themarketingchick

So you have written the perfect mission statement – what is next?

Now you will need to look at the current marketing situation.  This area should present the relevant background data on sales cost, the market situation, competitors and any other situation that may be specific o you business.  You need to answer how your market will be defined – how large is it, how fast is it growing?  Are there any relevant trends either in your market or outside that may affect your market?  What is the product offering?  What are the critical issues facing your business?  Is there any historical information that may provide a context for your plan? 

You should by this time have enough information to do what is called a SWOT analysis.  This is a through analysis of your business’ Strengths, Weaknesses, the Opportunities and the Threats you face.  If you can not answer these – then you need to stop at this point and look into what is your SWOT plan.  You MUST know these before going any further in you marketing plan – otherwise you are wasting your time.  As you go along you may find that what you originally thought was a strength, may be a weakness, you will be able to address this later, but for now you need to make sure you are aware of what you face.