Describe the business you are designing the plan for. Include the mission statement, vision statement, product line description, and business information (such as the size of the business).
Environmental Analysis
Analyze the forces that affect the business and marketing efforts.
Competitive Forces
Analyze the business’s key competitors. You may choose to use a BCG matrix or attribute checklist to compare your selected business against its competitors. Describe any strategic moves the competition has recently made. Estimate the business’s market share. Identify key competitive advantages against your selected business’s competitors.
Economic Forces
Analyze the economic environment in the areas affecting your selected business. Consider differences within their industry and the economic impact on suppliers.
Political Forces
Analyze relevant political forces. Examples may include an election year or a law to drastically reduce or eliminate plastic waste in a county that would affect your selected business.
Legal, Regulatory, and Ethical Issues
Analyze the legal, regulatory, and ethical issues that may affect your selected business. Considerations may include local laws such as a ban on the use of plastic bags, the ability to post billboards, or a possible increased regulation on direct mail.
Technological Forces
Analyze whether your selected business will be affected by emerging technologies or trends in hardware and software industries.
Social Forces
Analyze social trends and how they may affect your selected business. Considerations may include if the business will be affected by demographic trends or a growing dependence on computers, or whether interest in your product might be affected by growing preferences in the way things are done or changing social values.
Current Target Markets
Define the business’s current target markets. Describe the demographic, geographic region, psychographics, and product usage of these targets.
Current Marketing Tactics
Review their current marketing tactics. Summarize how people find out about the product, how they get information about the product or service, what might be involved in the buying process, and what money is available for marketing. If your selected business is a start-up, describe their competitors’ current marketing.
SWOT Analysis
Assess your selected business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Then, evaluate how to address these in your marketing plan.