In today’s market, having a solid marketing plan is not just a nice-to-have—it is vital for your business. With a sea of strategies swirling around, it is tough to figure out which ones actually work.
So, I did the heavy lifting. I tapped into the minds of 16 top marketing experts, and the result is a simple, no-fluff 19-point B2B marketing plan checklist. This checklist covers everything from truly understanding your customers to making sure you stand out from the competition.
This isn’t just another generic guide. It’s packed with practical advice that will give your strategy the jolt it needs.
Are you ready to level up your marketing game? Let’s get into it.
Key Concepts of a Marketing Plan
A marketing plan isn’t just a bunch of pages gathering dust; it’s a guide that helps a business reach its goals. The first stop? Knowing who we’re selling to—not just their names but the paths they take before handing over their cash. Once we figure out their journey, we know exactly where to meet them.
A good marketing plan also looks at our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT), along with what our competitors are doing. This helps us define what makes us unique and shape our message to attract the right audience.
We must also remember that marketing today is a numbers game. Data rules. We tweak the plan, analyze the results, and do it all with one goal: making the customer happy. Solve their problems, and they’ll keep coming back.
Also, flexibility is crucial in a fast-changing market. The market moves fast. If we’re not agile, we get left behind. Trends change, and so must we. And when we do it right, we don’t just survive—we grow.
In the end, it all boils down to this: a successful marketing plan ties these concepts together, keeping us focused, flexible, and customer-driven.
19-Point Marketing Plan Checklist From 16 Experts
For this research, I selected the crème de la crème of marketing experts. Each expert contributes valuable insights, ensuring the strategies shared are practical and effective for B2B and other businesses. The 19 marketing plan checklists are based on case studies and content from 16 of these professionals. My goal is to provide you with a well-rounded view of key marketing strategies.
These checklists cover four essential areas of a marketing plan:
- Who is your customer? (Hint: It’s not everyone.)
- Why should they choose your brand? (Because you’re awesome, duh.)
- How to boost that sweet, sweet revenue.
- And of course, how to actually reach your customer.
This approach provides a clear, step-by-step guide to help grow your brand and engage customers more effectively.
Checklist 1 – Ideal Audience
George Dearing, a marketing expert with over 15 years of experience, suggests that knowing your target market is crucial.
For instance, if your company sells software to financial firms, you must understand what matters most to them. This could be things like regulatory compliance or data security.
According to Dearing, here’s how you do it:
- Begin by noting the key details about your target audience. This could be their industry, the size of their company, or their job roles.
- Go deeper by considering their attitudes, values, and motivations.
- What are their business goals?
- What challenges do they face?
- Figure out how they like to get information.
- Do they prefer white papers, webinars, or in-person meetings?
For more tips on George Dearing’s strategies and how to use them in your marketing, check out his LinkedIn profile.
Checklists 2 and 3 – Workflow Plan and How to Answer Clients’ FAQ
This marketing plan checklist for B2B helps you create flexible workflows and answer common customer questions. The tips come from Neil Patel, a well-known marketing expert and co-founder of NP Digital and Ubersuggest.
Let’s look at the two B2B marketing plan checklists:
Checklist 2 – Flexible Workflow Plan
Here’s how to do it:
- Plan well in advance but remain adaptable to changes in market conditions or client needs.
- Clearly define roles and responsibilities for your team to ensure efficient management.
- Implement tools like project management software to track progress and adjust timelines.
- Develop templates for everyday tasks to streamline processes and reduce repetitive work.
Checklist 3 – How to Address Customer FAQs?
Here’s how to do it:
- Collect frequently asked questions from sales and customer support teams.
- Craft thorough and precise responses to address client concerns comprehensively.
- Use the FAQ section in your website’s resource hub. You can also use this strategy in client communications and marketing materials to enhance transparency and trust.
To learn more about workflow management, visit Patel’s blog.
Checklist 4 – Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
This involves identifying:
- How your brand stands out
- The values it provides
- How customers perceive and experience it.
Papillon Freyee (yeah, that’s me), a B2B marketing expert (the numbers support that claim) with over six years of experience, shares useful tips on creating a strong USP.
Freyee’s steps to build a strong USP include:
- Figure out what sets your brand apart, like fast delivery, exclusive features, or special services. For example, a B2B SaaS company might mention its top-notch security and customized setup help.
- Make a list of the main benefits your product or service provides. For instance, a cloud service might focus on its ability to grow with your business and adapt to your needs.
- Analyze how your product impacts customers’ feelings and experiences.
- Decide how you want your brand to be viewed.
- Summarize what it’s like to use your brand, including:
- How it looks (e.g., modern design)
- How it works (e.g., fast performance)
- How it makes you feel (e.g., confident)
Check out my LinkedIn profile for more about B2B marketing methods.
Checklists 5 and 6 – Distribution and Pricing
This B2B marketing plan checklist helps you improve how you distribute your products and set prices to increase revenue and run your business more efficiently. It’s based on advice from Stijn van Elsacker, the Head of Operations at Prime Marketing.
Let’s look at the two marketing plan checklists:
Checklist 5 – Distribution Plan
This plan helps businesses to decide how to sell their products or services. For instance, a company might look at market trends to decide if they should focus more on selling directly or build more partnerships with other sellers.
Here’s how to do it:
- Review existing distribution methods and their effectiveness.
- Look for opportunities to optimize or add new channels.
- Adjust distribution strategies based on findings and market trends.
Checklist 6 – Pricing and Positioning Strategy
If you’re running a business, you need to price your services competitively and show what makes you unique. Check what your main competitors charge and adjust your prices based on the extra value you offer.
Here’s how to do it:
- Gather data on competitor pricing and positioning.
- Determine how your offerings compare in terms of value and differentiation.
- Adjust your pricing strategy to align with market expectations and your value proposition.
To learn more from Stijn, visit his page.
Checklist 7 – Incentive Marketing
Mariia Kovalenko, a content strategist at Digital Marketer’s World, explains that offering incentives can boost your marketing efforts.
Here’s how she said you should do it:
- Design a premium tier with enhanced features that justify the additional cost.
- Provide limited-time access to new features or tools in your software to demonstrate their value.
- Ensure that the incentive is easy to understand. For instance, “Subscribe now to get an additional 20% off your first three months” is clear and actionable.
Checklist 8 – Increase the Take
Michelle Payne brings 15 years of experience as a Certified Public Accountant, focusing on audit, tax, and consulting. She has worked in finance across various industries, including retail, manufacturing, and education, and also has expertise in helping non-profit organizations. Michelle is an expert in financial strategies that can help increase revenue.
Here’s how Michelle Payne suggests you boost your revenue:
- Define specific revenue targets for the next 3-6 months.
- Focus on market expansion or customer base growth within the next year.
- Aim for substantial profit increase over a 3-5 year period.
- Regularly review and adjust goals based on performance metrics.
- Ensure marketing, sales, and operational strategies are aligned with your goals.
Learn more about boosting revenue from Michelle Payne.
Checklist 9 – Customer Retention
Katie Morley, an expert content marketer with over eight years of experience, recommends using proven customer retention strategies to help keep customers engaged and reduce the number of people leaving.
Here’s how to do it:
- Conduct an initial consultation to gather insights into customer needs.
- Assign dedicated support for the onboarding process.
- Identify premium features most valuable to your customers.
- Offer time-bound free access to these features.
- Send follow-up emails detailing the value the customer gained during the trial.
- Track usage data to identify potential upsell opportunities.
Learn more about Katie Morley’s strategies for customer retention here.
Checklist 10 – Joint Venture
Lori A. Manns, President of Quality Media Consultant Group, shares essential steps for creating a successful joint venture (JV). These steps help companies work together, share resources, and boost growth.
Here’s how you can execute this strategy effectively:
- Identify shared and individual business objectives for each partner.
- Create short-term goals (e.g., increased lead generation) and long-term goals (e.g., expanded market share).
- Define what success looks like and the key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure results.
- Conduct joint market research to understand the shared audience’s needs, challenges, and desires.
- Address the specific pain points that your JV marketing can solve for them.
- Select the most cost-effective and high-impact channels to distribute your joint marketing content.
- Track the performance of each channel regularly and adjust as necessary.
Learn more about Lori A. Manns and her expertise in joint venture marketing strategies here.
Checklist 11 – Referral Marketing
Peter Cunningham, Marketing Director at Buyapowa with over 20 years of experience, shared tips for building a strong referral program.
Here’s how to do it:
- Regularly remind customers, employees, and partners to refer your business.
- Focus on your happiest and most profitable customers, as they’re likely to refer others like them.
- Make your program simple to use, with easy sharing options.
- Offer incentives that seem valuable but don’t cost much, like branded freebies.
For example, a SaaS company could create a referral program for their most loyal customers, giving them discounts or early access to new features for referring other businesses. This builds a strong network of quality clients and keeps current customers happy.
Learn more from Peter Cunningham and Buyapowa’s referral marketing insights here.
Checklist 12 – Traditional Marketing Materials
Cassie Kutev, an experienced communications expert, shares traditional marketing methods that can help companies connect with their target audience and strengthen their brand.
Here’s how to do it:
- Design handouts with clear, concise information.
- Include strong calls to action.
- Distribute at relevant industry events and local business centers.
- Place billboards in high-traffic areas relevant to your target audience.
- Design eye-catching, informative ads.
- Create engaging, interactive booths or displays.
- Target broadcasts to channels and times that reach your audience.
Learn more about traditional marketing strategies from Cassie Kutev here.
Checklist 13 – Brand Promotion and Program
George Dearing suggests finding and using different ways to promote your brand effectively.
Here’s how to do it:
- List all the ways you can promote your brand, such as direct mail, email marketing, trade shows, and networking events. Choose those that match your target audience.
- Consider any promotional activities done by your channel partners, vendors, or distributors.
- Decide how much money you can spend and allocate it to each promotional method based on its potential to reach and impact your audience.
- Develop engaging content for each promotional channel to attract your audience.
- Using analytics, monitor how well each promotional method is working. Measure engagement and return on investment (ROI) and make changes to improve results as needed.
For more tips on marketing strategies, check out George Dearing’s LinkedIn Profile.
Checklist 14 – Keyword/SEO Strategy
This B2B marketing plan checklist point is about creating a strong keyword strategy specifically for your company.
Here’s an excellent approach based on insights from SEO expert Marilyn Wilkinson:
- Check how your keywords are doing using Google Search Console.
- Align your keywords with your main marketing goals. For example, if you’re focused on lead generation, use keywords like “best lead generation software.”
- Using keyword tools, find gaps in your competitors’ strategies. Target keywords they rank for, but you don’t.
- Group your keywords by themes related to your business. For instance, if you offer different software, make clusters like “CRM software” or “project management software for small businesses.”
- Track how your keywords are performing with analytics tools.
You can learn more about Wilkinson’s strategies by reading her full keyword strategy guide here.
Checklist 15 – Social Media Strategy
This B2B marketing plan checklist covers key steps to build a winning social media strategy, including setting goals that match your business, improving content, and tracking results. The tips come from Amanda Wood, a social media expert and head of social at Hootsuite.
Here’s how to do it:
- Ensure that every social media effort directly supports your company’s overarching business goals.
- Study what your competitors are doing well and where they fall short.
- Review your existing social channels to see what’s working and what’s not.
- Make sure your social media profiles are fully optimized.
- Look to industry trends, thought leaders, and competitors for content ideas.
- Stay informed about your industry and adapt trending topics to fit your brand’s voice.
- Monitor your social media performance and adjust based on results.
Learn more about Amanda Wood’s approach to social media strategy here.
Checklist 16 – Paid Advertising Strategies
This marketing plan checklist for B2B covers the best-paid advertising strategies for B2B companies. It was put together by Ana Vernot, a digital marketing expert with years of experience creating successful ad campaigns.
According to Vernot, proven paid advertising strategies to boost your businesses are:
- Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising
- Influencer Marketing
- Paid Social Media Ads
- Banner Ads
- Ad Retargeting
Learn more about Ana Vernot’s expertise and paid advertising strategies.
Checklist 17 – Content Marketing Strategy for B2B Brands
This marketing plan checklist for SaaS will help you create a clear and effective content marketing plan, based on tips from Jenn Chen, expert digital strategist.
Here’s how to get started:
- Decide what you want to achieve. For example, if your goal is to get 100 qualified leads each quarter, track the conversion rates of your content to measure success.
- Pick measurable goals, like boosting website traffic by 20%. Make sure every piece of content supports at least one of your goals.
- Find out what type of content your audience likes—such as webinars or case studies.
- Use different types of content for each stage of your marketing funnel.
- Try different formats (like podcasts vs. blog posts) to see what works best.
- Regularly check how your content is performing and tweak your strategy based on the data.
Click here to learn more about Jenn Chen’s digital strategy and content marketing.
Checklist 18 – Marketing Campaign
Nathan Ellering, a digital marketing expert with 15 years of experience in content marketing, SEO, and lead generation, recommends dividing your marketing campaign into clear, focused projects that connect with your business audience.
Here’s how to do it:
- Create a document that outlines your campaign goals, who your ideal customers are, and your key messaging.
- Set guidelines to keep your brand’s look and tone consistent in all marketing materials. This is vital for B2B campaigns where trust and recognition matter.
- Build a dedicated landing page to direct all your campaign traffic.
- Develop detailed content like webinars, whitepapers, or case studies. Ensure these contents solve specific problems your audience faces.
- Create a series of targeted emails and social media posts to guide potential customers through the sales process. Use these messages to show how your solution solves their problems. Support these messages with real-life success stories and testimonials.
For more tips on building effective marketing campaigns using Nathan’s strategy, click here.
Checklist 19 – Marketing Impact
Julia McCoy, a top content strategist and President at Content at Scale, suggests adding insider tips to your B2B marketing plan checklists.
For instance, a financial services company could add advice from its Chief Analyst on handling market changes. This would make the checklist more credible and specific to the company’s field.
Here’s how to do it:
- Ask your team for expert tips that aren’t common in your industry.
- Share these tips as if you’re giving personal advice.
- Add quotes from your company’s leaders to make the advice more credible and actionable.
- Make sure the tips directly address your client’s needs and challenges.
Click here to learn more about Julia McCoy’s strategies and how to apply them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Should You Consider While Developing a Marketing Plan?
Based on some of the marketing expert tips I mentioned earlier, you should consider the following while developing a marketing plan:
- Target Audience
- Competitor Analysis
- Clear Objectives
- Choice of Marketing Channels
- Consistent Branding
- Content Strategy
What Are the Essential Sections of an Effective Marketing Plan Report?
A marketing plan checklist is different from a marketing plan report. A marketing plan checklist helps keep the planning process organized and complete, while a marketing plan report is a detailed document that shares the plan’s strategies and goals with others.
A Marketing plan report contains the following:
- Executive Summary
- Situation Analysis
- Target Audience Profile
- Marketing Objectives and Strategies
- Marketing Channel Plan
- Budget and Resources
- Measurement and Evaluation
By now, you must have known that creating a strong marketing plan takes more than just good ideas—you need a solid plan. Our 19-point marketing plan checklist for FinTech, built from the knowledge of experienced professionals, walks you through each step, from knowing your audience to growing your business. Using these tips will simplify your marketing and increase your chances of success.
Related:
Key Takeaways
- Understand your audience deeply by pinpointing their needs and preferences.
- Craft flexible, data-driven marketing workflows that adapt to changing conditions.
- Implement diverse strategies like USPs, content marketing, and paid ads for comprehensive growth.
