Most 2025 Marketing Plans Will Fail. Yours Won’t.

How to Crush Your 2025 Marketing Plan

It’s that time of year—“Let’s plan for 2025!” time.

You’re sitting in a room with a whiteboard — 6 open tabs on “Marketing Trends 2025” and your boss yelling about AI.

But let’s be real.

• Most plans are copy-paste versions of last year.

• Half the team is guessing.

• And “the vibe” isn’t clear.

So here’s how to make a 2025 marketing plan that doesn’t suck.

1. Start with one simple question

“What’s the ONE metric that matters most?”

• User acquisition?

• Is it revenue?

• Retention?

Pick one. If everything’s important, nothing is.

Build a “metric calculator” for clarity.

Use a simple spreadsheet to show:

• How would a 1% improvement in this metric impact revenue?

• What resources are required to move it?

It makes choosing your ONE metric a no-brainer…
and keeps leadership on the same page.

2. Find the ‘obvious wins’

Look back at 2024.

• Which campaigns crushed it?

• Where did you waste money?

90% of the time, the next “big idea” is hiding in what’s already working.

Double down on the obvious wins.

3. Cut the fluff

Here’s a brutal truth: Most marketing plans have:

• Useless buzzwords.

• Overcomplicated strategies.

• Shiny trends no one’s ready for.

Stick to this:

• Who are you marketing to?

• What do they care about?

• Where are they spending their time?

Then, go meet them there with a killer offer.

Write your plan in one sentence.

“If we [strategy] to reach [audience] with [offer], we’ll achieve [goal].”

If it doesn’t fit, it’s too complex. Simplify it.

4. Make your ‘wild bet’

Every great plan needs a wild bet. Something with a huge upside:

• A bold new channel (e.g. TikTok for B2B?).

• A viral campaign idea.

• A risky partnership.

If it hits, you’re the hero.

If it flops, who cares? You played it smart on the basics.

5. The 80/20 marketing budget

Here’s how you allocate:

• 80% → Channels you KNOW work (ads, email, SEO).

• 20% → Experiment with new stuff (AI, influencers, out-of-home).

Safe bets keep the lights on. Wild bets create magic.

6. Put deadlines on your ideas

A plan without deadlines = dreams.

For every big goal, ask:

• Who owns this?

• When’s it happening?

• How do we know if it’s working?

Use “reverse accountability.”

Ask each team member to set their own deadlines in front of the group.

People respect timelines they create for themselves.

Peer pressure = execution gold.

Thanks,
Deep Kakkad — your marketer friend.