Online Marketing Business Plan Templates | Online Marketing Business Plan Template

If you’re someone who loves to spend time online, why not make it work for you? With the pandemic behind us, more people have been using their extra time to develop their skills and knowledge online. This is great because it allows you to reach a much broader audience and achieve much greater success than you could in a regular marketing job!

To keep you motivated and inspired while getting started, we’ve put together a business plan template specifically designed for digital marketers who want to build a successful online marketing agency (though the underlying concepts can be applied to any business).

This online marketing business plan template will help you develop an idea for a successful business, and prepare you to present your business idea to investors, advisors, and potential employees.

The Basics

Before we begin, let’s spend a few minutes discussing some of the key elements you’ll need to include in your business plan.

First, you’ll want to include a brief history of your company. If you’re still a small agency, you might want to include details on how long you’ve been in business or marketing, and a short description of your industry segment (small businesses, consumer products, B2B, etc.).

You’ll also need a mission statement- this is more like a vision statement and should align with your brand manifesto – a short and sweet version of your business’ mission. Your mission should be straightforward and easy to understand by anyone reading it. To take it one step further, why not write out your vision statement in the first person? For example, “We will help real estate agencies grow their businesses using proven digital marketing strategies.” Or “We will provide small businesses with the marketing tools they need to succeed.” This will make your vision and mission more personable to potential clients and investors, and give your business a more human element.

The Product (or Service)

A product (or service) is everything you sell to a customer. When it comes to developing your business plan, you’ll want to make sure you’ve thoroughly considered what you offer and how you’ll go about providing it – this includes all aspects of your business including marketing, sales, and delivery.

The first step is to consider what you currently offer. As a digital marketer, you can be sure you’ll have some understanding of what services you provide and what sets you apart from your competitors. You should also have a clear picture in your head of how you’ll go about providing the service (industry, delivery methods, pricing, etc.). When it comes to pricing, you’ll want to make sure you’ve considered your competitors as well as the general market. Just remember to keep your pricing simple and natural – include no surprises there!

The Market

Your marketing plan should include an analysis of your target market, potential customers, and the role your business plays (if any) in the market. In a nutshell, you’re seeking to define your audience, segment them, and establish the basis for your marketing efforts.

As a digital marketer, you’ll probably be best served targeting small businesses and startups as a customer base. This is because more often than not, these are the businesses that are currently open to change and new ideas – provided they are presented in a convincing manner.

When developing your marketing plan, you’ll need to consider a number of things. First, who is your target audience? Who are you seeking to attract with your brand? What do they need?

Include the demographics, psychographics, and digital habits of your target audience in your analysis. To gain a clearer picture, you can conduct online research (e.g. Google Analytics) to gain insights into their behavior, and make predictions on future buying trends – which in turn, can help you decide what products and services to offer. To further refine your target audience, you can use sales funnels like [google marketing platforms](https://marketingplatforms.google.com/) to understand what barriers exist between you and your customers, and to find the right fit for your product.

Operations

The operational part of your business plan is where you organize and lay out the process you’ll use to get your product (or service) from raw materials to the hands of your customers – as well as the tools you’ll use to track your progress. Here’s where you describe in detail how you’ll run your business.

At a high level, you’ll want to break down your operations into 4 steps: (1) Design & build a website that provides value to your target audience (2) Measure & optimize your website to increase engagement, (3) Identify potential customers through online research, and (4) Close the sale by providing additional value.

As a digital marketer, you’ll have a good working knowledge of the tools needed to carry out these tasks. You’ll also have a clearer picture of how each tool will contribute to the success of your business. For example, you might include Google Analytics as a tool to track web traffic and perform research on your target audience.

The purpose of your operations is simply to bring your product to market, and to track its progress throughout the production process. This is an important aspect of any business plan and can serve as a reminder to you and your team of why you’re in this business in the first place.

To provide some further support, here are a few pointers to get you started.

Product Research

When developing your business plan, you’ll want to consider all the aspects that make up your product. You’ve probably heard the old adage – “Know your product inside out” – so you’ll definitely want to take that attitude when developing your plan. To that end, you should do your homework on all the components that go into making up your product (e.g. design, style, functionality, price, etc.).

Start by looking at what others have said about the product. There are various ways to do this. You can visit [review websites](https://www.reviewjournal.com/), look for articles in top tier publications, or consult with peers in your industry. When performing your research, don’t just look at the positive aspects of your product – you want to find the negative aspects as well so you can address them in your business. Also, do your best to gather as much data as possible (e.g. analytics, user feedback, etc.).

The first step is to define your target market. As a digital marketer, you’ll probably be best served targeting small businesses and startups as a customer base. This is because more often than not, these are the businesses that are currently open to change and new ideas – provided they are presented in a convincing manner.

When developing your plan, you’ll need to consider a number of things. First, who is your target audience? Who are you seeking to attract with your brand? What do they need?

Market Research

Market research is all about finding out who your target audience is, what they need, and how you can provide value. In a nutshell, you’re seeking to define your audience, segment them, and establish the basis for your marketing efforts.