Marketing Template - Marketing Strategy

LOCATING TARGET MARKETS 
If any "channel" is involved then mention channel also as a target market
If any strong influencer is involved then mention the influencer also as target market
If B2B then define the DMU and answer this issue 

• Define customers 
• Estimate their numbers
• Classify them in the most relevant way 
• Figure out relative attractiveness of these segments
• Select the primary and secondary target segments 

POSITIONING US IN THESE TARGET MARKETS

For each target market work out

• who are the target customers?
  whom do we want to serve?
  who is the hero of our stories ?
• what is the application?
  the battle arena
• what is the payoff the customers want?
  What brings tension relief?
  what do the target customers want to achieve / fix / avoid ?
• Readiness of our target customers?
  Do they have a plan, budget, criteria. mission, organization
• what are they doing now ?
  who are we competing against ?
• How relevant / important is the role of we offer to our customers?
  Or the role of the solution provider is bigger?
• are we market developers or market fighters?
  we sell category or product?
• what is our offer?
  what weapons are we using? what is our marketing mix?
• How is our offer better than others?
  how our mix is better than those competing for the same customer / application

ROUTE TO MARKET

What "search paradigm" have we assumed for which segment

• If "searching" for customers directly or through partners answer
• how will we identify prospects
• how will we reach and engage prospects
• how will we communicate and convince
• how will we close and invoice
• how will we deliver and collect
• how will we train and handhold
• how will we support 
• how will we be there whenever there is a need or an opportunity

• If the customer "searches" for us
• where will they come from
• criteria for their selection
• what will be their job description
• how will we motivate and compensate them

• Number of  people and organization needed to achieve the above

Marketing Template 1 : Situation Analysis : 5 Cs

5Cs ANALYSIS

COMPANY

• What % of the company sales / profits come from the market ? 
• How important is it to expand (defend) this revenue for the company? 
• Is the product crucial to the vendor network of the company?
• Is the product crucial to the sales network of the company? 
• Does this product absorb a lot of the fixed cost (capacity) of the company's facility?
• Is this product pivotal to the company - and in what respect ?
• How this product impacted by (and impacting) other products of the company?
• How important is this product to the branding and pride of the company?

CUSTOMER

• Number of Industry customers and product customers
• Geographical concentration of these customers
• Description of who (Decision Making Unit) decides 
• Search behavior / extent / habits / purchase steps of the customers 
• Need status (latent, surfaced, active )
• Whether Budget and Mission exists 
• Consideration set of these customers
• Bias if any of these customers
• How accessible are these customers
• Demographic / Lifestyle / Media Usage Profile of Industry/Product customers

COMPETITORS

• Different strategic groups in the same industry
• who are your primary and secondary customers
• Current and future competitors
• For each major competitor assess likelihood of a strong reaction
• What % of the company sales / profits come from the product ? 
• How important is it to expand (defend) this revenue for the company? 
• Is the product crucial to the vendor or sales network of the company?
• Does the product absorb a lot of the company's capacity?
• Is this product pivotal to the company ?
• How this product impacted by (and impacting) other products of the company?
• How important is this product to the branding and pride of the company? 

COLLABORATORS

• Different collaborator groups in the industry
• who are the primary and secondary collaborators
• Current and future collaborators
• For each collaborators assess the likelihood of drafting them 
• what % of the sales /profits come from the product under question?
• How important is it to expand (defend) this revenue from the company?
• Is the product crucial to the sales network of the company? 
• Does this product absorb a lot of the fixed capacity of the company's facility?
• Is this product pivotal to the company - and in what respect ?
• How this product impacted by (and impacting) other products of the company?
• How important is this product to the branding and pride of the company?

CONTEXT 

• PESTEL factors that will increase / reduce customers 
• PESTEL factors that will increase / reduce competitors
• PESTEL factors that will increase / reduce collaborators
• PESTEL that will increase / decrease value of assets
• PESTEL that will increase / decrease the value of liabilities