Why is this, and why should startups take note?

In the tech-savvy corridors where startups thrive, a common disdain toward marketing plans often lingers like the last programmer at a hackathon. It's easy to understand why. After pouring blood, sweat, and possibly tears into product development, the thought of diving headfirst into the murky waters of marketing strategy can feel not just daunting but downright unnecessary. Acknowledging sales will be important, marketing is as easy as setting up a few Google and Meta campaigns that can be flipped on and off with ease.

Unfortunately this attitude could be the Achilles heel of your fledging, or indeed scaling, venture.

An ad hoc, scattergun approach to marketing can not only dilute your efforts but also result in missed opportunities to genuinely connect with the audience across your  purchase journey, drive conversion and get the next cohort of customers in the pipeline.

Where marketing plans have perhaps got a bad rap, is  that many still believe it to be an exhaustive manifesto outlining every possible marketing move for the next year or even longer.

The energy and time that goes into your marketing strategy should mirror the complexity of your business and the loftiness of your goals. However, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants isn't a strategy; it’s a recipe for chaos. Consistent review and adaptation of your plan is crucial, aligning with the ever-evolving market landscape, your own product or service evolution and the tolerance your business has for growth.

For startups, striking the correct balance is key. A marketing plan that’s too ambitious for the resource you have available (time and money) is just hypothetic. It’s these plans that are not in sync with your business model and operational bandwidth that just become dusty, unused PDFs lost somewhere on a desktop. It's about crafting a strategy that’s as lean and agile as your operations.

Here's where the concept of conscious inaction comes into play. It might sound counterintuitive, but actively deciding not to pursue certain marketing avenues – at least for the time being – is a strategic move. Do you really need to be on every social channel? How are you going to do that consistently and well? Do you have compelling content for each, and does your customer even care if you’re there or not?

Conscious inaction is about prioritising actions that align with your immediate business goals and acknowledging that some marketing activities, while important, are better saved for a stage when your business is more equipped to handle them. This approach ensures you’re not biting off more than you can chew, allowing you to capitalise fully on limited resources without overextension.

In summary, viewing a marketing plan as an expendable add-on is a perilous oversight for startups. Such a document shouldn't be a rigid set of commandments but a dynamic blueprint guiding your venture's growth amidst the competitive tumult. Marketing Week’s  revelations paint a clear picture: foregoing a structured marketing plan is tantamount to setting sail in turbulent seas without even a compass.

Navigate wisely, and you might just find that a marketing plan isn’t the bogeyman it's often made out to be, but a powerful ally in achieving the ambitious growth you want.