“The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.” – Peter Drucker
Having an exceptional product or service doesn’t always translate to success. A company must develop a tactical marketing plan to make sure that product targets the right audience and keeps customers coming back for more.
While a marketing strategy relates to the goals of your marketing efforts, the marketing plan defines how you achieve those goals. When implemented properly, marketing plans can bring access to unlimited customers and drastically improve the success of your SaaS platform.
First let’s take a look at some of the important components of marketing plan examples:
– Executive Summary – Introduces the business, purpose of the marketing plan, and specific marketing goals
– Target Markets – Outlines the target market and how the product solves the needs for this audience
– Unique Selling Point (USP) – How does your product or service stand up against the competition? What makes your company different?
– Pricing and Positioning – Defines where your product fits in relation to similar products and in the mind of the consumer
– Sales and Distribution – Outlines how the consumer will be able to purchase your product
Companies with Excellent Marketing Plan Examples
Now that we’ve gone over the basic template for a great marketing plan example, let’s take a look at great marketing plan examples and how your SaaS company can learn from these tactics.
1. Dunkin’ Donuts – Targeting the Right Market
When developing a plan to target a specific market, companies must know how to adapt to the demographic. Dunkin Donuts did just that with the release of the fried pork and seaweed donut. While serving Boston crème donuts might work well places like the United States, Dunkin Donuts recognized that their target market differed in other parts of the world. Prior to launching in China, they studied the demands of that market and their eating habits, and adapted the product to fit the needs of that demographic.
How to Apply to SaaS Marketing? Like Dunkin Donuts, your SaaS company should tailor marketing according to the target audience. Who are they? Start by identifying the core target markets. Look at qualities such as age, gender, income, and interests. Then tailor the marketing to directly address the needs of that target consumer.
2. Red Bull Masters Product Positioning
As new competitors like Rockstar and Monster emerged, Red Bull managed to stay on top with product positioning among the young and hip. They used students to market their product as “cool”, sponsored athletes, and hosted extreme sporting events around the world like the Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix. Their powerful global marketing campaign allowed the consumer to first discover the product while in the hands of the right people.
How to Apply to SaaS Marketing? When first positioning the Red Bull brand, the company explained, “We do not market the product to the consumer, we let the consumer discover the product first and then the brand with all its image components.”
What comes to mind when the consumer thinks of your product? SaaS can follow the lead of Red Bull by allowing a customer to view the product advantages first. SaaS companies should speak in the language of their potential customers, describe their problems, and propose solutions to those problems. Communicating in a language that already has meaning to the buyer will help position your product so that customers notice you in a competitive market.
3. H&M Enhances the Online Shopping Experience
In order to expand their distribution, H&M needed to make their product easily accessible worldwide. While developing a marketing plan for sales and distribution, they decided to make their online store available in 21 markets including a mobile-friendly, easy-to-use online shopping experience. In this way, they developed a plan of action so they could directly meet the goals of global expansion.
How to Apply to SaaS Marketing? Determine the goals of your sales and distribution. Using H&M as a model, consider how to tailor your sales and distribution tactics to meet those goals.
Laying out core goals in the marketing plan will ensure product success in the long term. Remember to identify key components such as the executive summary, target market, USP, pricing and positioning, and distribution. Learn from the tactics of others who have successfully implemented marketing plan examples to successfully launch your product.