The marketing section of your business plan should illustrate how you will best satisfy customers in your target market. In short, how will you get your product into the hands of the consumer?

Successful marketing usually involves balancing serveral variables, often described as the 4 P's of the Marketing Mix, which include: the right Product, at the right Price, in the right Place, with the right Promotion.

Positioning

How would you like customers to think about your product or service? Your positioning is your business' answer to the question every customer asks when considering whether or not to buy: "What's in it for me?". Describe the key benefits you'd like your customers to value in your product or service or the way it is delivered. The best positioning for your company:

• appeals directly to your target customers, given what you defined as important to them in your Customers section
  
  
• sets your business apart from the competition, in light of what you learned in your Competition section
  
  
• is based on your competitive advantage, as defined in your Product Overview

Pricing

Setting a pricing strategy can be one of the most difficult decisions for small business owners. As a starting point, caculate the break-even point and profit margin of your product or service. Your prices will be a deciding factor in what customers you attract, how much you sell and how much you earn on each sale. When writing your business plan, explain your pricing strategy, including how you came up with your prices, and where they fall in relation to your competitors.

Promotion

People need to know about your offering, be willing to pay for it, and be able to find it. Promoting your business or product means to communicate and sell to potential customers using advertising, public relations, publicity and other forms of media. Promotion costs can be large in relation to your product's price, so a break-even analysis can be helpful in making these decisions.

In your business plan, describe how potential customers will learn about your product or service and consider which medium will be most likely to attract your customers' attention.