What Is A Marketing Strategy?

When I use the phrase 'marketing strategy' it can often throw some business owners into panic or overwhelm, just at the thought.  

But the fact is, you can't achieve your business goals without a plan - and it's the same for marketing. Every business should have one, regardless of size.   

Creating a marketing strategy doesn't need to be overwhelming. When you break it down- it's just a simple action plan.  It's likely that you're doing a lot of it already but you need to make sure you're putting your marketing efforts into the right things.   

What’s in a marketing strategy?

A marketing strategy can be a detailed as you like but typically needs the following headers in order for it to have the biggest impact;

Vision/ Mission and Values = taken from your business plan as a reminder

Marketing Objectives = what goals do you want to achieve?

Market Data & SWOT = who/what are you competing against and what’s the biggest opportunity? 

Target Audience = who are you trying to communicate to?

Strategy = what is the best approach to get you there?

Tactics = what are the exact actions to take to get you there?

Measurement = how will you know if you’ve achieved your goals?

How long should a marketing strategy be?

A marketing plan doesn't need to be a lengthy corporate document.  Some of the best marketing action plans that I've seen and worked on have fitted onto one page.  As long as you’ve covered all of the main headers above then it shouldn’t matter how long or short it is. Make sure it’s not done once and tucked away, never to be seen again. Put it in bullet point format, add your branding and stick it on your wall so that you’re reminded of it daily.  

How can I start a marketing strategy?

If you don't have a marketing strategy, it is really simple to start. You know your business better than anyone else so all the information is likely to be to hand already. Start by writing down 3 marketing goals, who your customers are and how you're going to get there.  Don't make it complicated.  Make sure you refer to it regularly to make sure you’re on track and if you have a team make sure everyone is on board and knows what the plan is!