How to Do a Marketing Executive Summary

An executive summary gives an overview of a marketing plan.

A marketing executive summary provides an overview of the background and strategies contained within a marketing plan. Most summaries are one page or less and give readers an idea of what to expect in the plan, what is covered, and the overall direction of marketing activities. In many cases, the executive summary is the only thing busy managers read in order to understand the basics of the plan. Therefore, it must be concise and clear.

Instructions

1. Open the summary with a statement of business goals. You do not need to list each goal separately, but instead, give a general overview of the directions. If your marketing plan has both short- and long-term goals, use one sentence for each. This section serves to orient the reader about the mission and vision of the marketing plan.

2. Describe the condition of the market and explain why it is good for your business. Include a sentence that describes why your product or service will fit into the market in terms of competitors and related products, and write another that talks about the target audience. If you have a shocking statistic or number that makes your case, include it. Otherwise, use more general descriptors such as "a majority."

3. List the proposed marketing strategies. Give an overview of the ways you plan to achieve your business goals that were stated in the first section, based on the state of the market. You do not have to go into detail, but briefly describe the major marketing initiatives. Mention a social media campaign, for example, or increased print advertisements. Include information about any major or new activities so that readers are aware of big changes to come.

4. Write subheadings that will make the executive summary easier to scan. This means writing descriptive headings and place them in bold text at the top of each short section. When a reader scans the page and reads only the headings, he should get a basic sense of what topics are covered.

5. Insert basic financial information. For business executives, the budget is an important part of a marketing plan. Make sure that they are not left with concerns or questions about financial feasibility by including numbers or a statement that explains how the proposed marketing activities fit into the budget.

References

• Strategic Market Segmentation: 3 Marketing Executive Summary Samples You Can Model