How to Write a Marketing Plan That You'll Actually Use

A marketing plan should make next Monday easier. If yours is too long to remember or too vague to act on, it's not a plan — it's a wish list. Here's the structure we use with clients, and it fits on one page.

1. One clear goal

Pick the single most important result for the next 90 days: more enquiries, more bookings, a successful launch, higher prices. Make it measurable.

2. Know exactly who you're talking to

Describe your ideal customer in a few sentences: what they need, what they worry about, and where they look for help. Every other decision flows from this.

3. One message

What's the one thing you want them to remember? Write it in a single sentence your customer would actually say out loud.

4. Three channels, maximum

Choose the few places where your customers already are — Google search, Instagram, LinkedIn, email, events, partnerships — and commit to them. Spreading thin across everything is the most common reason marketing doesn't work.

5. A weekly rhythm and a budget

Decide what gets done each week and who does it. Set a realistic budget, then review results monthly and move money to what works.

Need help building your marketing strategy? SB Consulting works with businesses in Pretoria, across South Africa and in Europe to turn plans into results.