You need a Marketing Strategy: Here’s why
Make Things, Make Sense Podcast
Episode 9
Play in Spotify App
Introduction
Welcome to this episode of Make Things Make Sense, today we make sence of Marketing Strategies and why you need them. You know that feeling when you’re abroad, totally reliant on your phone… and then it dies and you are completely lost. That is what marketing without a strategy is like! In this episode, Josh & Alex dive into why you need a marketing strategy, what the main pillars of a marketing strategy are, and how you can get started on defining your marketing strategy. Listen in to get access to an incredible resource that will help you define your strategy.
The right strategy will:
- help you understand your market better due to the research you conduct
- lead to develop the right messages for your clients
- enable you to identify the right platform to meet them on
- give you the opportunity to define, measure and focus on the right KPIs
Ultimately it will help you and your company grow where it counts. Without it – you will waste time and money. Results don’t happen by chance, people don’t build a great building without a blueprint, and no one likes to fly blind.
Why you need a digital Marketing Strategy
A good strategy will give you:
- A rally cry that unites your team to reach your goals
- Accountability
- Resource distribution requirements
- Competitive edge
- Ability for deeper connection with your target audience
- A method to leverage your brands strengths
- The metrics to judge whether you are succeeding or not
- A clear view on how your team need to work together and what 3rd parties need to be included to accomplish your goals
- A repeatable and optimizable framework for future campaigns
- A reality check
What is a marketing strategy
Any strategy is a plan that helps your business achieve specific goals. A succesful marketing strategy includes the following:
- SMART Goals: To make sure your goals are clear and reachable, each one should be:
- Specific (clear, focused)
- Measurable (how much? what does good look like?)
- Achievable (realistic and attainable, even if a stretch)
- Relevant (make sure it matters to you and the company)
- Time bound (when will this be completed by?)
- A clear definition of audiences: marketing success starts with truly understanding your audience.
- for more detail check out our episode Why Should Anybody Care?
- Audit
- Media: Owned Media, Paid Media and Earned Media.
- Competitor Audit
- Your story
- Value proposition
- What makes you special?
- Link to audience
- Elevator pitch, vision, mission statements, compelling messages
- Channels
- Clarity on which channels and why
- Strategy for each channel
- Implementation Plan
- Who’s accountable & responsible for what?
- When are things happening?
- Which tools?
- Processes
- Best practices
- Measure & Optimise
- Analytics, pixels, tech
- Measure each KPI that you’re tracking
- Optimise and improve results
How to get started
The best way to get started is to run a workshop with the right people around the table. Check out our previous episode to get 8 awesome tips to running the ideal workshop!
Work with your team to fill out the free template that you can find below: the 7 pillars of marketing strategy & put into a document. Also develop a follow up plan: make sure everyone knows what they need to do to execute strategy.