Marketing is one of the most important aspects of running a small business—you must get your company name and product or service information in front of potential customers, or else risk losing them to your competitors. To accomplish this, you need a marketing approach that includes both marketing strategies and tactics.
The terms strategy and tactics are often interchangeably used when talking about marketing objectives and goals. But while the two words may seem synonymous, they actually mean different things, especially in marketing.
• Strategy is the direction towards the goal you want to accomplish.
• Tactics are the actions taken to support the strategy.
Simply put, strategy is where you want to be; the tactic is how you’ll get there.
Having these concepts clear is extremely important because they don’t have much value on their own, one should always follow the other.
Still, even businesses that do understand the importance of having a marketing plan often miss one of these two elements.
Most companies start with marketing tactics by choosing activities such as email, pay-per-click, SEO, social media, trade shows, etc. This is a big mistake!
Starting with marketing tactics without addressing marketing strategy first is like building a house without blueprints. It’s based on a strategy of hope which is guaranteed to fail.
To get the highest impact on your marketing spending, you should always start with defining your goals, outlining the strategy and deciding on your tactics.
Marketing strategies drive growth. You need to see the bigger picture to upscale your business.
If you want to achieve goals and level up your business, invest in strategic marketing, followed by tactical marketing:
- Start with a plan. Define your business goal. What objectives do you want to achieve?
- Be specific. What marketing strategies and tactics will you use to attract customers and build your brand? Will you focus on digital marketing, email reactivation campaigns, crafting strategic blog posts and specific social media campaigns? Which digital media will deliver the highest success?
- Time to implement. Upgrade your website. Start working on creating compelling marketing creative. And make sure to use your marketing tactics wisely.
Each piece of the marketing puzzle works together to solve a problem or achieve a goal. Without clear goals, strong marketing strategies, and specific marketing tactics, it will be difficult to achieve your desired results.
Some small business owners try to skip straight to the marketing tactics after setting goals, but this also typically produces poor outcomes. Without marketing strategies, the tactics are often disorganized, unstrategic, and disconnected from the primary goal. Taking the time to craft a marketing plan that includes both strategies and tactics helps ensure your long-term success.
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