Ever feel like your marketing department couldn’t possibly be “busier”, yet you aren’t sure what they’re working on or what the outcomes are? You’re not alone. A 2022 Fournaise study revealed that more than 75% of CEOs don't trust their current CMOs.
Don’t fret. There is hope- and it’s easier to achieve than you might think. According to a 2022 study by CoSchedule, “Organized Marketers” Are 674% More Likely To Report Success.
What does organization look like? The secret is simplicity:
1. Align your marketing strategy directly to business goals (with senior leadership)
2. Create an agile tactical marketing plan (SMART goals with KPIs)
3. Activate – measure - pivot where needed - rinse & repeat.
Many marketing teams fall into the trap of juggling multiple tasks and activities, but with poor clarity about “why” and little attention to outcomes. Thankfully, Sun Tzu taught us all in The Art of War that "Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory and tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat”. In other words, we no longer need to work so chaotically.
Strategy and tactics are two sides of the same coin. They must complement each other, working together towards clearly defined and measurable goals. Strategy should change only when company goals change substantially, which should be infrequent. Conversely, your tactical plan will be subject to more frequent change as the tactics you deploy to achieve your strategic goals flex to accommodate changing customer needs or as a response to learnings from campaign or channel strategy outcomes. So how do we stay organized with strategy and tactics?
Remember, strategy defines “what” you are trying to achieve, while your tactical plan outlines “how” you’ll achieve it. In marketing, this means ensuring your marketing strategy is built to execute against the business strategy and that SMART, performance-based marketing tactics are designed, activated and measured against their impact to goal and/or ROI.
Strategic marketing leverages your competitive differentiators to attract, acquire, grow and retain customers. It also includes plans to unlock net new opportunities for your company or to help you “skate to where the puck is going”, as Wayne Gretzky brilliantly pointed out. Strategic marketing defines your north star, answering big questions about what “great” looks like for your company long term. It defines the “what”, not the how.
Effective tactical marketing planning clearly defines “how” great gets accomplished. From a complete overhaul of your company brand to deciding what marketing campaigns are needed, how they are executed, and what channel strategy is best. In short, your tactical plan is your playbook to greatness. Primary categories of tactical planning should include:
Brand Awareness tactics
Customer acquisition tactics
Customer growth tactics
Customer experience & retention tactics
Using ASMART tactical planning framework, your tactical plan should be agile, adjusting to fluctuations in performance outcomes. Perhaps you realize your customers are responding more robustly to one campaign versus another, or that some of your channels are consistently outperforming others. Consistently measuring performance in these areas will provide a timely way to pivot your tactical plan appropriately. Overtime this consistency and focus on performance-based tactics will reveal itself in the bottom line as costs are all analyzed against their ROI.
Need help implementing effective marketing strategy or tactical planning into your company? Visit Nivalmi at www.nivalmi.com or contact us today at darcy@nivalmi.com.
Transforming success into legacy is the Nivalmi purpose. Developing leadership is our passion. Nivalmi is a carefully curated team of seasoned consultants helping unlock opportunity, improve efficiency, and guide the change necessary to create measurable improvements in people, culture and bottom lines.
Comments