7 Steps to a Strategic Marketing Plan: Expert Tips + Examples

Do you have a fantastic product or service that just doesn’t get the recognition it deserves? You’re definitely not alone. 

Great ideas often go unnoticed simply because there isn’t a clear, targeted marketing plan to support them and help you connect with the right audience.

Well, it’s high time you stopped wasting your product’s potential just because your marketing plan isn’t good enough.

Whether you’re a marketing manager or executive, we’ll teach you how to make a marketing plan that gives you a competitive advantage and leads to commercial success. 

Keep reading!

What is a strategic marketing planning process?

A strategic marketing planning process is a procedure a company goes through to come up with a practical marketing plan. 

In other words, an actual marketing plan is the output of a marketing planning process. 

One of the main characteristics of a strategic marketing process is that it should focus on pursuing a specific marketing goal. This makes the process more feasible in the long run. 

The strategic marketing planning process, from initial planning to full implementation, typically lasts 1–3 years, depending on the company’s size. 

Usually, larger companies need more time to implement any changes. This is because these processes are often highly formalized at large companies — and need to go through several predetermined stages before they can take effect.

How to create a strategic marketing plan in 7 steps

Achieving a certain marketing goal is a lot easier if you follow a step-by-step strategy. 

Here are 7 proven steps that’ll lead you toward a successful strategic marketing plan.

Step 1: Pick a project management tool 

The marketing planning process requires you to stay on top of your tasks at all times. And, apart from actually creating the strategy, a marketer should implement it — task by task.

The marketing plan implementation process involves careful coordination, tracking, and ensuring that each task is completed on schedule.

Using a project management tool such as Plaky can make the entire process a lot easier as it helps you keep all relevant information in one centralized location.

Also, with a color-coded system,  you can categorize tasks, set priorities, and visualize progress more efficiently.

Tools like Plaky can also help improve project team communication, as they allow you to interact with your team directly within the project management app. 

Team members can leave comments, share files, and tag one another on specific tasks, ensuring that no detail is overlooked and every responsibility is clearly communicated.

At the very least, this will eliminate the need to rely on emails and other external apps. 

Step 2: Align your marketing goals with the company’s objectives 

In the initial stage of your strategic marketing planning process, you should determine your company’s primary mission and its values. 

Start by answering some of the following questions: 

• What do we plan to achieve? 
• What’s the purpose of our plan?
• What values do we keep to?
• What are our short-term and long-term goals and objectives?
• What’s our corporate vision?

Also, consider the company’s future plans, including:

• What the company will do,
• What the company might do, and
• What the company will never do.

Once you understand your company’s overall goals, you can align your marketing objectives with them.

Here are specific examples of how to align marketing goals with your company’s goals:

• If your company’s goal is to promote sustainability, then your marketing might need to be oriented toward eco-friendly marketing campaigns. 
• If your company aims to simplify remote work, then your marketing strategy should showcase specific solutions that make remote work easier.

Step 3: Research the market

Market research is a core part of your marketing efforts as it helps you understand your consumers’:

• Wants, 
• Needs, 
• Beliefs, and
• Behavior.

Market research gives you insights that’ll ultimately help you figure out the best way to market your product to customers. Essentially, you’ll know exactly how and why the product solves their problem.

To begin your market research, analyze the external factors that could influence your marketing strategy and incorporate them into your marketing plan.

One of the ways to analyze the external marketing environment is to conduct the PEST analysis; that is, to examine the following external factors:

• Political, 
• Economical, 
• Social, and 
• Technological.

Furthermore, try to understand current market trends and consumer behavior.

While market trends indicate recent developments in the marketplace, consumer behavior helps you understand consumers’ buying decisions and what drives them. 

On top of all, market research should include a competitive analysis. This includes determining major competitors, as well as comparing their products, pricing, strengths, and weaknesses. 

When analyzing competition, focus on the following questions:

• How much do the competitors invest in brand positioning, promotions, and advertising?
• What are their distribution channels?
• What are their new or improved products?
• What makes a competitor stand out from others?
• How does your product differ from competitors’?

Our contributor, Chief Sales Officer at Sopro, Steve Harlow, highlights the importance of conducting thorough market research before creating your marketing strategy, as it allows you to gather useful data and make informed decisions:

Step 4: Do a SWOT analysis

Implementing a SWOT analysis is a great way to analyze your own company’s position by identifying internal strengths and weaknesses in relation to external opportunities and threats. 

Let’s look at an example. Imagine there’s a new type of branded sunglasses that’s about to be introduced in the market. 

The brand in question, Isee, specializes in distributing eyeglasses. The brand has great online selling rates and wants to broaden its distribution to sunglasses. The demand for sunglasses is high, and the already established famous brands, such as Ray-Ban and Oakley, are the main competitors. 

So, what does the SWOT analysis say?

SWOT analysis
Strengths	Weaknesses
– New production methods provide the potential for new designs – Experience in online distribution channels	– No experience in distribution to brick-and-mortar stores – No experience in marketing sunglasses
Opportunities	Threats
– Large market – Consumer demand creates a demand for new products	– Strong competition – Possibility of new market entries

Here are a few additional tips for conducting a SWOT analysis:

• Include just a few paragraphs, focusing on key factors only.
• Include a summary of reasons for potential good or bad performance.
• Make it interesting to read.
• Include concise statements.
• Incorporate only relevant and important data.

Now we can move on to the next step — figuring out your marketing mix. 

Step 5: Determine your “marketing mix”

After you’ve determined your company’s objectives, as well as conducted internal and external analyses, you’re ready to proceed to the next stage of the marketing planning process — creating marketing strategies.

A successful marketing strategy is concerned with the marketing mix that includes the so-called four Ps:

• Product,
• Price,
• Place, and
• Promotion.

The four Ps represent the factors you should take into account when working on your marketing strategy.

Here’s why determining the four Ps is vital for both your marketing and sales strategy, according to Steve Harlow:

1: Product

To create a marketing strategy, as a marketer, you first need to understand the product, as well as gather all the information on the product’s:

• Modifications, 
• Additions,
• Design, 
• Branding, 
• Positioning, and
• Packaging.

2: Price

You also need to be well aware of the product’s price in relation to its value so that you can justify the price to potential customers.

When forming the price, you should consider the following:

• Supply costs,
• Seasonal discounts,
• Competitor’s prices, and
• Retail markup. 

3: Place

You need to think about the best distribution channels for your product too, i.e.:

• Physical stores, and/or
• Online stores.

Think of where your product will gain the most attention and reach its target audience — that’s the place you should opt for.

4: Promotion

Promotion includes advertising, public relations, and the overall media strategy for introducing a product. It includes figuring out the best way to promote your product and choosing an appropriate media strategy.

Promotion encompasses the many different ways you can communicate with potential customers and various channels you can rely on, such as:

• Advertising,
• PR,
• Sales promotions,
• Social networking,
• Digital marketing, and more.

Steve Harlow advises focusing on the most appropriate marketing channel first:

Step 6: Set a budget

At this point, it’s good to determine everything related to your current marketing expenditures, including:

• Advertising,
• Digital assets (e.g., a website, content production, etc.),
• Promotions,
• Marketing events, and
• Sponsorships.

Now is also the right moment to calculate the costs of future marketing activities.

Be especially careful when it comes to incremental marketing expenses, as those are all costs incurred after the product launch, other than those involved in its physical distribution. 

Most importantly, any form of discounting that reduces the expected gross income is considered an incremental marketing expense. 

Specifically, incremental marketing expenses include costs such as: 

• Promotional discounts, 
• Quantity discounts,
• Sales commission, and 
• Unpaid invoices.

Step 7: Review and update

The final step is quite simple — review and revise the marketing plan and be ready to make changes as you go.

As you’ve probably noticed, all the steps are tightly related to each other and shouldn’t be seen as independent, but as interconnected. This means they can and likely will affect each other.

Plus, it’s only normal that the external and internal factors change over time. That’s why it is important to update the marketing plan when necessary.

With project management software like Plaky, you don’t need to worry about having your laptop with you at all times. 

When you’re on the go but need to share the latest update with the team, simply open the Plaky iOS or Android mobile app and enter the necessary changes. Your teammates will be notified of the updates immediately.  

As for reviews, keep in mind that it’s best to do a monthly or quarterly review of your marketing plan to prevent typical implementation pitfalls, such as:

• Losing strategic focus — It happens when you lose sight of where you’re exactly going with your plan.
• Lack of motivation — When there’s no strong drive behind the strategy, it may cause marketers to focus primarily on operational decisions rather than the strategic goals.
• Lack of prioritization — Having too many ‘top priority’ projects often leads to failure.
• Quitting too soon — Don’t expect to see the results too soon, as strategic marketing planning requires patience.
• Overlooking achievements — Don’t forget to recognize and reward important milestones.

Strategic marketing plan example

Based on the above steps, here’s an example of a strategic marketing plan:

Summary

Our purpose is to launch a new line of eco-friendly running shoes, EcoRun, that combines sustainability and performance.

Our key goals are to capture 10% market share within the first year, increase brand visibility by 25%, and generate $5M in revenue.

Company overview

Our mission is to provide high-performance, eco-friendly athletic wear that supports sustainability.

Our vision is for EcoRun to become the leading brand in sustainable sportswear.

Our values include innovation, sustainability, transparency, and quality.

Marketing goals

We want to promote sustainability by highlighting recycled materials used in EcoRun shoes. 

Also, we’ll create campaigns showcasing athletic performance and environmental impact.

Our SMART goals are:

• Sell 15,000 pairs of EcoRuns within 6 months (specific),
• Achieve 15,000 social media engagements monthly (measurable), 
• Partner with 20 influencers who promote sustainability (achievable),
• Align product messaging with sustainability goals (relevant), and
• Complete these milestones within the first year (time-bound).

Market research

Our ideal customer is:

• An adult, aged 25 to 40 with an income of circa $50,000, who lives in an urban or suburban area.
• Eco-conscious, health-focused, tech-savvy, and values quality and sustainability in the products they choose.

Here’s the PEST analysis:

PEST analysis
Political factors	Economic factors
Growing government incentives for eco-friendly businesses	Higher disposable incomes among our target demographics
Social factors	Technological factors
Increased awareness of climate change and demand for sustainable products	Advances in recycled material manufacturing

Here’s the competitive analysis:

• Competitor 1 invests heavily in advertising and focuses on high-tech athletic shoes but lacks a strong sustainability focus.
• Competitor 2 offers eco-friendly shoes, but these have limited performance features and appeal to a niche market.

The SWOT analysis

SWOT analysis
Strengths	Weaknesses
We stand out with our innovative use of recycled materials and an established e-commerce platform.	Our experience with high-performance athletic footwear is limited, and sustainable materials increase production costs.
Opportunities	Threats
There’s a growing demand for sustainable products, potential partnerships with environmental NGOs, and room for international market expansion.	– Intense competition from established brands – Risks of supply chain disruptions – Potential consumer skepticism about greenwashing

Marketing mix 

Product:

The shoes are made with 80% recycled materials, designed to be water-resistant and lightweight, with customizable colors and styles. We’ll brand them under the tagline: “Run Green. Stay Strong.” The packaging will be made of 100% biodegradable materials.

Price:

At $120 per pair, we’ll position EcoRun as a premium product reflecting both quality and sustainability.

Place:

We’ll sell directly to consumers via e-commerce and through eco-friendly retail stores in urban areas, targeting cities with high eco-conscious populations.

Promotion:

Our promotional strategy will include social media campaigns, blog posts, content marketing, influencer partnerships, eco events, and paid ads. Campaigns like “Step Into Sustainability” will highlight the environmental impact of choosing EcoRun.

Budget

Budget breakdown
Current expenditures
Advertising:	$500,000
Digital assets:	$200,000
Promotions and sponsorships:	$150,000
Future costs
Incremental marketing expenses:	$100,000
Discounts and sales commissions:	$50,000

Implementation

Timeline:

• Month 1-2: Finalize product design and manufacturing
• Month 3: Launch digital campaigns and pre-orders
• Month 4-6: Expand influencer outreach and host launch events

Key tasks and responsibilities:

• The marketing team will handle content creation and campaign management.
• The sales team will focus on retail partnerships and distribution logistics.
• An external agency will manage influencer contracts and PR efforts.
• The SEO team will optimize website traffic, conversion rates, and social media engagement.

Review and update 

• Review frequency: monthly and quarterly
• Key metrics to assess include sales targets and brand visibility. 
• Based on consumer feedback and market trends, we’ll adjust campaigns and refocus priorities if our initial goals aren’t met.

Get a head start with Plaky’s marketing plan template

Don’t worry if everything doesn’t go exactly according to your plan, as the best strategic marketing plan is a flexible plan.

To make your planning easier, Plaky offers a ready-to-use marketing strategy template that spares you the trouble of starting from scratch.

This customizable template saves you valuable time and keeps you and your team on track, so you can focus on what really matters — your results!

Plaky’s strategy plan template is already broken into Q1 and Q2 sections, making it easier to tackle your plan step by step.

Breaking down the marketing strategy into manageable phases is useful for better workflow management and board organization as it allows easier navigation across the board.

With customizable fields, you can also tweak each task to match your specific needs, which helps you keep everything clear and organized. 

Here are the fields already built into the strategy plan template:

• Assignee — Tag one person or multiple people responsible for the task to increase accountability and ensure everyone knows their role.
• Status — Assign different statuses to tasks (e.g., to do, in progress, or done) to better prioritize tasks.
• Date — Manage due dates to avoid missed deadlines.
• Tag — Manage your tasks by categories, (e.g., by department) to increase visibility and simplify organization. 
• Link — Add important links directly to tasks so as not to waste time digging through emails or chats.

Overall, Plaky is an excellent marketing project management software, as it:

• Facilitates cross-department collaboration — You can use dedicated boards to share critical information across departments and teams.
• Speeds up campaign launches — You’ll delegate tasks to the right people for faster execution.
• Simplifies progress tracking — You’ll have real-time access to important information and easily monitor progress.
• Saves time in execution — You can communicate directly within the board and ensure a more streamlined workflow.

So what are you waiting for? Create a strategic marketing plan in just a few clicks in Plaky! 

Get started with Plaky