Half of UK small businesses do not have a marketing plan when they launch, according to a recent countdown report. For a new business, that statistic is both a warning and an opportunity. Without a plan, marketing a new business becomes a guessing game — and guessing costs money.
Marketing a new business doesn’t require a 50-page document. But the absence of any plan means founders are often reacting instead of acting. They run an ad, post on social media, and hope something sticks. That approach rarely builds momentum.
Many skip the planning stage because time is the usual answer. Starting a company is chaotic. Marketing feels like something you can do later. Later becomes never. The report suggests that half of new businesses never formalize their marketing strategy at all.
Another reason is uncertainty. Founders don’t know their customers well enough yet. They worry a plan will be wrong. So founders do nothing. But a plan doesn’t need to be perfect — it just needs to exist. You can adjust as you learn.
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Dom Walbanke, who covers start-ups and scale-ups, notes that having a marketing plan helps businesses get ahead of the pack. That’s not hard when half the pack doesn’t have one. The real advantage is focus. A plan forces you to decide who you’re selling to, what message you’re using, and where you’ll reach them.
What a bare-bones marketing plan looks like
It doesn’t need to be fancy. A single page works. Start with the target customer. Determine whether you are selling to freelancers, small retailers, or large companies. Be specific. “Everyone” is not a target.
Then pick one or two channels. If your customers are on Instagram, go there. If they search Google, invest in search ads. Trying to do everything at once spreads a small budget too thin.
Set a simple goal. Maybe 50 leads in the first month, or 10 sales. A goal makes it clear whether your marketing is working. Without a goal, you can’t tell if you’re spinning your wheels.
Finally, decide how much you’ll spend. Even a few hundred pounds can buy targeted ads or a simple website. Track where that money goes. If a channel doesn’t perform, drop it and try something else.
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The skeptical view: plans can be overrated
Not every successful business starts with a marketing plan. Some founders rely on word-of-mouth and organic growth. A few stumble into a viral moment. But those are exceptions, not the rule. For most, a plan reduces wasted effort.
There’s also the risk of sticking too rigidly to a plan. Markets change. A strategy that works in January may flop by March. Good plans are living documents — you review and revise them regularly. That’s not a sign of failure, it’s just reality.
Businesses that skip planning often end up spending more later. They chase every trend, jump on every platform, and burn through cash. A plan doesn’t eliminate risk, but it helps prioritize. It says “do this first, not that.”
One simple trick that many miss
Talk to customers before you launch. It sounds obvious, but many founders skip it. Ask people in your target audience what problems they have. Then build your marketing message around that solution, not around your product’s features.
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Customers don’t care about your features. They care about their own pain. A marketing plan helps you keep that front and center. It’s easy to get distracted by product specs and forget the human side of selling.
Walbanke’s reporting highlights that the businesses with a plan are better positioned to adapt. They know their baseline. They can measure what’s working and what’s not. That makes them more resilient when the market shifts.
The countdown data — 50% of small businesses without a marketing plan — is a snapshot. But it’s a snapshot that repeats every year. The businesses that take 30 minutes to sketch a rough plan are already ahead. The bar is low.
Marketing a new business doesn’t have to be complex. Start with a customer, a channel, a goal, and a budget. Adjust as you go. That’s it. The planning isn’t the hard part. The hard part is sticking with it when results are slow. But slow results are still better than no direction at all.
