Have you ever sat in a meeting where there was no agenda present? It seems like stakeholders are simply meeting to meet. Meanwhile you have a trillion things piling up on your desk, and you’ve asked them more than once for their input on an upcoming campaign? Sadly, this is the reality for many strategic marketers today. We need strategies and we must have the tenacity to stick to them. We fail when there isn’t a strategy in place.
A strategy is the business’s overall game plan for reaching prospective consumers and turning them into customers of their products. The strategy is comprised of the value proposition, branding message, data from the demographic the company is shooting for and a few other elements.
A clear strategy should be centered on the company’s value proposition. This is going to let consumers know what the company stands for, how it goes about reaching the goals and why the company is best to serve the consumer. These four things provides a marketer with the template needed to form the strategy
Don’t Get Confused
A marketing strategy is defined in the marketing plan. These two things are not the same. The marketing plan identifies the things that the company does and when it’s going to do them. The plan usually helps other stakeholders stay on track. The marketing strategy is a long-standing document that governs how the marketer and team operates. The plans change with each marketing campaign.
The strategy helps the company reach the goal while the plan lets the team know how it will be done. So, there is no need to sit in meetings twiddling your thumbs or wondering how you’re going to get everyone on track.
Tips to Get Started
- Figure out what the goal is. These things need to be short term but always think about moving towards the bigger goal.
- Recognize who is being sought after. There has to be a client to target. The client is not everyone on planet earth. Who is this product or service going to benefit? Also, why are you the one to do it for them
- Get The Message Out There. This is the fun and creative part. It’s the time to shine. Let those clients know who you are and how you are going to do it for them.
- Budget Matters. Figuring out the means to distribute the message comes with a cost. Will you do a podcast? Will you use email? Will you do a press release? However you do it there will be a cost involved.
- Which Channels Will Be Used? In order to get the message out the marketer has to determine the best method to find value for that budget. There is an omni-channel approach where you use blogs, emails, social media, etc. Figure out how it’s going to do out
- Measure the Success. In order to figure out if this strategy and plan are working you will need to make sure your measurement capabilities are set up properly. Otherwise, it’s like throwing spaghetti up against the wall to see if it sticks.
Everyone Needs Strategy
Once you have the strategy figured out then you will understand where you need to direct your advertising dollars so that you can have the most impact for your company. This process can be seamless if you work with a marketing expert who will guide you through the process and take neutral approach to the business. Instead of struggling through the process, find someone to help.
What’s your strategy? If you don’t have one or think yours could use improvement, reach out to us here at VicMedia Global, we’d love to discuss it with you. Drop us a line at
