When I first stated out in marketing, I was thrown into a management role at ghd with no team members, no mentors, and no real guidance. It was just me, spinning plates, juggling endless tactics – events, campaigns, product launches – barely keeping my head above water.
And here’s the truth when it came to marketing planning: even if I’d had time to think strategically, I’m not sure I would have known where to start.
That’s when I got lucky. I found a mentor who helped me see the difference between simply doing marketing activity and actually leading with strategy. It was a game-changer. Suddenly, things clicked into place: the tactics made sense, but only because they flowed from a clear diagnosis and strategy in my marketing planning. I was part of the team that grew the ghd brand from £55m to £300m during my time there as Global Brand Director, so somewhere along the path, I really found my way.
And that’s why I get so passionate about this topic today. Marketing planning is one of the first things I discuss with the junior marketers that I mentor.
Because I know firsthand how confusing it feels to be handed the responsibility for “the marketing plan” and not be sure if what you’ve written is the real deal — or just smoke and mirrors.
And since the question I’m asked the most by my clients and mentees is: “how do I start writing a marketing plan?” it seems like FAQs is a good place to start…
Forget templates and tactics — here’s the marketing planning gold standard.
FAQ#1: How many slides (or pages) should a marketing plan be?
There’s no fixed number — your plan should be as long as it needs to be, but no longer. If you can’t present the fundamentals in under an hour, it’s too long. As a rule of thumb, 20–25 slides (or the equivalent in a document) usually does the trick.
FAQ #2: What’s the best format?
It depends:
- Presenting live? Go visual (PowerPoint, Keynote, Canva).
- Emailing it? A PDF or Word doc is easier for people to scan and digest.
The format is just the vehicle. What matters is that your plan is crystal clear.
FAQ #3: What actually goes into a marketing plan?
Here’s where people get tripped up. They think a marketing plan is just a collection of tactics, campaigns, and ads. But that’s not strategy — that’s just noise.
Richard Rumelt, in his excellent book Good Strategy/Bad Strategy, breaks every strong strategy into three parts:
- Diagnosis — get under the skin of your market, your customers, and where you stand today.
- Guiding policies — the big choices about where to focus and where not to.
- Coherent action — the practical moves that bring those policies to life.
If your plan skips the first two and jumps straight to a shopping list of activities… it’s not a marketing plan. It’s just a comms calendar dressed up in PowerPoint.
FAQ #4: Wait, what’s the difference between a comms calendar and a marketing plan?
Ah, the classic mix-up. Let’s be clear:
A communications calendar (the one you might build in Excel, Notion, or some shiny scheduling tool) is the output of a strategy. It tells you what’s happening, when, and where.
A marketing plan MUST incorporate the thinking that comes first. It sets out your diagnosis, your focus, your objectives, and only then the tactics.
If you’re calling your comms calendar a “marketing plan,” stop. That’s the classic sign of someone too junior to be in a marketing management role. Senior marketers think in strategy; juniors think in content drops.
FAQ #5: How far ahead should I plan?
Keep it to 12 months. Yes, you can (and should) have a long-term vision, but trying to plan at tactical detail more than a year ahead is a waste of time. Things will change — markets, budgets, leadership priorities.
And if you have a boss who’s asking for a 3-year marketing plan, you have my permission to say no! After 26 years of doing this, I am yet to see a 3-year plan that gets executed. Instead, the first 12 months are completed and then you start again.
I get that directionally your boss / business owner / line manager wants to see where marketing is headed, and if you’ve done your diagnosis right, you should be able to elaborate. But there is absolutely no point in planning tactics 3 years out. It’s a complete waste of everyone’s time.
FAQ #6: How do I know if my plan is “good enough”?
Here’s the test: can you present it in under an hour, in plain English, to someone outside of marketing — and would they get it? If yes, you’re in good shape. If no, it probably needs simplifying.
But more importantly, do you believe you can deliver it? Will it achieve the overall business objectives? And are you and other senior leaders aligned on the anticipated outcomes?
The Bottom Line
Marketing planning isn’t about filling in a template or building a pretty deck. It’s about clarity of thought: diagnosing the situation, making smart choices, and then committing to coherent action.
Do that, and you’ll not only have a solid plan — you’ll also feel a lot less like an imposter.
If this resonated, you might like to go a step further. You can download a free copy of my ‘How to Write a Marketing Plan’ Cheat’s Guide over in my store. It’s a practical resource that lays out the structure, pitfalls to avoid, and helps you to ask the right questions.
Because trust me — once you’ve got the framework, writing your marketing plan stops being overwhelming, and starts being one of the most powerful tools in your career toolkit.
✨ This Week’s Actionable Tip
Next time you’re working on marketing planning, try this: explain it to someone who isn’t in marketing (a friend, a partner, even your finance director). If they understand the diagnosis, the guiding policies, and the actions you’re taking — you’re on the right track. If they don’t, simplify.
Word of the Week: Apophenia
The tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things.
Why it matters in marketing: Marketers often mistake patterns in campaign data (or in random competitor moves) as strategic insight. True strategy is deliberate — not just spotting connections, but making smart, evidence-based choices.
P.S. If today’s post helped you see marketing a little more clearly, I’ve got tools to help you go even further.
Start with my free resources:
🧭 How to Write a Marketing Plan – a simple framework to bring focus and direction to your marketing.
💡 Brand Health Check – a quick way to see what’s working and where to improve.
When you’re ready to go deeper, these resources are all available in my store:
✨ Brand Archetypes Bundle
🪄 How to Avoid Marketing Mistakes Masterclass
🎓 SME Marketing Academy
🔍 Strategy Intensive
💼 Strategic Marketer Blueprint
Because marketing isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters, with clarity, courage and a little bit of magic.
Other articles you may find useful:
Why Marketing Training Has to Happen On Your Own Time
Attract More Customers Using The 12 Brand Archetypes