connecting the OKRs from different levels of management:
broader business decisions, the team, and each collaborator.
Regardless of the method you adopt, be sure to review the
plan frequently. Even with the Waterfall method, the Marketing
Plan should not be constrained — as the strategy progresses,
the market shifts, the goals change. Your plan must be
constantly adapting to generate better results.
For that, define a routine for evaluation and control. You
already know which KPIs to follow, right? This is already
defined in the plan, so periodically monitor the results to see if
you are on the right track and adjust strategies as necessary.
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Conclusion
↑ Summary

You now have all the information you need for your
Marketing Plan! It's time to review everything and
prepare the final document, which will serve as a guide
for your Marketing team.

Generally speaking, the topics in the document can follow

the steps we've shown so far, adapting them to your
needs. The Marketing Plan can be structured like this:

# executive summary;
# diagnosis;
# environment analysis;
# competitors;
# goals;
# Marketing strategies;
# targets and indicators;
# buyer personas;
# resources and budget;
# schedule and delegation;
# definition of SLA.

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↑ Summary
Start with an executive summary, which presents the
Marketing Plan, the business, and why this document was
created. Take the opportunity to prepare an engaging text
that encourages the team's commitment.
Then, detail each point you addressed throughout the
planning stages. Perhaps you have already written down
some insights and have a preview, but it is now important
to work on that content so they are clear and assertive,
in addition to prioritizing the main information.
The Marketing Plan shouldn't be short, because it needs
depth, but it shouldn't tire those who read it either.
Also, pay attention to the design. As the plan must be
a living document, always present in the day-to-day
activities, it must be attractive and pleasant, as well as
efficient and to the point.
Don't forget that your Marketing Plan is an essential tool
for your business, but it needs to be consistent with your
brand values. Follow the tips in this content and take
advantage of the templates, adapting the structure and
steps of this whole process to the reality of your business.
48
↑ Summary

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49
About Rock
Content

Rock Content powers the content experiences of over 2,000 brands, marketers,
and agencies. As a global content leader, Rock Content offers innovative content
marketing solutions, creative services, on-demand talent, and professional training.
Founded in 2013, Rock Content has grown to a team of 500 creative professionals,
a talent network of over 80,000, and a product suite of high-performing
innovative solutions.