If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the idea of crafting a marketing plan, you’re not alone. One of the biggest mistakes many small biz owners make is overcomplicating their marketing strategies (and that might be the reason why you’re staying stuck). But guess what? It doesn’t have to be that way. Today, we’re going to simplify things and show you how to create a one-page marketing strategy that’s both effective and easy to implement.
Sounds pretty good, right?
Because a marketing plan that’s a 30-page document you’ll never open again… doesn’t work. Instead, you’ll love having a clear, simple, and actionable plan you can actually use. Plus, if you start your free trial on Enji today, we’ll even help you create it too.
Here’s what we’re sharing:
- Why a simple one-page marketing plan is so effective
- How to create a one-page marketing plan (8 steps!)
- An easy-to-use one-page marketing plan template
Why We Dig A One-Page Marketing Strategy
First, why just one page? When it comes to marketing, simpler is often better. While we’ve come up with our own version of the one-page marketing plan, we highly recommend reading The 1-Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib if you’re interested in diving in even further.
Ultimately, a one-page marketing strategy forces you to focus on what’s essential—cutting out the noise and focusing on the few key actions that drive results. Plus, it’s much easier to reference and adjust as you actually move forward and implement the thing.
As a small business owner, you don’t have any time or money to waste on sh*t that doesn’t work. Read that again. That’s why having something simple is even more important for you!
Now, let’s dive into the steps to create your one-page marketing example that works.
Steps to Creating a One-Page Marketing Plan
1. Define Your Goals
The foundation of any solid marketing plan starts with clear, achievable goals. What do you want to accomplish? Whether it’s increasing brand awareness, driving traffic to your website, or boosting sales, your one-page marketing strategy should start with 1-3 specific goals.
2. Outline Key Marketing Objectives
Once you have your goals, we suggest you choose up to six objectives to help you hit them (which in turn, will help us choose your tactics or tasks). For example, if one of your goals is to increase sales and revenue, your objectives might be to increase website traffic and have better messaging.
Your objectives form the bridge between your goals and your tactics. In Enji, when you choose your objectives, we’ll even recommend tactics that align. For example, if you want to get found on the internet, we’ll tell you to do things like update your Google Business listing, get listed on review sites, or start a blog.
3. Conduct Market Research and Create Customer Personas
Marketing only works when you know who you’re talking to. At the end of the day, we’re humans talking to humans. This step in your one-page marketing plan includes gathering insights about your audience:
- Who are they?
- What do they care about?
- What keeps them up at night?
- Why should they buy your sh*t?
Customer personas help you personalize your marketing and stay relevant. And market research helps you stay competitive in your industry. Keep these insights close—you’ll reference them often if you want to get good at marketing.
4. Set Your Marketing Budget
Next, decide how much you’re willing to spend on your marketing efforts. And remember, the lower your marketing budget is, the more time your marketing is probably going to take you (trade offs). It’s very hard to move the needle in your marketing with less than two pennies to rub together.
A strong one-page marketing plan template includes both your overall budget and how it’s allocated across channels. Don’t forget to include tools (like Enji!), contractors, ads, and campaigns. Setting a realistic budget helps you prioritize and track ROI. And please, while we know small business margins can be tight, don’t make your marketing budget $0. It’s the hardest way to do things—trust us.
5. Choose Your Marketing Channels
Now, choose the best channels for your business based on where your customers hang out. Social media? Email? Search engines?
This part of your one-page marketing plan should be honest about your capacity and abilities, too. If you hate Instagram and love writing, maybe blogging is a better fit. If you don’t have a lot of time, starting a YouTube channel is probably out of the question.
You don’t need to be everywhere—just consistent where it counts. If you create your one-page marketing plan with Enji’s marketing strategy generator, we’ll tell you which platforms are likely to give you the biggest bang for your buck too!
6. Choose Your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
You’re well on your way to having a simple one-page marketing plan, but we can’t talk about marketing without talking about KPIs (read: the numbers that help you understand your results). How else would we be able to tell if the one-page marketing plan is actually working?
Depending on the goals, objectives, and channels you’ve chosen so far, your KPIs could be anything from website traffic, conversion rates, or even social media engagement. Monitoring your KPIs allows you to adjust your strategy as needed to stay on track. You can learn more about how we use KPIs to make data-driven decisions here.
7. Share with Your Team
If you have anyone else helping you with your marketing, don’t keep your one-page marketing plan to yourself. At Enji, we believe in collaboration, and your team can help bring your plan to life.
That’s why Enji lets you add your team to your account (at no extra cost!). Share your plan, assign responsibilities, and make sure everyone’s rowing in the same direction.
Even if your team is small (or just you and a VA), clarity makes everything smoother.
8. Implement Your Plan with Enji
Last but not least, what good is a one-page marketing plan if you don’t implement it, right? Creating a marketing plan is one thing, but implementing it is where the magic happens.
From here, Enji can help you put your plan into action. From setting up marketing campaigns to tracking your KPIs, Enji provides the resources and support you need to succeed. It really is an all-in-one marketing software for small businesses.
One-Page Marketing Plan Template
To help you get started, here’s a simple template for your one-page marketing plan:
1. Goals
- Goal 1
- Goal 2
- Goal 3
2. Objectives
- Objective 1
- Objective 2
- Objective 3
- Objective 4
- Objective 5
- Objective 6
3. Market Research/Customer Personas
- Key takeaways from your market research
- Customer Persona 1
- Customer Persona 2
4. Marketing Budget
- Total marketing budget
- Budget allocation by channel
5. Channels
- Marketing Channel 1
- Marketing Channel 2
- Marketing Channel 3
6. KPIs
- KPI 1
- KPI 2
- KPI 3
7. Team Responsibilities
- Who’s responsible for what
You can recreate this one-page marketing plan template in a doc, whiteboard, or inside your Enji account (spoiler alert: we make it super easy).
Creating a One-Page Marketing Plan Doesn’t Have to Be Hard
In case you were skimming: building a one-page marketing plan isn’t about cutting corners—it’s about cutting clutter.
By simplifying your strategy into a single page, you create a roadmap that’s easy to follow, easy to adapt, and actually useful. No fluff. Just focus.
And if you want to create your one-page marketing plan example in less than 5 minutes, start your free trial on Enji today. We’ll walk you through it step by step and help you implement it, too.
FAQs: One-Page Marketing Plans
Do I really need a marketing plan? I’m just a one-person show.
Yes—especially if you’re a one-person show! A simple, one-page marketing plan gives you structure without the stress. It keeps you focused, consistent, and clear about what’s actually moving the needle. Think of it as your marketing cheat sheet, not a corporate binder.
Why one page? Doesn’t that oversimplify things?
Not at all. A one-page plan cuts the fluff, not the strategy. You’re not skipping the important stuff—you’re getting rid of the noise and stuff you won’t ever be able to implement anyway. A marketing plan should actually help you make your marketing actionable and doable, especially when you're juggling a million other things (we see you 👀). A one-page marketing plan helps you do that.
What if I’m not sure what goals to set?
Totally normal. That’s why we suggest starting with just 1–3 clear goals—like getting more leads or increasing brand awareness. Inside Enji, our marketing strategy generator walks you through it in minutes. No second-guessing.
How detailed do my customer personas need to be?
Don’t overthink it. This isn’t a term paper—it’s a working doc. A few bullet points about who they are, what they care about, and what they’re struggling with is enough. You can always refine it over time.
What’s the best way to choose my marketing channels?
Start with where your audience actually hangs out—and what feels sustainable for you. If you’re not into Instagram, don’t force it. Maybe email or blogging fits better. You don’t have to be everywhere; you just have to be consistent somewhere.
What if I don’t have a big budget?
That’s okay. Budgeting isn’t about having tons to spend—it’s about being intentional with what you do have. Time is a currency, too. Whether you’re DIYing or outsourcing, your one-page plan helps you prioritize what you do have so you can be as effective as possible.
How do I know if my one-page marketing plan is working?
That’s where KPIs come in. Don’t let the acronym scare you—they’re just your marketing gut checks. Think: “Am I getting more inquiries?” or “Is my website traffic up?” In Enji, you can track all this in real-time without needing a degree in analytics.
Can I use this plan with my team or VA?
Absolutely. In fact, we encourage it. A shared plan means shared clarity—and less back-and-forth chaos. Bonus: Enji lets you invite your team for free, so everyone’s on the same page (literally).
What’s the easiest way to start?
Just hop into Enji. Our one-page strategy generator walks you through the whole thing in under 10 minutes. No blank pages—just your plan, done and ready to go.
