Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
Business Plan Step 6 · 1,000+ Plans Written
How to Write the Marketing Section of a Business Plan, Channel by Channel
A list of channels is not a marketing plan. Dr. Paul writes this section in four parts: objectives, traditional, internet, and social media, each tied to the target market and each with a job to do. Here is how, with samples.
Last Updated: 10/30/2026 · Written by Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
Watch First
Watch: How to Write the Marketing Section of a Business Plan
The Short Answer
What Goes in the Marketing Section of a Business Plan?
The marketing section explains how the business will reach its target market and turn them into customers. It has four parts: marketing objectives and keys to success, traditional marketing, internet marketing, and social media marketing.
Most small businesses use every channel they can afford to reach the same buyer more than once. The marketing section shows the lender which channels, why, and what each one is supposed to do.
Rather Have Dr. Paul Write It With You?
Make It Visual
How Do You Write Marketing Objectives and Keys to Success?
Dr. Paul shows this part as a simple chart: each objective, then the actions that hit it. Common objectives are market penetration, brand building, and educating customers. Keys to success are the general actions behind them.
| Objective | Key to success |
|---|---|
| Build brand awareness | Pick the right channels for the target market and stay consistent |
| Win first time customers | A strong opening offer, signage, and a complete Google Business Profile |
| Bring customers back | Regular social posts, email, and asking for reviews |
A reader gets your whole marketing plan in ten seconds.
Be Specific Here
How Do You Write the Traditional Marketing Section?
Traditional marketing includes signage, mailers, and networking. List every one you might use, even ones you will not start right away. If mailers are a year out, say so and explain the idea.
The first traditional marketing channel will be a professionally designed sign for the front of the building, with the restaurant name, logo, and slogan in black, gold, and white. The goal is to tell passing customers where the restaurant is and what it offers.
In most of the plan, Dr. Paul keeps details general, because owners should protect their strategy from competitors. Marketing is the exception. The moment a campaign runs, competitors see it anyway. So in the marketing section, be detailed.
The Center of Most Plans
How Do You Write the Internet Marketing Section?
Internet marketing has moved to the center of most small business plans. Cover every piece you plan to use: a website, search engine optimization, a Google Business Profile, directories like Yelp, content and blogs, and paid search ads. Touching each one shows the lender you understand the options.
A professionally designed website is essential. The business will build and maintain a website and a Yelp listing. The goal is to communicate the car wash's theme and highlight the benefits of its services.
Short Form Video
How Do You Write the Social Media Marketing Section?
Social media includes Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn, and short form video is now one of the strongest formats. You can cover each channel separately or describe one strategy across all of them. Either way, add a line about how you will test new channels as they appear.
ABC Construction will use Instagram, Facebook, and short form video on TikTok and YouTube. Using several channels puts the message in front of a broad audience, including the target market, and gives many potential customers repeated exposure. Content will focus on the services offered and the benefits customers get.
Using AI
Can AI Write Your Marketing Section?
AI is a strong marketing partner. Tell it your industry, your customer, and your budget, and ask it to recommend a channel mix, draft sample posts and ad copy for each platform, and outline a simple search and Google Business Profile plan. It is good at first draft copy in your voice. What it cannot do is know your customer the way you do, so test its suggestions against what you have seen work, and never let it pick your channels on autopilot.
A prompt that works: I run a [type] business in [city] for [target market] with a monthly marketing budget of [amount]. Recommend a channel mix, explain why, and draft one sample post for each channel.
Avoid These
What Are the Most Common Marketing Section Mistakes?
- Channels with no objective. Every channel needs a job.
- Leaving out future ideas. List them, with when you expect to start.
- Being vague to protect your strategy. Marketing is the one place to be detailed.
- No Google Business Profile. For local businesses it is often the first thing customers see.
- No connection to the target market. Every channel should reach the buyer from Step 2.
Running the marketing once you open? See how to set a marketing budget and the small business marketing guide.
Charleston tourism keeps setting records, so many South Carolina businesses market to visitors as much as locals, and the marketing section should speak to both groups. See the South Carolina business plan writer.
Real World Use
How an Owner Uses This Section
A marketing plan a lender can follow
Say an owner is opening a neighborhood restaurant with $1,500 a month for marketing after a one time $6,000 sign. Her objectives chart has three rows: awareness, first visits, and repeat visits.
Traditional: the sign, plus a mailer in month three. Internet: a website, a complete Google Business Profile, and Yelp. Social: Instagram and short form video, three posts a week.
Every channel ties back to her target market of young families within three miles. These figures are an example only.
Keep Going
More Marketing Section Videos
What Is in a Marketing Plan: An Example
An example marketing plan built on Dr. Paul's Organize Plan Grow approach. (8:15)
Questions
Marketing Section Questions Owners Ask
What goes in the marketing section of a business plan?
How detailed should the marketing section be?
Should I include marketing I am not doing yet?
What internet marketing should a small business plan include?
Can AI write the marketing section of a business plan?
Marketing is Step 6 of 10.
How to Write a Business Plan in Ten Steps, Fifth Edition walks through every section in order, with a full sample plan, a fill in template, and a Using AI box in each step.
Written by Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA, current college professor, business consultant, and author with 14+ years and 1,000+ businesses served.
This page is for general educational purposes only. It is not financial, investment, legal, or tax advice.