Small business marketing strategy
Here is an example of a marketing strategy for a fictional small business called Dog Days, a chain of doggy daycares in downtown Seattle.
Marketing strategy template for small business
This presentation is an example of a small business marketing strategy for a doggy daycare business. Here is the structure of the presentation:
- Business overview of Dog Days
- Market opportunity for doggy daycares in downtown Seattle
- SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis of the existing business
- Target custom demographics
- Key marketing channels, along with deep dives into
- Social Media
- Local Events
- Community Partnerships
- Proposed budget
- Proposed performance metrics and KPIs
SWOT analysis
One interesting section of this deck is the SWOT analysis. Before presenting the specifics of the marketing strategy, it is helpful for this business to review their strengths and weaknesses so that they can leverage their strengths and mitigate their weaknesses in the marketing strategy.
For example, one opportunity identified in the presentation is expanding into additional services like pet grooming and dog training classes. Later in the presentation, there is also an idea of reaching out to vets, pet supply stores, and groomers and trainers in order to better reach more customers.
Target demographics
Before presenting the specific channels for the marketing strategy, this presentation also recaps Doggy Days primary customer profile, a 25-45 year old adult who lives in downtown Seattle and wants to socialize and exercise his or her pet. This is an important slide in any marketing strategy, and this is a good one slide summary.
Key marketing channels
In this example, the business is choosing to focus on social media, local events, and community partnerships. However, if you are creating your own marketing strategy, you may also want to try things like SEO (search engine optimization), Facebook ads, influencer partnerships, and more. The key here is to identify the main opportunities to grow your business and begin experimenting with what works best.
Proposed performance metrics
Marketing is a tricky science, but without an active effort to measure the results of your marketing spend, it can be easy to waste a lot of money on ineffective ads and channels. Make sure there is a plan to evaluate your marketing spend and redirect resources to the most effective uses of capital.
How to improve this marketing strategy
Here are some ideas on how you might improve on this marketing strategy:
- Make the strategy more specific for your geographic market (e.g., suburbs of Chicago)
- Make the strategy more specific for one type of marketing channel (e.g., SEO strategy or TikTok strategy)
- Add detail and backup slides about your existing data and metrics (particularly around customer demographics and customer usage patterns)
- Find benchmarks and references to competitors and similar companies to see how your marketing metrics compare
Generate a small business marketing strategy with AI
Using an AI tool like Plus AI is a powerful way to quickly create a first draft of a strategy presentation. Here are some example prompts you can use in Plus AI to craft your next marketing strategy:
- Create an SEO strategy for my online kidswear boutique that is focused on creating clothing inspired by floral patterns
- Create a marketing strategy for an HVAC company that incorporates Google Reviews, SEO, and billboard advertising
- Help me create a weekly social media plan for my healthy salad food truck. Our target customer is busy office workers in downtown Miami