All Roads Lead (Back) to the Marketing Plan
On LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) I’ve seen an uptick over the last few months of posts asking what defines a “marketing strategy.”
It makes sense that social media posts about this phrase are on the rise. Year to date, we are at a high point of Google searches for “marketing strategy”:
Range: 1/1/2023 - 10/28/2023
As a marketing consultant and as a marketing practitioner both in-house and freelance for clients since 2006, I would argue that marketing strategy encompasses the following:
Your organization’s mission. (Many firms go further and also define their vision.)
Who you serve (your ideal customer, or client, profile; also known as an ICP).
How you will achieve your mission (and vision if applicable). This speaks to marketing labor, channels, and tactics.
The timeframe in which you’re tracking progress toward your goals (most firms use a calendar year to make it simple).
Guess what? Everything in 1-4 above is the marketing plan!
OK, we’ve established that an effective marketing strategy points to the need for a marketing plan. But what about other key functions that small business and nonprofit executives care about? Let’s explore the major functions for most organizations.
To do this, I’ll use Indeed’s 15 Examples of Business Functions. Here they are, with context that I added on how each function intersects with the marketing plan:
Strategy
It’s rare that small firms or nonprofits have a dedicated Strategy function. However, a marketing plan serves a need here by aligning the Marketing department’s strategy and goals to the overall organizational strategy as outlined by the executive team.Finance
The Finance team’s budget line for the Marketing department ➡️ annual marketing budget that’s the starting place for the entire marketing plan. Marketing labor and all costs for app subscriptions, etc., flow from the overall marketing department number from the Finance team. If a cost can’t be justified within this number, then it’s not included in the marketing plan.Sales and Marketing
An organization can merge Sales staff and assets with the Marketing department, or keep it separate. When it’s separate, we’ve most often seen the Sales function called “Sales” or sometimes “Business Development.” If “Sales and Marketing” is one department, then all related labor, apps, and assets fall under the marketing plan. If Sales is separate from Marketing, then Sales has an annual plan and budget, and Marketing has its own annual plan and budget.Research and Development
In recent years, out in the field we’ve seen that a dedicated R&D department is rare — more commonly, R&D roles are absorbed by other functions. In terms of a marketing plan, the product (including the minimum viable product, or MVP) is what’s pushed into the marketplace and sold by the Marketing function.Information Technology
IT staff maintain the website and email hosting and phone service that allows Marketing staff to do their job as outlined in the marketing plan. If you have a dedicated IT department manager, he or she may split the annual cost of website and email hosting with Marketing. If not, then the marketing plan usually contains all these costs.Customer Service
In smaller firms and nonprofits, this function is usually handled by a dedicated CS department, or by Administration, whose staff can be charged with performing CS functions. Typically the marketing plan gets involved in this when a customer or client interacts with your firm on platforms where Marketing staff works, such as in email campaign replies or replies on Facebook, Instagram, etc.Human Resources
The marketing plan tie-in here is Marketing Director/Manager/CMO (whose role is funded from the Marketing budget) ➡️ approved new team member hiring decision, or existing staff promotion or disciplinary decision ➡️ HR manager.Design
Unless you run an architecture firm, or similar where design is a key function that needs to stand alone, like Strategy and R&D above, in recent years Design has faded in popularity as its own function. Many design roles now fall under Marketing (and its annual plan), such as graphic designer and video editor.Communications
Nonprofits are among a small bastion of firms that still maintain a Communications function that can be separate from Marketing. Much more commonly today, staff with “communication” in their title fall within the Marketing function.Governance
These days, Governance is limited to some nonprofits as well as for-profits in specific industries where regulation and government affairs are part and parcel to the core work conducted. The tie-in here is marketing plan ➡️ Marketing Director/Manager/CMO ➡️ interaction with the Governance team lead as needed on certain projects.Production
The Indeed article that inspired this list cites factory staff who make the core product sold or a bakery’s kitchen where its food goods for sale are produced as falling under the Production function. This function is usually more limited in its interaction with the marketing plan. One example where it applies is if a Marketing team member photographs or videos a Production team member for use on a firm’s website or social media, or in an email campaign. In these cases, HR will likely be involved as well when it comes to having the featured employee sign a media release form.Sourcing
This is another function that’s become more antiquated in recent years, as its role in managing the purchase costs for materials, components, equipment, supplies, and services tends to fall under Operations within smaller firms and nonprofits. If you do have a dedicated Sourcing function, this department’s manager works with the Marketing team lead to delineate, or in some cases to split, the costs for equipment, supplies, and services used by Marketing.Quality Management
Like other functions on this list, in recent years the trend has been largely to absorb the core goal of this function within other functions. For example, at a software development firm, the Production lead often handles QM for the product its team produces. In turn, the Marketing Director/Manager/CMO manages the quality of the product that its team generates. If you maintain a dedicated QM function, the Marketing Director/Manager/CMO (and by extension, the marketing plan) may interact with it for specific projects or product iterations.Distribution
While this is another function whose roles are typically folded into other functions, especially in smaller firms, the marketing plan touches Distribution in terms of how a product looks (especially when it comes to the packaging), how a service looks and works, and the ways in which both are delivered.Operations
There’s a lot of variance in how Operations is deployed in firms today. Indeed’s article notes that, “A restaurant's operations are in the kitchen, often run by an executive chef, while an office manager and administrative team run operations for a doctor or lawyer practice.” In small firms as well as nonprofits, I’ve most often seen this function either handled by the CEO or founder, or tasked to a dedicated operations manager. This person or group is involved in increasing efficiency, and usually has the best understanding of money going out and coming in. Thus, the marketing plan touches Operations in terms of when marketing-related subscriptions are turned on and off, and when any other programs or products that enable the Marketing team to do their job better are purchased.
If you’re still reading, I hope you now have a better understanding of how a marketing plan filters the work of not just the Marketing team, but many — if not all — other organizational functions. Your marketing plan should be so compelling and comprehensive that, if your CEO or founder and his or her operational plan were to disappear, you could use it to put the most vital pieces back in place to keep your firm running.
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