This article submitted by Cassie Blom of Cassie Blom Creative.

Got Results?

As a marketing and brand strategist who works primarily with small businesses and nonprofits, I see the same trend emerging time after time: marketing efforts are robust, but the results just aren’t there.

This isn’t for a lack of trying. Many organizations do their best to choose the marketing tactics that will give them the best ROI, investing in marketing channels that are right in front of them. Unfortunately, these efforts are often carried out in a manner not unlike throwing spaghetti at the wall. 

They may have excellent content, they may have spent the time identifying their target audience. They might have an amazing product, offer a tremendous value, or be providing a service the community desperately needs. 

And yet, they’re just not realizing their full potential. And the reason is often the same: their tactical efforts aren’t grounded in strategy.

Tactics vs. strategy

What I uncover when I engage with a new client and start the discovery process is that—more often than not—they’re really excited about tactics, but haven’t given any serious thought to strategy.

This might sound like semantics, but I promise you, it’s important. Let’s take a deeper look.

What is a strategy?

In short, your strategy is your purpose, and it directly supports your business goals. It is built on who you’ll be talking to, why your audience takes action, and how you can affect change or influence buying decisions. 

It isn’t tactical. It doesn’t outline channels, or specific content. But it does create the foundation from which to plan your tactics.

There are multiple strategy approaches that might inform marketing efforts, but the two that I find to be most helpful are marketing (or communications) strategy and brand strategy; both apply in the discussion that follows. Getting these right takes time, creativity, and—here’s the rub—the ability to put yourself in the shoes of your ideal customer, client, or supporter. 

And what are tactics?

Your tactics, on the other hand, are specifically what you do. Radio ads, social media posts, banners and signage, coupons and discounts, flyers, direct mail—those are all tactics. But you don’t want to start spending until you know you’ve thought about why you’re using those tactics. 

Often, business and nonprofit leaders craft marketing plans that are solely tactical. These plans take the form of editorial (or content) calendars, lists of advertising efforts, or ad hoc collateral. Unfortunately, these are the plans that don’t end up doing so well.

Other times, business leaders jump into marketing efforts with no marketing plan whatsoever, which also doesn’t lead to optimal growth.

Here’s a brief comparison of the difference between your strategy and your tactical plan.

Your strategy has many components, and developing your strategy takes time, tough questions, and honest answers. It’s not something to develop off the cuff (though that’s certainly better than nothing!), and in my experience, it’s best done with the help of an expert who can lead you through the process.

Developing a marketing (or brand) strategy

Some of the questions you’ll want to ask to develop your strategy include:

• What is the role and impact of your business? 

• Note, this is not “I make quality cutting boards,” but rather “My quality cutting boards improve the aesthetics and functionality of my customers’ kitchens.” See the difference?

• Who are you helping? Be specific. 

• Who are they, and what are their hopes, values, and fears?

• Why is your business unique? 

• There may be dozens of people who do what you do. Why are you different? Now, think of this from the customer’s perspective. How do you make them feel? What do you have to offer that you do better than any of your competitors?

• What is your brand voice? 

• Define an archetype, a personality. People connect with other people, and your brand needs to sound like a person, even if it is a full-blown company.

• What is your core messaging? 

• This should include a value proposition. What impact do you have? What does your client’s world look like after engaging with your organization? What emotional problem are you solving?

• Who is the hero of your story? 

• This is another way to ask who your target audience is. Remember, YOU are not the hero of your brand’s story. Your customer is. You are their guide, their resource for solving the problem they’re facing. So who are you hoping to reach, and what do they most need from you?

Once you have all these questions thoroughly answered, you can start to piece them together in a strategic way. Let’s follow the boutique cutting board maker example, keeping in mind that there’s a lot we don’t have defined about this fictitious company. But, for example, our marketing strategy might include things like:

• Create perceived value by positioning cutting boards in local high-end home decor and gift stores

• Demonstrate uniqueness of each cutting board through a whimsical backstory about where the wood was sourced

• Create connections and build trust with customers by providing knife recommendations, favorite recipes, cutting board cleaning tips, and other kitchen-centric content

• Show social proof of the company as a leader in locally made gifts for all of life’s celebrations, from graduations to housewarmings to weddings

Notice that none of the above are tactics. You can’t immediately take action on any one of those things. But they all lead to more tactical planning.

Adding in tactics

Because you want to create connections with customers by providing knife recommendations, favorite recipes, etc., you might decide that the best way to do that is via social media and email. 

On the flip side, that particular strategy is likely not best carried out via radio ads, for example. But, you can create connections and build trust by employing that strategy via the appropriate channels.

This is when you get tactical, and craft specific actions to carry out that strategy, creating social media and email plans that support one or more strategies, building from the core messaging you created when developing your strategy.

Bringing it all together

Once you have your strategies in place, you have a clear foundation from which to vet all future marketing opportunities. Do you have an opportunity to run a radio ad at a discount? Great! Does that tactic support any of your strategies? Maybe not. If not, you know not to waste your resources.

Creating a winning strategy (or, more likely, multiple strategies) takes finesse and an understanding of what makes your clients tick. It can take some practice to think in terms of strategy when it comes to marketing and your brand. 

But the end result is well worth it. Marketing tactics grounded in strong strategies have higher ROIs, are easier to execute on, and will save you loads of time when deciding which efforts to engage in. 

The cherry on top: A tactical plan rooted in strategy will create a cohesive and clear user experience, which will build stronger connections with your audience.

About Cassie Blom

Cassie Blom is an Aptos-based marketing and brand strategist, and principal of Cassie Blom Creative. She offers everything from full done-for-you creative strategies and plans to one-off strategy sessions, and so many things in between. Click on the learn more button below to visit her website: