An annual marketing plan that doesn't fall apart by February

Annual Marketing Plan

Year-end, and the board asks: what exactly did the company do in marketing over the last twelve months, and why in that order? The answer is a string of decisions made on the fly — a campaign in March because there was suddenly time, flyers before a trade show because someone remembered at the last minute. The budget got spent, but nobody can show it in a form the procurement department recognises. An annual marketing plan solves this before it happens. It lays out twelve months in advance — what happens, when, and within what budget range — so marketing decisions are made once, at the start of the year, instead of over and over again.

Year-end, and the board asks: what exactly did the company do in marketing over the last twelve months, and why in that order? The answer is a string of decisions made on the fly — a campaign in March because there was suddenly time, flyers before a trade show because someone remembered at the last minute. The budget got spent, but nobody can show it in a form the procurement department recognises.

An annual marketing plan solves this before it happens. It lays out twelve months in advance — what happens, when, and within what budget range — so marketing decisions are made once, at the start of the year, instead of over and over again.

Many companies have a general marketing direction, some even a written strategy — but neither says what happens in April versus November. Without a schedule, actions are taken ad hoc, seasonality isn't planned ahead, and budget isn't spread across the year. When it's time to set next year's budget, there's no document showing decisions in an approvable form — only a list of expenses after the fact.

We start from goals and KPIs already agreed, or an existing strategy's direction if the client has one. We analyse the client's industry seasonality and map out actions month by month, assigning each month a framework budget and a checkpoint. The result is a written twelve-month schedule, ready to implement.

We don't guess at seasonality — we sequence actions so the peak season is prepared in advance, not launched in a scramble. What we don't do: if you already have a written strategy, we don't rewrite it — we work from what you've established. We name the responsible person in the contract, and the finished document is one procurement will recognise at once as a basis for a budget decision.

What you get

  • Budget spread across the yearYou know in January how much you'll spend and when, so you can plan the company budget ahead of time.
  • Seasonality prepared in advanceActions for your industry's peak season are planned before the season starts, not launched in a rush once it has.
  • Progress reviewed during the yearCheckpoints let you check progress before twelve months pass and there's little left to correct.
  • A document ready for procurementThe schedule goes straight into the company budget and board approval, with no rewriting or extra back-and-forth.

Case studies in this format don't exist — every annual plan differs by industry and goals. Instead, in a meeting we show the plan's structure: month by month, with checkpoints.

Scope and pricing

An annual marketing plan is a twelve-month schedule of actions with a framework budget and checkpoints. Ordering follows a few steps:

  1. We establish the starting point — goals, KPIs or an existing strategy; if none exist, we set them before drafting the plan.
  2. We analyse your industry's seasonality and past activity.
  3. We map out actions month by month with a framework budget and checkpoints.
  4. We review the draft plan with you and adjust for constraints we may not have known about.
  5. We deliver the final document, ready to implement and track.

Price depends on the number of channels and actions covered, whether we're working from an existing strategy or building assumptions from scratch, and company size. You get the exact figure once the scope is set at the first meeting.

Our guarantees

Cost deducted from the first implementation. The plan isn't a cost on top of the marketing budget — we deduct it from the first action rolled out.

If we can't help, we say so directly. If part of the scope falls outside what we do, we say so before the contract is signed.

Lead person named in the contract. You know exactly who owns the document at every stage.

Schedule with milestones and a penalty for delays on our side. The delivery date is written into the contract along with the consequence if we miss it.

Full document set ready for a procurement process. The plan is formatted to go straight into your internal approval workflow, no further editing needed.

Availability

We set the delivery date at the start and record it in the contract with milestones — a document meant to apply from January is pointless if it lands in February. The real timeline depends on whether goals and KPIs are already defined.

Order an annual marketing plan

Book a call where we'll establish the starting point — goals, KPIs or an existing strategy — and the scope of the plan for the next twelve months. From there we prepare a quote and a delivery date.

What you lose by waiting

Every month without a schedule is a decision made on the fly, with no certainty the budget lasts until December or the season gets used before it passes.

In short

Twelve-month schedule · framework budget assigned to actions · checkpoints throughout the year · built on agreed goals and seasonality · cost deducted from first implementation · document ready for procurement

Frequently asked questions

How is an annual plan different from a marketing strategy?

A strategy sets direction for the longer term; the annual plan breaks that direction into months, actions and budget.

Does the plan account for my industry's seasonality?

Yes — we analyse your industry's rhythm so peak-season actions are ready in advance.

What happens if the company budget changes mid-year?

The checkpoints let us adjust the schedule during the year, not only at the next planning cycle.

How is this different from a media/channel selection plan?

A channel selection plan is narrower — just choosing channels. The annual plan uses that as one element and additionally spreads actions over time with budget and checkpoints.

Can I order the plan without an existing strategy?

Yes — if you don't have written goals yet, we set them with you before drafting the monthly schedule.