How to Write a Marketing Plan

Part 4: Tactical Marketing Programs

3. Promotion Issues
Describe the decisions related to how the product will be promoted. In general, promotion consists of four major areas – advertising, sales promotion, public relations and personal selling – though not all may be used. Timetables for promotion are important since certain types of promotions (e.g., magazine ads, trade shows) require long lead times. Most information in this section can be shown in tables and graphs. Each of the four promotion areas is separated out, however, some planners find it easier to combine the areas. For instance, the promotional areas could be combined within special promotion programs, such as Holiday Promotion Program, Summer Promotion Program, etc. (Length: 1-4 pages)

• Brief summary of current promotional decisions for users and distributors in terms of:
  • General description for four promotional areas:
    • advertising
    • sales promotion
    • personal selling
    • public relations 
  • Message/theme
  • Methods used:
    • Summarize methods used
    • Summarize spending for each method
  • Interrelation of four promotional areas
    • e.g., explain how advertising supports sales promotion
• Identify planned changes:
  • Summarize changes
  • Justify changes:
    • Due to results
    • Due to research
    • Due to competition
    • Others
• Describe planned changes:
  • Identify changes directed to the targeted user market:
    • General description for four promotional areas:
    • Objectives
      • Advertising - e.g.,  build general awareness/inquiries/traffic, encourage product trial, shift awareness (e.g., change attitude), response to competitor promotion, increase use or purchase rate, support other market decisions (e.g., support sales force), general corporate/product image building, etc.
      • Sales promotion - e.g., build inquires, increase product trial, encourage repurchase, build traffic, support other promotions
      • Personal selling - e.g., new account development, account support/maintenance, increase product trial, encourage purchase/repurchase, build traffic, support other promotions
      • Public relations - e.g., build general awareness/inquiries/traffic, encourage product trial, shift awareness (e.g., change attitude), respond to negative news/perception, image building, prepare markets for future activity (e.g., new product)
    • Methods and message:
      • type and media used: e.g., ad type (e.g., television spots, Internet banner ads, roadside billboards, direct mail, etc.) , sales promotion type (e.g., coupons, demonstrations, etc.), selling type (e.g., sales force, call center), pr type (e.g., press release, pitch to magazines, etc.)
      • message conveyed
    • Spending and timetables
      • total
      • sub-divided by:
        • type
          • e.g., ad spending, sales force compensation
        • media used
        • targeted users
  • Identify planned changes directed to the distributor network:
    • General description
    • Objectives
      • Advertising - e.g., build general awareness/inquiries, encourage product handling, shift awareness (e.g., change attitude), response to competitor promotion, increase purchase rate, support other market decisions (e.g., support sales force), general corporate/product image building, etc.
      • Sales promotion - e.g.,  build inquires, encouraging inventory building, support other promotions, encourage handling of new products, obtain distributor assistance
      • Personal Selling - e.g., new account development, account support/maintenance, encourage purchase/repurchase/inventory building
      • Public Relations - e.g., build general awareness/inquiries/traffic, encourage distribution trial, shift awareness (e.g., change attitude), respond to negative news/perception, image building, prepare markets for future activity (e.g., new product)
    • Methods and message
      • type and media
      • message conveyed
    • Spending and timetables
      • total
      • sub-divided by:
        • type
        • media used
        • targeted distributor network