Misunderstanding Marketing: When Companies Focus on Tactics First Instead of Marketing Strategy

Marketing Strategy First, Tactics Second

When I talk with small business owners and non-profit leaders, I often hear a common thing. "I need help with just _________" (fill in the blank). It could be social media, their website, digital advertising, etc. But it's always TACTICAL.

My recommendation for anyone running a business is to focus on the MARKETING STRATEGY first.

Spray-and-pray marketing where you throw all the things out there and hope something sticks isn't a strategy.

Social media posts aren't marketing. Your website isn't marketing. A print ad isn't marketing.

They are tactics. They are ways to execute on your actual marketing strategy. They are the HOW's. And they should work together, rather than in silos.

When all the tools in your marketing toolbox are working in unison around a common goal, that's when magic happens.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Who are your customers?

• What are their preferences, needs, wants?

• What's your marketing budget?

• How do people find out about you?

• What are your growth goals?

• Who's your competition?

• Have you done a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis?

• Is your pricing too high/low or just right?

• Which messages perform best?

• Where are you promoting your business?

• What tactics have performed best/worst for you historically?

• What's your customer retention rate?

• What's your customer acquisition cost?

We're here to help you with all the tactics, but more importantly we're here to guide you and help you develop a strong marketing strategy so that those tactics get you the biggest bang for your marketing buck (no matter how big or small your marketing budget may be).

If you could use help in analyzing your current situation or need a fresh perspective on how to effectively market your business or non-profit, book a free consultation call with us.

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