Be honest! When someone asks you about your marketing strategy, do you confidently reel off a clear plan? Or do you find yourself listing a bunch of tactics and calling it a strategy? You’re not alone. It’s one of the most common marketing mistakes I come across, and honestly, it’s so easily sorted out!

A to-do list might include things like posting on LinkedIn, sending newsletters, updating the website, or running Google ads. These tactics matter, but without a strategy, you’re just throwing things at the wall and hoping something sticks.

What IS a marketing strategy?

A real marketing strategy starts with the ‘why’ and the ‘who’. Firstly, why are you marketing in the first place? What business goal are you trying to achieve? And secondly, who are you trying to reach, and what do you want them to do as a result? Once you’ve nailed those questions, the tactics start to make a lot more sense.

Ask yourself these three questions

• What does success look like? Be specific, increase brand awareness is not a goal, 500 new email subscribers in Q1 is.
• Who is your audience, again be specific. Think about their pain points, their habits, where they hang out online, and what they care about.
• Do your tactics match your goals? If you’re just posting on Instagram because everyone else is, it might be worth reconsidering.

Thankfully, you don’t need a 50+ page strategy document or a team of brand consultants to get this right. A couple of pages with your goals, your audience, your key messages, and your chosen channels is often all you need to transform a never-ending to-do list into something that actually delivers.