Marketing Communications

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Marketing Communications
Promotion Planning And Techniques

MAKING AN EFFECTIVE MARKETING PLAN

1. Make a sales forecast, which is a projection of the revenue the company expects in a specified
   time period.


2. Establish potential sales-volume and profit targets and expected market share.


3. Translate the sales forecast into specific product, customer, market territory and volume
   goals. Every marketing personnel must know the quotas they should achieve.


4. Plan to make changes in the marketing plan or make a contingency plan along with operating
   plan in anticipation of any eventual changes in the market.


5. Secure management’s commitment and approval for the plan.


6. Evaluate result against objective periodically. Do not wait till the end of the operating period
   to determine if objectives are achieved or not.


7. Alter objectives when necessary to bring results into line with objectives.

GUIDELINES FOR AN EFFECTIVE PROMOTION PLANS

1. PROMOTION PLANS SHOULD BE RELEVANT: they should lead to the achievement of
   the promotion objectives. Both excess achievement and under achievement must be noted.
   Excess achievement situation may require a reduction in the budget to save unnecessary
   expenditure of promotion funds.


2. PROMOTION PLANS SHOULD BE PRACTICAL: the financial and human resources of the
   company and its subsidiaries should be adequate to achieve promotion objectives.


3. PROMOTION PLANS SHOULD BE COMPLETE AND DETAILED – problems should be
   anticipated and contingency provisions should be included for coordination with other
   parts of the company.


4. PROMOTION PLANS SHOULD STATE EXACTLY WHO HAS RESPONSIBILITY AND
   AUTHORITY – for carrying out each part of the plan.


5. PROMOTION PLANS SHOULD HAVE A SCHEDULE – stating when each of the activities
   is to take place.


6. PROMOTION PLANS SHOULD INCLUDE SPECIFIC COSTS – attached to each part of
   the plan, so that control measures can be taken.


7. PROMOTION PLANS SHOULD BE COORDINATED – with one another and with the
   overall marketing programme.


8. PROMOTION PLANS SHOULD BE WRITTEN – to make certain that all responsible
   personnel should have the same interpretations of the plans.

These guidelines, when used properly during preparation of promotion plan, can encourage easy

approval from top management. (Stanley, 1977; Kotler, 1980 and 1997)