The marketing plan is a lengthy document that identifies the target market, provides the situational analysis, the product analysis, the marketing objectives, and the strategies and measurement methods for effectiveness. The summary of the marketing plan appears in the beginning of the document and gives a general overview of the entire plan. The reader should be able to review the summary and have a broad idea of what will happen when the marketing plan is executed.

Define the business. The summary of the marketing plan should define the basics of the business. It should disclose who the customers are, where business is conducted, and the products and services that will be sold. This should be a brief overview. If the reader wants to know the specifics about a particular part of the plan, he can turn to that section for more information.

List the main objectives of the plan and how you will achieve them. Give a short overview of the basics of the marketing plan and the strategies that will be used to achieve those objectives. Do not reveal figures and other specific data about the strategies because this part provides just a general overview.

Write the executive summary of the business last, even though it will appear first in the marketing plan. In the summary, you are putting together an overview of the main points and topics that are discussed at length within the plan. It is impossible to summarize what has not yet been written; therefore, the summary should be the final piece of the marketing plan.

Tip

Ask someone who is not familiar with the marketing plan to read the summary and paraphrase to you what the marketing plan covers. If they are on target, you know your summary is written well.