Ninety percent of organizations never bother to write a marketing plan. Which means there is no articulated marketing budget, and any marketing strategies or tactics exist in the business owner’s or marketing director’s head.

And yet every single one of those companies will engage in marketing in 2012.

How do you avoid being in that 90 percent? Let’s start with some basics.

From last week’s column, hopefully you have identified:

• What it is you actually sell (go beyond the thing to the benefit).

• Your ideal customer.

• What a customer is worth.

Now let’s flesh out the key elements of your plan.

Your market: This requires looking around a bit at the competitive playing field. Use your answers from last week to start.

• Is there demand for what you sell, and do your offerings meet that need?

• Who else is selling the same or similar solutions?

• Identify how they’re like you and different from you.

Your customer: Look at your answers from last week’s customer questions and add this data:

• Why do they need or want what you sell?

• What could you give them or do that would get them to tell their best friend about you?

• Where do they go looking for what you sell?

• What do they believe about you today that isn’t true?

Your difference or niche: Think about how you now or could stand apart from the competition.

• What can you claim or promise that your competitors can’t or won’t?

• What do you do or offer that would be difficult for others to replicate?

• What would your customers pay a premium for?

Your story: Most companies can’t or don’t tell a consistent story. It confuses your potential buyers and keeps them from trusting you.

• From your prospects’ perspective, what’s the most important thing they should know about you?

• What will surprise them?

• How do you package your story so it’s memorable?

Your strategy and tactics: This is all about how you’re going to earn the attention of those who matter most and more business from existing customers and prospects.

• How should you connect with your employees so they can help spread the story?

• How should you regularly communicate with your current customers so they feel appreciated and know what you sell or do?

• Where’s the best place to reach your prospects, and what can you do to hold their interest until they’re ready to buy?

• What will it cost to develop, execute and maintain these efforts?

Your measurables: You can’t decide if something is working if you don’t define success.

• What metrics matter most when it comes to your employees, and how will you track them?

• What metrics matter most when it comes to your current customers? How will you track them?

• What metrics matter most when it comes to prospects, and how will you track them?

If you can articulate the answers to these questions, then you’re headed in the right direction. Away from the 90 percent.

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached by email at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com.© 2011 Drew McLellan