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A marketing plan clarifies the key marketing elements of a business and maps out directions, objectives, and activities for the business and its employees. This course tackles several aspects of a company's marketing and promotion plan such as the marketing mix (the 4Ps), the evaluation of marketing opportunities, researching, analyzing and identifying target markets and developing a strategic position for the company in order to implement the strategy. The course covers everything from preparation and implementation of the marketing plan to measuring and evaluating the results of the organizational marketing efforts.
The course employs a variety of case studies and exercises aimed at enhancing the right set of skills needed to develop and monitor the implementation of a strategic marketing plan. Group presentations and short debriefs related to different strategic marketing planning topics will also be integral parts of the course.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
Apply a logical step-by-step process to produce a sound marketing plan
Devise a marketing plan that builds on marketing audit findings
Use marketing audit findings to identify effective strategies and tactics
Develop the components of the strategic marketing plan
Identify and implement the different marketing warfare strategies (offensive, defensive and flanking)
General managers, marketing managers, product and sales managers will find excellent value in attending. Market researchers, planning managers, and other practicing managers associated with the development of marketing plans, will also significantly benefit from the course.
Micro and macro analysis
Setting marketing mix
Devising 'SMART' goals
Blue ocean strategies
Managing business portfolio
Producing a Boston Consulting Group matrix
Structuring a marketing plan
Course Outline
Scope and functions
Competitive pressures changing the world
The smart bomb strategic approach
Definition of strategic planning
Organizing the general planning framework
The marketing planning process
The benefits of planning
Reasons to write a marketing plan
The marketing plan format
The marketing planning process
Setting 'SMART' objectives and goals
Linking the marketing strategy to the vision, mission and objectives of the company
The business situation analysis
The components of a company’s environment
The framework for competitive analysis
Components of internal analysis
Components of external analysis
Competitive and customer analysis
Environmental analysis
'SWOT' analysis
The five forces diagram
Portfolio analysis and design (the Boston Consulting Group matrix)
Workshop: marketing analysis
Planning segmentation, targeting and Positioning
Basis for segmentation
Benefits of segmentation
The market segmentation process
Criteria for B to B segmentation
Effective positioning
Steps in market segmentation, targeting, and positioning
Creating a powerful value proposition
Workshop: crafting a value proposition and positioning
Strategy development
Considering different strategic alternatives ('TOWS' analysis)
Analyzing different marketing strategies
The growth strategy matrix
Factors shaping the choice of strategy
Blue ocean versus red ocean strategies
Workshop: formulating strategies and contingencies
Tactical planning applications
Setting the scene: the marketing mix
The components of the marketing mix
Using the marketing mix model
Workshop: setting the marketing mix
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