You’re halfway there. First, we needed to figure out WHAT to do in the 2015 Marketing Plan. The rest of the plan is geared toward HOW to do it. And you have to start with strategy. So today is more about thinking and pondering than anything else. And no joking this time…I’m very serious when I talk about strategy! Here’s why:
A lot of people can’t distinguish between a strategy and a tactic. But there’s a big difference and it’s an important one. Your strategies act as guides for your marketing activities, and they direct the tactics you choose. Tactics are actionable and specific. Without strategy, you feel like you’re just jumping from one marketing task to the next, and results seem hit or miss. With a good strategy in place, you can select tactics that align with your overall strategy. If the tactics don’t work as well as you want, you can change them up or tweak them.
Defining your best customer as you’ve just done is part of choosing your strategy. Defining the channels you’ll use is another part of creating your strategy. Now it’s time to think about how you’ve promoted and sold your products and services in the past. Are there new ways you think you can reach out to your best customer? Did you identify some channels last week that might be new avenues to reach that customer? Have you always wanted to try a different marketing approach? Now is the time to write those ideas down and ask yourself, “If I do these, will I meet more of my best customers?” Maybe it’s a new event or webinar you’ve always wanted to do. Maybe, like me, you’ve always wanted to do a series of blog posts. Write them down.
You may be thinking right now that you’re not a marketing person and there’s no way you can come up with new strategies. I love that Cult Branding developed a list of 52 Marketing Strategies because believe it or not, I run out of ideas too. Read that post and pull a few that resonate with you. If you’ve got more time, ChiefMartec.com has created a great list of strategies and links to more information on each one. It’s a little older so the digital strategies may not be up to date, but it’s an excellent glossary of information.
