The essay to be written should contain:
Executive summary
executive summary should identify the key issues covered in the report. Keep is mind that executives are busy people so the executive summary should be between two to three pages is length.
Table of contents
List the specific information located in the report and where to find it.
Situational analysis
Introduce your company. Tell me who they are, what they do, how long they have been doing it for, where they are located, etc. Tell me about the plan’s focus.
Discuss relevant environmental variables (i.e. demographic, political, legal, social, cultural, economic, technological factors) impacting the business now and in the foreseeable future. What are the strategic implications, if any?
Identify the company’s current target market. Discuss the company’s current marketing mix:
Products
Products, brands, packaging, completive advantage, if any offered by the current products, product portfolio analysis
Promotion
Advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations, online marketing, publicity?
Distribution
Location, physical distribution
Price
Do an internal analysis on the company including sales, profits, product quality, brand associations, customer service, cost structure, new products, people, and customer satisfaction? Organizational capabilities and constraints, financial resources and constraints, the company’s strengths and weaknesses? Discuss the success/failure of past strategy.
Market analysis
Market attractiveness? Size of market? Relative market share? How fast has the market been growing? Growth prospects? What factors affect sales levels? Market opportunities? Potential entrants? Barriers to entry? Substitutes? Distribution systems? Bargaining power of suppliers? Bargaining power of customers? Key success factors? Market trends and developments? What does the future look like?
Competitor analysis
Who are the competitors? Size? Market share? Products? Brands? Models? Customer Service? Image? Objectives? Market strategies? Cost structure? Which companies are directly competitive? Strengths? Weaknesses? Less directly competitive? Are new competitors likely to enter the market? From which companies or brands can market share be taken?
Customer analysis
Biggest customers? Most profitable customers? Best way to segment customers?
What benefits are customers seeking/ what needs are satisfied by company’s products?
Do customers have unmet needs? Unsought needs?
Customer motivations?
Customer satisfaction levels? Why are some customers dissatisfied?
