Your Marketing Plan Step by Step

Step 1: What do I have to market?

Answer this question in your situation overview.

This is a clear, concise statement of your rationale for marketing your product, idea or service.

• Be very specific. Start with a description of your product, service or idea. Be very clear and detailed in this description. It is critical to know exactly what you have to sell.
• Tell why you believe your idea is a good one. Be sure and respond to the all important question,  "So what?". Talk about what makes your idea better than other, similar ideas already on the market. Be as detailed as you can. It's important to know how you are different and better than the competition.
• Describe who you think wants or needs your product, idea or service, and why. This will be the beginning of your audience analysis.

 NOTE: Don't worry overmuch about someone stealing your idea. The old saying that there are no new ideas is true, and you can bet that somebody out there has the same idea you have right now. There's nothing you can do about that. What makes your idea different and valuable is what you do with it. 

This doesn't mean you should run out and tell everybody you meet what you're doing. Be cautious, of course. Read up on copyright, patents and trademarks regarding legal protection you can take.