Marketing Plan — Claude Code Skill for AI Agents

A comprehensive marketing plan is structured by AARRR — Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral, Revenue — so every recommendation is funnel-stage-tagged and executable in priority order. This skill builds a 13-section plan through three phases (INIT research and intake, an interactive REVIEW of each section, then FINALIZE) covering an executive summary, strategic frame, a current-state scored against a 17-section rubric, the five AARRR stages, a 90-day roadmap with named owners, a 12-month outlook tied to funding-stage capability unlocks, a marketing-operations stack mapping skills and integrations to each stage, and an idea bank cross-referencing all 139 marketing-ideas tactics. It's specific to the client's real budget, unit economics, and team — a generic plan is a failed plan.

When to use it

Your agent reaches for this skill when you ask for things like:

“marketing plan,”“growth plan,”“GTM plan,”“go-to-market plan,”“AARRR plan,”“90-day marketing plan,”“12-month marketing roadmap,”“fractional CMO plan,”

What's inside

The playbook covers

When to useHow this skill is invokedThe three phasesThe 13-section plan structureThe AARRR framingThe current-state rubricCross-references — skills this plan integrates withThe marketing operations stackFunding-stage capability unlocksSetting the budget scientificallyGrowth patterns — the real shape of SaaS growthTeam and agency modelWhat every plan must customizeCommon client-type variationsQuality barOutput formatFile layout per planTask-specific questions (used during INIT)How exhaustive should the plan be?A note on tone

Reference library — 13 deep-dives

AARRR Framework — Primer for Plan SequencingAARRR (Dave McClure's "pirate metrics") is the spine of every plan produced by this skill. This doc is the primer + the decision rules for when each stage gets prioritized.Budget Planning — Scientific Methods for Setting the Marketing BudgetThe problem with most SaaS marketing budgets is that they're pulled out of thin air — a number that hopefully doesn't constrain growth too much, but doesn't anchor in customer-acquisition economics either. The result: when someone asks "why this number?" there's no answer.Client Types — Variations by Business ModelThe 13-section plan structure stays consistent across client types. What changes is the content emphasis within each section. This doc names the dominant patterns by client archetype.Current State Rubric — 17-Section Scoring LensThis 17-section rubric is the source of truth for Section 3 ("Current State") of every marketing plan. Score each section 0–5 from available materials, then write a 2–4 sentence "shape interpretation" that names where strengths and gaps cluster.Example — Quietude Marketing Plan v1This is the canonical reference example for the `/marketing-plan` skill. It's based on a real fCMO engagement for a hybrid hardware-and-software wellness platform. Names, domains, and identifying details have been changed — the client is called "Quietude" here, and the team members have been renamed (Alex / Sam / Casey / Devon). The funnel numbers, budget, and structural lessons preserve the shape of the original engagement so the example retains its teaching value.Funding-Stage Capability UnlocksEvery marketing plan must include explicit "what changes when funding closes / when budget unlocks" reasoning. This makes the plan investor-friendly and operationally honest.Growth Patterns — The Real Shape of SaaS GrowthThe 12-month outlook in every plan (Section 10) describes a trajectory. This doc names the shape of that trajectory honestly — what real SaaS growth looks like, when to expect plateaus, and how to plan for the next leg of growth before the current one stalls.Idea Cross-Reference — 139 Marketing Ideas Mapped to AARRRThe `marketing-ideas` skill catalogs 139 proven marketing tactics. This doc is the source-of-truth mapping: every idea assigned to a primary AARRR stage, with notes for when it's typically active and what category constraints apply.Measurement Framework — KPIs, North Stars, CadenceEvery plan needs a measurement section that tells the team how to know if the plan is working. This doc is the source for Section 13's measurement subsection.Methodology — How a Marketing Plan Gets MadeThe three-phase workflow that produces a comprehensive marketing plan. SKILL.md is the orchestration layer; this is the operational detail.Marketing Operations Stack — Skills + MCPs per AARRR StageThis doc maps every marketing-skill and every relevant MCP/API integration to the AARRR stage(s) it primarily serves. It's the source for Section 11 of every plan.Plan Template — The 13-Section StructureThe canonical template for every marketing plan generated by this skill. Each section has a purpose, a structure, and inline prompts for what to draft.Team and Agency Model — Hire for Strategy, Outsource ExecutionThe marketing operations stack (Section 11 of every plan) describes *what* gets done. This doc describes *who does it* — the operating principle, the org shape, the first hire, the agency model, and how it evolves as the company scales.

Key data

The recommendations are grounded in benchmarks, not opinion:

Annual marketing budget: $50,000

Blended CAC: $100 → can acquire 500 new customers

ARPC: $50/mo → adds $300K to ARR

Account for 15% annual churn → 85% × $300K = +$255K net new ARR

End-of-year goal: $1.255M ARR

Annual marketing budget: $400,000

See it in action

You ask

I'm starting a fractional CMO engagement with a Series A B2B SaaS doing $2M ARR, 12-person team with 1 marketer, $20K/month marketing budget. They want a marketing plan we can share with the team and the board. Build it.

The skill delivers

The 13-section plan structure

1. Executive summary — 3 big bets, 90-day priorities, 12-month outcome 2. Strategic frame — category claim, ICP, brand-voice non-negotiables 3. Current state — scored against the 17-section rubric 4–8. Acquisition · Activation · Retention · Referral · Revenue 9. 90-day roadmap — Unblock / Foundation / Velocity / Compound, owner-assigned 10. 12-month outlook — quarterly milestones tied to funding-stage unlocks 11. Marketing operations stack — skills + MCP/API integrations per AARRR stage 12. Tactical idea bank — all 139 ideas tagged Now / Q2 / Q3+ / Skip 13. Measurement, RACI, open decisions, appendix Output: one Notion-paste-ready markdown file, ~8,000–12,000 words.

FAQ

What is an AARRR marketing plan?

AARRR — Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Referral, Revenue — is a funnel framework that structures the plan by stage instead of by channel. It replaces the older "channels and tactics" approach because it forces every recommendation to be tagged to a funnel stage, which makes the plan executable in priority order. Brand and content are treated as cross-cutting, serving every stage rather than being their own.

How do you set a marketing budget for the plan?

Anchor to funding stage (pre-seed/bootstrapped is $0–2K/mo organic-only; seed close unlocks a $5–15K/mo paid test budget), then set the actual number with one of two methods: revenue-based (5–40% of ARR, best when you have CAC data) or goal-based (reverse-engineered from the revenue target). Add 10–20% experimental budget on top, and use blended CAC — including salaries, tools, and retainers, not just ad spend.

How is this different from just getting marketing ideas?

Marketing-ideas gives you standalone tactics to try; a marketing plan sequences them into a committed, owner-assigned 12-month roadmap tied to your budget, unit economics, and funding milestones. Section 12 of the plan actually cross-references all 139 ideas against your AARRR stages and marks each Now / Q2 / Q3+ / Skip. If you only want inspiration without the full artifact, use marketing-ideas instead.

Build a tool for this workflow?

Marketers run this skill mid-task — the exact moment your tool matters. Partner tiers put your tool inside the skill their agent runs.

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