The Strategic Marketing Plan

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

This course is endorsed by the Institute of Sales Management (ISM).