What comes to mind when you hear the word Marketing? If you are like most people, you think – social media, commercials, billboards, emails or online ads. These examples are the visible execution of marketing tactics. Tactics are the specific actions taken to help reach your end goal.
Marketing Strategy is the overall plan for reaching prospective customers and turning them into clients. A marketing strategy details how businesses understand their markets and methods for influencing customers with the ultimate goal of achieving and communicating a sustainable competitive advantage. Marketing strategy is the critical first step in fueling business growth through brand awareness as well as lead generation and nurturing.
Simply put, a strategy informs your tactics — it's the achievable, focused blueprint to get to the target. Tactics are the concrete and definable steps within your strategy that ensure you reach your objective.
Strategy should include:
✔ Vision and objectives
✔ Industry trends
✔ Target audience and personas
✔ Positioning within the marketplace
✔ Clear value proposition
✔ Key brand messaging
✔ Multi-channel activity plan (website, social media, email, etc.)
✔ Timeline for implementation
Oftentimes, people use marketing strategy and marketing tactics interchangeably, yet they are not the same! Tactics are items that marketers create. Tactics include sending emails, posting on social media, exhibiting at a trade show, or publishing an article/blog. A comprehensive strategy ensures the right people are targeted, with relevant content that appeals to them. The more time spent creating a clear strategy, the more opportunities are created to sell because.
Marketing strategy includes all of the areas of your selling activities; effective marketing strategy ensures that all activities complement one another. To optimize business growth and success, don’t treat marketing like a cost center that spends money on menial tasks. Treat marketing as a revenue driver that connects the business with consumers. Marketing drives growth: growth begins with a solid marketing strategy to guide your tactics. Start developing your marketing strategy with this comprehensive template - Download Template