What Should Be in a B2B Marketing Plan Template?

A B2B marketing plan template should define the marketing objectives, explain how those objectives will be achieved through programs of work or time-bound campaigns, detail which channels and tactics will be activated, and document the resources required.

The template should start with a section for goals, which set the measurable outcomes that marketing is expected to deliver and how those relate to the overall business objective. Next, a strategies and program section describes what work is needed and how budget will be allocated. At the most detailed level, an activities section will describe the specific marketing channels that will be activated and over what time frame.

A complete template should also records ownership, status, and any assumptions (such as expected win rates, average deal sizes, or funnel conversions) with a link to where performance will be monitored.

The Core Components of a B2B Marketing Plan Template

Most templates, whether in slides, spreadsheets, or dedicated planning software, will include the following elements:

• Goals and Objectives

  – measurable outcomes tied to growth, pipeline, or revenue.

• Strategies

  – the chosen areas of focus that support those goals. This should detail what is being marketed to whom (the ideal customer profile or persona) and how the value proposition is compelling and differentiated.

• Programs

  – these are the structured workstreams aligned to strategies, with descriptions of what is required to deliver on the strategy. These may be organized by geographic region, product-line, or time period.

• Tactics and Activities

  – these are the individual actions that will deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time. This is sometimes referred to as channel activations and may include things such as digital advertising or events and conferences. For account-based marketing programs, the tactics may include direct outreach, sales enablement, or personalized content creation.

• Budgets and Pipeline Targets

  – expected spend and contribution to revenue and pipeline.

• Performance Assumptions

  – win rate, average deal size, or lead conversion through the sales and marketing funnel.

• Ownership and Status

  – state who is responsible and how the current progress will be measured – this may be in a dedicated CRM or analytics dashboard, or stored withing individual tools.

• Timeframe

  – start and end dates for accountability.

This hierarchy ensures the plan is not just a list of activities but a structured document that links marketing investment to commercial results.

For more detail, see our B2B marketing plan template guide, which explains how to apply these elements in practice.

Building a B2B Marketing Template in Presentation Slides such as PowerPoint

PowerPoint templates remain common because they are easy to present to stakeholders. At the simplest level, a template might consist of a title slide with goals, followed by a sequence of slides for each strategy and its supporting programs. Each program slide could include descriptions, owners, budgets, and planned outcomes, with tactics listed in bullet form or shown on a timeline.

This approach has the advantage of being easy to keep on-brand through the use of a corporate presentation theme It is possible to add images or diagrams to explain complex concepts, and it is possible (although often time consuming) to customize for different audiences.

The main drawback is that every version becomes a separate file, and any customization makes consolidation more difficult. If you have a team (even a small team) that is working on a slide-based template, they usually get adapted by individuals making consolidation very difficult. Over time, teams can spend significant effort keeping multiple presentations aligned.

Building a B2B Marketing Template in Spreadsheet such as Excel

Spreadsheets like Excel offers more structure, particularly for budgets and objectives. A basic template might use one sheet for goals and strategies, a second for programs with budget and pipeline data, and a third for tactics.

Spreadsheets, however, have their own challenges. They are not well suited to capturing longer text such as program descriptions, they cannot easily include images or visuals, and formulas can become corrupted if not tightly controlled. Filters or hidden rows can also distort data if users are not careful. To be effective, a spreadsheet template needs to be locked down, with restricted editing rights and clear instructions for use.

For teams starting with spreadsheets, our B2B marketing plan template page offers more guidance and starter templates that can be customized.

B2B Marketing Templates in Dedicated Planning Software

Dedicated planning applications combine the benefits of both spreadsheets and slides while avoiding their limitations. The template structure is built into the platform itself, so teams do not need to spend time creating or maintain their own files.

In B2B Planr, for example, the program template includes fields for program name, description, strategy supported, program type, budget, pipeline contribution, win rate, deal size, owner, status, tracking code, and timeframe. These fields create a consistent framework that scales across multiple teams and markets.

All marketing team members can collaborate and work from the same, single plan, avoiding duplicate or out-of-sync files.

The main benefits of using dedicated planning software for a B2B marketing plan include:

• Automatic roll-up

  – individual plans consolidate up into a single view without manual effort.

• Error reduction

  – no formulas or formatting to break by users.

• Time savings

  – less work designing templates, more time focusing on execution.

• Collaboration

  – multiple users can update live in one place.

• Better reporting

  – activity is directly linked to business outcomes.

For marketing leaders, the biggest gain is time. Instead of spending hours or even days designing templates and re-cutting them for different audiences, the template already exists. The focus shifts from administration to the ‘thinking’ work of planning and the ‘doing’ work of execution.

Visualizing the Template Structure

Below is a simple diagram showing how a B2B marketing plan template is structured:

• Goals

  → Measurable outcomes.

• Strategies

  → Clear choices to achieve goals. Multiple strategies may be required to support the goals.

• Programs

  → Structured workstreams, each with budget, pipeline, owner, and assumptions. Each strategy may have one or more program.

• Tactics

  → Individual actions, scheduled over time. Each program will likely have multiple tactics.

Getting Started

If you are building your first plan, PowerPoint or Excel provide a practical starting point. They give structure and visibility, even if they require manual effort to maintain. Over time, however, most teams benefit from moving to a structured online template where roll-up and reporting happen automatically.

For a practical framework and starter files, see our B2B marketing plan template guide, or us the ROI tool on the homepage to estimate potential savings for your marketing team.

FAQ

What does a good B2B marketing plan template include? It should capture goals, strategies, programs, tactics, budgets, pipeline targets, assumptions, ownership, and timelines.

How do you structure a B2B marketing plan template? Organize it as a hierarchy: goals → strategies → programs → tactics, with supporting details for each program.

What is the best format for a B2B marketing plan template? PowerPoint works well for communication, Excel for budgets and structure, but dedicated planning software offers both efficiency and scalability.

Why move beyond PowerPoint and Excel? They require manual effort, are prone to errors, and make consolidation difficult. Software-based templates provide automation and consistency.