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The Marketing Plan
The marketing plan describes strategies aimed at achieving objectives to get goods and
services to customers. These strategies are based on tools and techniques referred to
as the "four P's" or the marketing mix: product, price, place and promotion.
Product consists of the products and services that your social enterprise furnishes; it is
characterized by quality, assortment, packaging, and guarantees.
Price is the amount you will charge customers for the products or services.
Promotion is how you will create awareness of your products or services in the
marketplace; advertising, publicity, and sales are aspects of promotion.
Place (distribution) is how you will bring your products or services to your customers;
distribution comprises wholesalers, retailers, multilevel marketers, and sales
representatives.
The marketing mix is a set of tools and techniques social enterprises use to achieve
their marketing objectives in their target market. Your marketing plan will
emphasize certain "P's" in its mix more than others.
The following questions are guidelines to help you organize your marketing plan; you
are not required to follow them to the letter. For explanations on any aspect of this
marketing template refer to: “The Marketing Plan” in “Managing the Double Bottom
Line” (Alter 2000)
Target Market
1. Background
What is the social problem or market failure your social enterprise is seeking to
mitigate?
What is the main strategy (theory of social impact / social change) your social
enterprise is using to mitigate / reduce market failure?
2. Customer
Who are your customers? Who is paying for your service or product?
Which customers are the most important (primary, secondary, tertiary, etc.)? Do you
have different customers for different products?
How are your customers related to the “clients” or beneficiaries of your social
enterprise?
What are the implications for your marketing plan with respect to your clients or
beneficiaries?
3. Customer Levels
What are the different customer levels for your product?
Decision Maker
(decides to purchase)
Social Enterprise Customer Levels
Influencer
Purchaser (who
Final Consumer
(influences
decision)
buys it)
(who uses it)
How do the customer levels impact your marketing?
4. Customer Profile
Customer Profile
Trait
Demographic
Geographic
Psychographic
Behavioral
Customer #1
Customer #2
Customer #3
5. Customer Purchasing Habits and Buying Sensitivities
What are the buying habits of your customers?
Customer Purchasing Habits
Purchasing Habits
Reason for purchase
Customer
Number of times will try
Frequency of purchase
Quantities purchased
Motivation for use
How/where product is purchased
Payment method
Time to make purchase decision
Which are the most important factors motivating a customer to buy your product or
service?
Buying Sensitivities
Level of Influence
Key: H = high
M = medium
L = low
0 = no influence
Sensitivity traits
Price
Quality
Brand
Product features
Sales Staff
Advertising
Ease of use
Customer
H
M
L
0
Convenience of purchase
Location
Shopping ambiance
Customer service
Refunds/returns
Availability of Credit
Service/maintenance
Peer recommendations
6. Market size and future trends
What is the approximate size of your target market? Is the market expanding; or
shrinking?
What changes do you predict in the demographics or profile of your target market?
Will market trends change how or when customers use your product or service? Or
affect your customers' ability to afford your product or service?
How will changes in social awareness and values affect your product or service?
Marketing Plan
1. Marketing Objectives
What objectives are you trying to achieving in your marketing plan?
2. Value Proposition
What is the value proposition – for you product? Is this different than your social value
proposition?
3. Product Plan
Describe your product or service.
Product Features and Benefits - What are the features and corresponding benefits
of your product?
Product/Service Features and Benefits Table
Product/Service #1
Features
Benefits
Product Life Cycle is the process through which a product enters, grows, saturates,
and leaves the market. How does the stage of a product's life cycle impact the
marketing strategy?
Product strategy: Which changes will be made to enhance each product's features?
What marketing benefits will these changes yield?
How does customers’ profile influence your product plan?
4. Distribution Plan (Place)
The distribution plan articulates how you will get your products or services to your
customers. A good distribution strategy should give attention to efficacy, efficiency,
cost, and customer service.
Where are your primary targeted markets located? Secondary markets? Total number
of markets that you intend to reach?
What method will be used to distribute product/service at every level of the distribution
chain?
What staff and/or contractors are required to carry out distribution strategy?
How does customers’ profile influence your distribution plan?
5. Price Strategy
What is the basic price for each product or service? How have you set the price?
Is the price different for different customers (i.e. whole sale verses retail customers)?
What is your price strategy relative to volume and quality?
Is price a competitive advantage for your social enterprise's product?
How sensitive is your customer to price? How do you know that customer has the ability
and willingness to pay for the product?
Does the price strategy include discounts and allowances, one price vs. flexible pricing,
different prices for different geographical locations? If so, how?
How does customers’ profile shape your price plan?
6. Promotion Plan
Give 3-5 adjectives to describe the image of your social enterprise and/or your product?
What is the promotional message of your social enterprise?
Promotional Vehicles are the various marketing mediums used to inform your target
market of your products and services.
What promotional vehicles do you use? How effectively do they reach your customers?
Do promotional vehicles fit with the image of your enterprise? What is the annual cost
to use these vehicles? (Fill out chart)
Promotional Vehicle
1 (low) - 5 (high)
Vehicle
Reach
Fit
Frequency
Cost
(per year)
-
-
-
-
Promotion Strategy informs your target market about your enterprise and its
products/services and contributes toward achieving marketing objectives.
What is the promotional strategy for your product? What is the marketing objective to
be achieved? What are the promotional vehicles you plan to use and the strategic
rationale for these choices?
Promotional Strategy
Marketing
Objective
Product
Promotional
Vehicle
Strategic Rationale
Promotional Strategy Summary:
How does customers’ profile inform your promotional plan?
Marketing Assumptions
What assumptions is your marketing plan is based on?