You have a strategy, right? You don’t just bounce from one hot new tactic to another – do you?
If we’re being honest, we all may stray from our strategy from time to time. When business conditions are more difficult we often go into survival mode and think only of the tactics that will bring us more immediate sales. We may announce a promotion, schedule events, advertise, reduce the price, increase offerings, etc.
But the problem is, a business needs a “Marketing Reason” or purpose. Running your marketing without a strategy is like going to the grocery store on an empty stomach. You lose focus of the long term needs on your grocery list and instead focus on what you want to eat right now. This leads you to waste money on some food items you really don’t need. So, don’t determine your marketing on an empty stomach. Determine your Marketing Reason, layout your Marketing Strategy (how you will achieve your purpose) and then develop and implement your Marketing Tactics. In that order.
Here are some important questions to ask to get you started forming your Marketing Reason:
- What do you want your target market to know about what you sell?
- What do you want people to believe about you?
- What do you want people to say about you?
Then plan your strategy focused around your Marketing Reason. An example of a great strategy (and one that is certainly more inexpensive than implementing the tactic of the day) is to develop and focus your efforts on a pre-determined and specific niche. Do you have a niche, or perhaps several niches?
NOW, you are ready to start planning out your tactics. Your strategy should be behind every business and marketing decision that you make. With a clearly spelled out strategy, planning meaningful tactics comes much easier.
