Running your marketing communication activities in a structured manner and with a clear link to your business objectives will yield a return on your investment. It will also help you adapt quickly to changing environments like we are experiencing with COVID-19. In 2021 the focus will remain on navigating through the rest of the pandemic towards the economic rebound we are all hoping and waiting for. A well-structured plan will help your business come back stronger.
A marketing (communication) plan clearly describes your approach. It’s all about summarizing WHAT is to be said, WHEN and WHERE it is to be said, and WHOM you should be reaching with your message.
It doesn’t have to be complicated. You can start with a short description of all actions and add a timeline and a budget for each activity. And still, I come across many B2B companies who keep on executing their marketing communication activities on an ad-hoc basis. It is still not too late to create your plan for 2021. I will give you a few more reasons why developing a marketing communication plan is a good idea, and give you the opportunity to download my template, so you can get started right away;
REASON 1: YOU GET TO KNOW YOUR MARKET BETTER.
When you develop a marketing communication plan, you will start by investigating your market. You will study the market where you want to launch your products. You will research the competition and your target group. You will take a detailed look at your products and services to determine how you will position and present these to your target group.
Developing a marketing communication plan enables you to have a well-thought-out approach. You will think through what you will do, for whom, and in what manner. That is why it will increase your chance of success.
REASON 2: YOU WILL GET A BETTER INSIGHT IN YOUR POSSIBILITIES AND CAPABILITIES.
Another critical part of your plan is the SWOT analysis. You will identify your strong and weak points and how you can improve them. You will also look at the opportunities and threats coming from outside of your company for your products, services, and your company as a whole. And how you can address them.
Because of this analysis, you will be better prepared. You can play your strong points, improve your weak points, take advantage of opportunities on the market, and prepare for any threats coming your way.
REASON 3: YOU CAN EVALUATE YOUR ACTIVITIES IN A BETTER WAY
In a marketing communication plan, you have to take the time to determine your company’s objectives in sales, market share, and profit and all areas of concern that may influence these objectives. You start to think about how you can increase your market share (for example, by cross-selling to existing customers, attracting new customers) and how marketing communication activities can contribute. That’s why you must work with the right departments within your company when creating the plan, such as Sales, Human Resources, Business Development, to give a few examples.
If you set actual key performance indicators (KPI’s) and make your objectives SMART, you can evaluate each activity’s return. If needed, you can adapt your approach.
REASON 4: YOU STAY FOCUSED
Once you have acquired all the insights you need, and you and your colleagues have defined the matching marketing communication objectives, you will determine the strategies and tactics to achieve them. You will describe in which way you can support. For each product and service, you will determine a specific strategy. You also decide the marketing communication mix and the budgets needed.
REASON 5: YOU CAN ALWAYS RELY ON YOUR PLANNING.
In your final planning, you will set up all actions needed, when, who will do them, and what they will cost. These actions need to link to the objectives you want to reach. Your planned activities will also have a beginning and end time. If you make your objectives S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time Based), it is easy to track progress and report on the results.
You see, a marketing plan doesn’t have to be very long or complicated. With a well-written plan, you will determine the right target group for each objective, set up the right activities, and you will know the budget needed. With this approach, you avoid last minute and ad hoc activities. And, creating your content strategy will be much easier, because you will have developed a good foundation!
So let’s get to work and get your 2021 plan ready before the Christmas holidays!
As a bonus, I offer you my marketing communication template I created many years ago, and I keep improving it year after year. Those who work(ed) closely with me will recognize many elements in it.
DOWNLOAD THE TEMPLATE
If you are a B2B marketer, you are also welcome to join my Facebook Group “Ambitious B2B Marketers”, a group of ambitious marketers and entrepreneurs in B2B, sharing tips, tricks, and best practices that will help you further improve and leverage your marketing communication efforts!
Good luck with writing your marketing communication plan!
Do you want to develop a marketing communication plan for your company, but don’t know where to start?
Don’t hesitate to contact me. I would love to help you!
Katja

My name is Katja De Witte. I’m a marketer at heart with 20 years of experience in B2B Marketing Communication and I’am passionate about content. I’m the founder of Accretios, and support business leaders and marketers in various sectors to increase their visibility, generate new leads, and boost their brand with content marketing. Next to leading Accretios, I’m also Communication Director at Air Liquide for Northern Europe.
I make full use of my expertise and experience within the industry, working with a team of specialized copywriters and social media specialists. Besides setting up a well-founded marketing communication strategy, we can also write your blog posts, social media posts, newsletters, e-books, and white papers.