The Marketing Plan Everyone Says You Need (vs. What You Actually Need to Start)

If you've ever Googled "mortgage marketing plan template," you've seen the list.

Twenty-three components: situational analysis, SWOT, competitive matrices, partner channel strategies, technology stack assessments, budget allocation frameworks, testing approaches, assumptions, dependencies, and risks.

It's not wrong; it's just completely ineffective if you're a two-person marketing team supporting $500M in volume while your CEO keeps asking why you're not "doing more social."

Here's the truth: that comprehensive plan is designed for enterprise marketing departments with dedicated analysts, product managers, and agencies on retainer. You're trying to create it in December while juggling Q4 campaigns, and you'll abandon it by February because it's too unwieldy to be practical.

So let's break this down into what you actually need to start vs. what you add later.

What You Actually Need: The Non-Negotiables

Skip any of these, and you're just making content, not executing strategy.

1. Company Goals That Marketing Can Support

You can't build a marketing plan if the C-suite doesn't know what they're trying to accomplish. "Grow the business" isn't a goal. "$750M in volume with 35% from wholesale" is a goal.

AI Prompt:

I'm a CMO at a [retail/wholesale/TPO] mortgage lender. Our executive team has stated these goals for 2025: [paste whatever vague goals you’ve got].

Translate these into specific, measurable marketing objectives I can actually build campaigns around. For each one, tell me:

- The audience we need to reach

- The behavior change we need to drive 

- How marketing will measure contribution

If leadership can't give you clear goals, your plan is "support sales and survive." Be honest about that.

2. Real Audience Segmentation

"Our audience is loan officers" isn't segmentation. That's laziness.

LOs at your company need different support than the LOs you're recruiting. High-volume producers need different content than new hires. You can't message everyone the same way.

AI Prompt:

My primary audience is [brokers/LOs/realtors/consumers]. Break this into 4-6 segments based on their relationship with us and their primary need.

For each segment, give me:

- Segment name and key characteristic

- Primary pain point

- Message they need to hear

- Proof point that would convince them

Format as a table.

3. Positioning & Messaging

If I asked your sales team, "Why should someone choose us?" would they all say the same thing? Probably not.

Your positioning isn't marketing fluff. It's the strategic anchor for every message you create.

AI Prompt:

Based on our differentiation [speed/tech/service/pricing] and target audience [paste segment], create a positioning statement that:

- Leads with the customer's problem, not our solution

- Explains what we do differently in one sentence

- Gives a reason to believe us

Then create five core messages ranked by priority. Each should start with a customer benefit, include proof, and avoid jargon.

4. Campaigns (Not Random Tactics)

A campaign isn't "doing LinkedIn." It's a coordinated effort with a specific goal, audience, timeframe, and message strategy using multiple tactics.

AI Prompt:

Build a 90-day campaign to [specific goal: recruit 50 brokers/increase realtor referrals 30%].

Target: [specific segment]

Message: [one core message]

Include:

1. Campaign theme and CTA

2. 3-4 message variations over time

3. Mix of tactics (email, content, ads, events)

4. How each tactic moves the audience toward the goal

5. Success metrics

Keep it realistic for a small team.

Run this for your top three to five priorities. Now you have campaigns, not chaos.

5. Calendar & Success Metrics

If your team doesn't know what's launching next month, you don't have a plan. Use a shared calendar. Plot your campaigns. Review it weekly.

For metrics, forget "engagement" and "impressions." Track what matters: leads generated, applications started, brokers recruited, loans closed, revenue influenced.

AI Prompt:

For our campaign goals [paste objectives], recommend:

- Leading indicators we track weekly (early signals)

- Lagging indicators proving business impact (outcomes that matter)

- Minimum data needed to measure this

Avoid vanity metrics.

6. Sales Enablement

If your sales team can't use your messaging or content, your marketing isn't working.

AI Prompt:

Based on our positioning [paste it] and messages [paste them], create:

1. A 2-minute pitch for LOs meeting realtors/brokers

2. Responses to our three most common objections

3. A one-page leave-behind

Make it conversational, not corporate.

What to Add Later

Once Tier 1 is executing consistently, add these:

Competitive analysis - Know what competitors say, but don't obsess. Most lenders say the same thing anyway.

Market research - Analyst reports and surveys inform strategy, but don't replace clarity on your audience.

Product launches - If you're rolling out new products quarterly, you need launch plans. Most aren't.

SWOT, team structure, tech stack reviews - Useful for large teams. Overkill for most.

The Budget Reality

Most teams create a budget first and then try to develop a plan around it. That's backwards.

Develop the plan. Determine the execution costs. Then secure the budget or revise the plan.

If your budget is "whatever's left after sales comp"—which is reality for many mortgage companies—advocate strongly for what you need to meet company goals. Show the math. Display the ROI. Force leadership to choose: fund marketing properly or accept lower revenue targets.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Here's what we do with clients as a fractional CMO:

Week 1: Audit what exists. Talk to sales and leadership.
Week 2: Build Tier 1. Positioning, audiences, campaigns, calendar, metrics. One-page summary.
Week 3: Get everyone aligned.
Week 4: Launch first campaign. Train sales. Measure results.
Month 2+: Refine and add what's needed based on data.

We don't spend three months building a 40-page deck. We build what's necessary to start moving, then iterate.

Th goal isn't the most comprehensive plan; it's a plan you'll actually use.

Your Move

We work as fractional CMOs for mortgage companies that need strategic leadership without the overhead of a full-time exec. We build the plan, align the team, and deploy the campaigns—then hand you a system that works.

Book a call, and we'll walk through where your planning process is breaking down.

If you've built one of these massive plans and watched it die—or you're drowning in the attempt—drop a comment. Let's talk about what actually works vs. what looks good in PowerPoint.