Seven things, and it should fit on two pages. A useful small business marketing plan sets one business goal, describes your customer, decides what you will say to them, picks the channels you will use and the ones you will skip, lists 90 days of actions with owners, sets a budget that includes your time, and says how you will measure results.
Most plans that fail are either a list of channels with no goal attached, or a long document nobody opens after the first week. This guide covers each section in turn, with what to write and what to leave out.
What is a marketing plan, in plain terms?
A marketing plan is a short working document that says what your marketing needs to achieve, who it is aimed at, and what will be done, by whom and by when, over the next 90 days. It is different from a marketing strategy, which is the bigger picture of where you compete and why customers should choose you.
The strategy changes rarely. The plan changes every quarter. For UK SMEs with 5 to 50 staff, the plan is the part that matters day to day, because it turns good intentions into work that actually gets done.
It sits alongside your business plan rather than replacing it. If you do not have one of those yet, the government guide to writing a business plan is a sensible place to start.
Without a marketing person, the plan also does another job. It stops marketing becoming the task everyone does when they have a spare hour, which in practice means nobody does it.
What goal should a small business marketing plan start with?
Start with one goal tied to the business, not to a channel. “Get 15 qualified enquiries a month for our commercial service” is a goal. “Grow our Instagram” is not, because more followers does not pay anyone’s wages.
A good goal has a number, a timeframe and a clear link to revenue. If you offer several services, pick the one that matters most this quarter. You can add a second goal later. Trying to push everything at once is the fastest way to move nothing.
Write the goal at the top of page one. Every other decision in the plan should be checked against it.
Who is the plan for, and what should you say to them?
Describe one or two types of customer in enough detail that you would recognise them walking through the door: what they do, what problem brings them to you, and what makes them hesitate before buying. Then write down, in their words rather than yours, the problem you solve for them.
This is the section most small businesses skip, and it is the one that makes everything else easier. Your website copy, your emails and your ads all come from it.
You probably already have the raw material. It sits in the conversations your team has with customers every day, in the questions people ask before they buy and the reasons they give for choosing you. Spend a week writing those down before you write this section.
Which channels should you use, and which should you leave alone?
Choose two or three channels where your customers already look for businesses like yours, and write down which channels you are deliberately not using this quarter. Putting that in writing stops the plan being pulled apart every time someone suggests trying something new.
| Channel | Usually suits | Typical time to see results |
|---|---|---|
| Website and SEO | Most service businesses, where people search for what you do | 3 to 6 months |
| Google Business Profile | Local businesses with a premises or a defined service area | A few weeks |
| Email to existing customers | Any business with a customer list | A few weeks |
| Paid search (Google Ads) | Services people search for when they are ready to buy | Days to weeks, once set up properly |
| Paid social (Meta ads) | Visual products, events and time-limited offers | Days to weeks |
| B2B services where the buyer is an owner or director | Several months |
Email to your existing customers is worth a place in almost every plan. It is often the cheapest channel you have, and the one most small businesses neglect.
What does a 90-day action list look like?
A 90-day action list is a table of specific tasks, each with one named owner, a due date and the measure it should move. If a task does not have a name next to it, assume it will not happen.
| Task | Owner | Due | Measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Update Google Business Profile with services, photos and opening hours | Office manager | Week 1 | Profile views and calls |
| Rewrite the main service page around the customer’s problem | Marketing lead or agency | Week 3 | Enquiries from that page |
| Send a monthly email to existing customers | Office manager | Every 4 weeks from week 2 | Replies and repeat bookings |
| Ask recent happy customers for a Google review | Managing director | Week 4 | New reviews |
| Review results against the goal | Managing director | Week 13 | Progress on the main goal |
Ninety days is long enough to see whether something is working and short enough that the plan cannot drift far. At the end of each quarter, keep what worked and drop what did not before writing the next list.
How much should a small business budget for marketing?
Set a fixed monthly figure you can sustain for at least six months, and include the cost of people’s time as well as spend on ads and tools. A budget that changes month to month makes it very hard to tell whether the marketing is working.
There is no single correct percentage of turnover. What matters more is that the budget matches the goal. A plan that needs a new website, regular content and paid ads needs more money than one built mainly on email and a Google Business Profile.
Time is the cost most owners leave out. If a director spends four hours a week on marketing, that is a real cost, and often an expensive one. It is also why many SMEs end up comparing the price of outside help with the cost of a hire. A marketing manager in the UK typically costs £35,000 to £45,000 a year in salary, before employer National Insurance and pension contributions. Our guide to what a marketing manager costs in the UK breaks down the full figures.
How do you know if the plan is working?
Pick two or three numbers that connect directly to your goal and check them once a month. For most service businesses, that means the number of enquiries, where they came from, and how many turned into paying customers.
Resist measuring everything. Impressions, likes and website visits can be useful signals, but they are not the goal. If the main number has not moved after a full quarter, change the plan rather than piling more activity on top of it.
Keep the review short. A monthly 30-minute check against the plan is enough for most SMEs, as long as it happens and someone is responsible for it.
What if nobody in the business has time to own the plan?
Then the plan needs an owner from outside the business. Outsourced marketing management means an external team writes your marketing plan and runs its delivery, in place of an in-house hire. You keep control of the decisions. They keep the work moving.
This is what we do at PlugIt Studio for small and boutique businesses in Northampton and across the UK. The plan comes first, then the work across web, search, email and paid ads that delivers it. You can read more about how outsourced marketing management works, or see our monthly pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a marketing plan be for a small business?
Two pages is enough for most SMEs with 5 to 50 staff. Page one covers the goal, the customer, the message and the channels. Page two holds the 90-day action list, the budget and the measures.
How often should I update my marketing plan?
Review it monthly against your numbers and rewrite the action list every quarter. The goal and customer sections usually only need to change once or twice a year, or when the business changes direction.
Can I write a marketing plan without a marketing person?
Yes. Most of the sections depend on knowing your customers and your business, and owners usually know both well. The harder part is keeping the plan running week to week, which is where outside help tends to earn its keep.
What is the difference between a marketing plan and a marketing strategy?
A marketing strategy sets out who you serve, how you are different and where you compete. A marketing plan turns that into specific actions, owners, budgets and measures for the next 90 days. The strategy changes rarely, while the plan changes every quarter.
