The 23 Best Strategic Planning Tools on the Market

Strategic planning tools help you organize the analyses your specialists conduct for your company.

In fact, they do more than that: in many cases, they are the analyses. These tools provide the background you need to structure market information, audience data, and even insights about your own capabilities.

This work is essential for any marketing effort. Strategic planning allows you to set the stage so that your campaigns are far more effective.

Today, we’ll dive deeper into strategic planning tools in two different ways.

First, we’ll discuss business and administrative tools — the theoretical side of things.

Then, I’ll present some practical tools — platforms designed for strategic planning that will help you organize this information.

In this second part, we’ll cover any tool available on the market that can help you with strategic planning, not just those specifically designed for it.

Let’s get started because it’s a broad topic:

What Are Strategic Planning Tools for Marketing?

First, we need to quickly define what strategic planning tools actually are.

Practical strategic planning tools encompass a wide range of SaaS platforms you can use for this purpose.

At the same time, there are also more theoretical strategic planning tools; these are methods used to plan anything for your company.

In this article, we’ll focus on these tools.

You’ll see that these tools are quite diverse. They cover product development, the planning of your marketing campaigns, and in some cases, even resource planning — determining when and how to allocate resources.

Let’s delve deeper into strategic planning tools. Come along!

Marketing Research

The most significant strategic planning tool on the market is marketing research.

It’s essential to understand what marketing really is. Marketing consists of a series of strategies and actions designed to bring a brand and its products to market.

Many people confuse where marketing begins. From the early stages of product development — before it even has a name or your brand exists — you are already engaging in marketing.

Marketing involves the creation and design of what needs to be done, as well as the actual execution.

This is why marketing research is so crucial. Through it, you can understand your audience and the direction you need to take at any stage — from the earliest phases to years after the product is launched.

We have an article that explains in detail — including suggestions for tools — how to conduct marketing research. Access it via the link below:

➡️ How to Conduct Marketing Research? 5 Resources and 10 Questions

Business Plan

A business plan is another indispensable tool for strategic planning, no matter how it’s conducted.

With a business plan, you can identify the primary opportunities and challenges in the market you’re entering.

Creating a business plan as you establish your company already sets the foundation for operational strategic planning.

Typically, a business plan includes:

• Company definition, including Mission, Vision, and Values;
• Definition of the product(s) offered;
• The business model;
• Analysis of competitors;
• Required resources for operations;
• Necessary personnel;
• And other specific information.

We have examples of business plans for marketing agencies. It’s worth reviewing to see how they work in practice. Access it below:

➡️ 6 Business Plans for Digital Marketing Agencies [PDF]

Marketing Plan

A marketing plan is a structured effort to organize the actions and campaigns you aim to launch.

It also defines the methodologies you will use to ensure everything works as expected.

A marketing plan involves:

• Defining the target audience;
• Creating personas;
• Identifying who will work on the strategy;
• Specifying the methodologies to be employed;
• Outlining how paid media campaigns will be conducted;
• Selecting the platforms for advertising;
• Planning where and how content marketing will occur;
• And other relevant determinations.

Through the marketing plan, you can clearly understand how your campaigns will unfold. It includes production routines, budget allocations, expected outcomes, etc.

We have a template specifically about marketing plans. Check it out below:

➡️ Marketing Plan for Small Businesses

Business Matrices and Strategies

Beyond these foundational strategies, focused on business creation, launch, and promotion, there are more advanced tools.

These are the matrices and administrative theories every entrepreneur should know. Some of them should always be at your fingertips.

Examples include:

• BCG Matrix: Helps determine actions for your product, analyzing and categorizing what sells, what doesn’t, potential growth areas, and uncertainties.
• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Analyzes your audience using psychological insights, linking human needs to where your product fits.
• Mendelow Matrix: Categorizes customers and stakeholders, prioritizing those who require more effort and investment.
• GE/McKinsey Matrix: Categorizes business units to identify where to invest or divest.
• PESTEL Factors: Highlights key areas of attention in interactions between your brand and audience: Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal.
• Porter’s Five Forces: Analyzes competitive dynamics.
• SWOT Analysis: Assesses your brand’s strengths and weaknesses relative to the market.
• The Long Tail: Guides product catalog decisions, emphasizing that more products lead to increased revenue over time.

Searching for “strategic planning tools” on Google often highlights these theories. 

However, while they are vital to understand, they typically provide a broad strategic framework, not directly tied to digital marketing.

We have an article listing these marketing theories in detail. It’s worth reading:

➡️ Key Marketing Theories for the Contemporary World

OKRs and KPIs

These are great strategic planning tools, related to your day-to-day operations, your past, and your future as well.

OKRs and KPIs are related to your goals. In fact, goals are, in many cases, derived from them.

An OKR is a Key Organizational Objective. “50% growth compared to the first quarter,” for example, is a key objective, even if it’s simpler.

Other examples:

• Increase YoY ROI by 50%;
• Launch 3 more products in a year;
• Open a branch in another state.

KPIs are Key Performance Indicators. They are related to OKRs, which inform them.

For example, to increase ROI by 50%, what specific actions need to be taken? Greater team efficiency, setting daily sales targets, etc.

The indicators of these specific actions are the KPIs. In this case, team efficiency is measured by a series of indicators, right? Gross sales amount, compared, etc.

These indicators are the KPIs — the key ones to understand if an OKR is being achieved or not.

We also have an article that expands much more on this subject. Access it below:

➡️ 30 Sales, Marketing, and CS KPIs that Leaders Want to See on Their Dashboard

There are tools on the market aimed at this function. But these tools are very broad.

For example, a marketing automation platform can be considered a strategic planning tool.

At the same time, Business Intelligence platforms are also considered as such.

But the difference between these two tools is obvious — one is quite focused, while the other is more holistic and analyzes many data sources.

How to Create a Strategic Plan for Your Brand

What we’ve explored so far are administrative and marketing tools designed to help you create an excellent strategic plan for your brand.

But how exactly do you create this plan? What is necessary? How does it start, and how do you know when the planning is complete?

Let’s discuss these points now in this section. Afterward, we’ll explore some tools to help you organize all this information.

Here, we organize the stages of strategic planning as follows:

• The beginning — organizing information, creating KPIs and OKRs, defining the team, etc.;
• The middle — determining which information to analyze, how to analyze it, and estimating the time the work will take;
• The end — formalizing the strategic plan, presenting it, and knowing how to adjust it in the future.

Let’s walk through these three steps now. Follow along:

The Beginning

As soon as you decide strategic planning is necessary, you have some steps to follow.

First, you need to define the team that will execute the strategic planning.

Look for individuals who have been familiar with the company for some time and are prepared and willing to conduct analyses. This team is usually not large—three or four people are often sufficient.

At this stage, it’s also important to assign responsibilities. For instance, who will collect data? Who will interpret it? Who will draft the document?

Once the team is defined, the next step is determining the strategies to use—the strategic planning tools.

From the elements we discussed earlier, which ones will you use?

It’s important to understand that strategic planning can (and does) take many forms.

For instance, a competitive analysis may require SWOT but might not necessarily need a BCG Matrix.

With the team and methodology in place, you’re ready to begin your strategic planning.

But what comes next?

The Middle

Here, you’ll conduct the actual strategic planning using the tools you’ve identified as key to the task.

It’s challenging to specify exactly how this planning will unfold since every plan is unique. Each company will approach it differently.

However, a critical task during this phase is understanding the data your company already possesses.

If it’s a new business, use the data from your Business Plan. How do you intend to respond to the scenarios outlined there?

If this is your first strategic plan for an established company, analyze the existing data using your chosen methodology.

Everything a company does generates data. Much of strategic planning involves finding and interpreting these data points.

As you do this, the formalized document of the strategic plan begins to take shape.

But there are some points you must keep in mind as you approach the final phase.

The End

Finally, it’s crucial to ensure the strategic plan is well-documented and easy to understand.

Anyone should be able to access and fully grasp the strategic plan.

Don’t leave this task to just one person. A strong writer and a designer working together are essential for creating a well-structured document.

The standard is to create two documents: a detailed dossier with complete data and in-depth analysis, and a slide presentation for quick reference.

You must also present the strategic plan to the company’s leadership and incorporate any requested changes.

This stage is critical. During the planning process, it’s rare to get direct input from the leadership team.

In most cases, leadership involvement occurs during the presentation phase, where you’ll receive feedback and opinions. Value this input highly!

The 23 Best Strategic Planning Tools on the Market

So far, we’ve discussed theoretical and administrative tools used to create a strategic plan.

We’ve also covered how to develop a strategic plan in three steps, which may seem simple but are quite complex.

Now, let’s explore some tools that can help you succeed in this process.

We’ve grouped them by area of application:

• Data collection and interpretation;
• Collaborative document development;
• Tools for creating and presenting the document;
• Team management software;
• Sales and marketing management software.

It’s essential to discuss team, sales, and marketing management systems, even though these tools are more commonly used during the execution of the strategic plan rather than its creation.

They are important because they must be included in your strategic plan. As we’ve seen, planning how to organize the demands outlined in the strategic plan is crucial.

These tools make it easier to assign tasks and even pre-schedule jobs in advance.

Let’s dive into each topic and explore suggested tools for strategic planning.

Data Collection and Interpretation

You’ll need data analysis tools to understand the market you’re entering.

These platforms are typically Business Intelligence tools.

However, Business Intelligence platforms have limitations.

The biggest challenge is that they take time to implement and start generating data.

You’ll need to integrate them with your other tools and databases to create a comprehensive dashboard of all your data.

The leading Business Intelligence tools on the market include:

• Oracle BI
• Microsoft Power BI
• Zoho Analytics
• IBM Cognos
• Tableau
• SAS Viya

Collaborative Document Development

Strategic planning is inherently collaborative. It’s impossible to ignore this aspect of the process.

Initial meetings will involve a team, but the document development itself must also be collaborative.

For this, some simple software solutions can help, such as Google Docs.

However, depending on the complexity of the work, you may need more robust tools.

Here are some options:

• Google Docs
• Document 360
• Nuclino
• MarkdownPad
• Read the Docs

Tools for Creating and Presenting the Document

In addition to creating the document, you’ll also need to develop a presentation—a condensed version of the document for quick reference.

The presentation should be simple, direct, and visually appealing to encourage constructive feedback from leadership and stakeholders.

These feedback sessions are crucial and may be the only opportunity to collect input.

Here are the main tools for this task:

• Canva
• Prezi
• Keynote

Team Management Software

So far, we’ve covered the basic tools for creating a strategic plan and preparing the final document and presentation.

However, it’s also essential to use team management software to organize the activities outlined in the strategic plan.

Familiarity with these tools allows you to pre-plan responsibilities and deadlines.

In fact, using these tools can help preconfigure workflows so that when the time comes to execute the plan, much of the groundwork is already done.

The leading process management tools include:

• Asana
• Studio
• Trello
• Jira
• ClickUp

You’ll find detailed descriptions of these tools and others in our article on the topic. Access it below:

➡️ 10 Project Management Tools and How to Choose the Right One

Sales and Marketing Management Software

Finally, we have marketing automation platforms and sales CRMs.

Every modern digital marketing strategy requires these tools.

They even help you understand what’s feasible within your strategic plan.

For example, you might include email marketing automation because your platform supports it.

If it doesn’t, you know that including this strategy in your plan isn’t viable.

The leading sales and marketing management tools on the market are:

• RD Station Marketing and CRM
• HubSpot
• Ramper (formerly LAHAR)
• ActiveCampaign

We provide even more recommendations in our dedicated article on this topic. Access it below:

➡️ 19 Best Marketing Automation Tools for 2024 – Reviewed!

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We hope we’ve helped you better understand the tools for strategic planning.

Analyzing data is the most important aspect to consider when working on this task.

Want to know how to analyze it in the best way possible? Benchmark our results!

We have a webinar where we share all our key data from 2023, including what worked, what didn’t, and what was just okay.

These are real insights from Leadster’s marketing and business strategies. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Just click the banner to access it, okay? Thank you for reading, and we’ll see you in the next article!