There is no single "right" way to approach a marketing plan. Your marketing plan should be part of an ongoing self-evaluation process and unique to your business.

1. Mission Statement
2. State the purpose of the marketing plan.
3. Review business goals and objectives as well as specific strategies to reach them.

Everything your company does should be guided by and consistent with your Mission Statement. This is a short (one or two paragraph) statement of the fundamental nature of your business, answering the questions: "What business are we in?" and "Who do we serve?"

The mission statement is the one place you can be general, rather than specific. This is your vision of the business: it's philosophy, and what makes it different from any other business.

If you don't already have a mission statement, write one down. Refer to it often as you develop your marketing plan. An opportunity that takes you away from your business mission is not a good opportunity for you. A strategy or tactic that does not carry the business towards fulfilling its mission is faulty and should be revised.

1. Diagnosis: Where are you right now?

In order to determine how to get where you want to be, you need an accurate, objective picture of where you are now.

Write a brief statement assessing the current state of the business:

1. Product/Service
2. Identify each product or service in terms of name, trademark, color, shape or other characteristic, including packaging and labeling