Why strategy in your marketing far outweighs the need for pretty pictures and a cute slogan

by Kate Mol

More often than not, when it comes to marketing, the need to strategise correctly falls by the wayside. Without first coming up with a marketing strategy, no business in its right mind can expect to achieve success merely by spending all its time thinking up wonderful marketing ideas and slogans.

The digital evolution of marketing is extremely powerful, especially as it allows for refined targeting and personalised messaging.  When there isn’t a well-thought-out, sound strategy, it can lead to the temptation of simply going with the latest trend or fad.

3 Reasons why some businesses don’t succeed with their digital marketing

• The role of marketing is not fully understood

Many organisations see marketing as making things look good. To them, it’s the “fluffy” stuff, it’s not really ‘doing business’. As a result, marketing immediately defaults into being just another operational pillar to the business. They fail to take into consideration the depths of research marketing needs and the knowledge it can uncover. One brief example - the brand identity goes way beyond the packaging. If your company doesn’t know that, you are already out of step with your market.

• It’s an operational cost that quite frankly, they think, could be better spent elsewhere

Because marketing isn’t seen as a vital step to success, and because it’s expected to achieve results quickly, it triggers the need to ‘act now’ as opposed to ‘strategising first’. This lack of strategy sends the team spinning. The marketing produced is now reactive rather than refined, targeted and laser-focused in its aim and goals. Very often the company’s goals are no more than ‘sell more stuff, make more money’.  

• It’s started to look like a nail

Someone once said, “Give a man a hammer, and everything starts to look like a nail.” The same philosophy applies to marketing when it has no strategic thinking behind it.

Businesses invest vast amounts of time and money into making as much profit as possible. For this to happen, the company has to place the greatest value, not on their own product or slogan, but rather on the customer. It also has to place as much importance on serving those customers, no matter what platforms they are using, in an integrated manner. I find it bizarre that when it comes to a company’s marketing they fail to invest time before investing money.

Here are 2 ways a sound and proper marketing strategy can improve your business and not ‘just sell stuff’

• Marketing can become the compass for your business.

When done right, marketing is all about knowing what solutions your customers need, and delivering it in a way no other competitor can. It’s an essential cog in the business wheel and plays a vitally important role in changing a customer’s behaviour.

• Marketing can become the source of inspiration for product development

Persuading a customer your product is the best one on the market is pointless if the product doesn’t answer their needs. To meet those needs, your company needs, firstly, to know what a customer is really looking for. Secondly, the opportunity and space to do the research. Working alongside sales can help you develop the product, or service, your customers want. Marketing should provide that opportunity and the research. But it won’t if it’s done incorrectly. And then, whatever money you’ve invested in your marketing, is just noise and lip service. It won’t take long for your customers to realise this and move to a different brand; your competitor.

       Strategy without the tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without the strategy is the noise before defeat.

Sun Tzu – The Art of War

So, give your marketing the space it needs, allow for the time needed to do quality thinking before rushing to the tactics. If marketing strategy, tactics and roll-out are not your core business, and you’d rather let the experts do it for you, contact The Digital Alliance today.