Many people glaze over when we mention ‘strategy’, but it is a powerful thing that can make or break a business – and determines whether marketing is actually worthwhile or not…
Finding the path to your objectives
We pride ourselves on being a strategic marketing agency and this is because we believe that marketing has to be aligned with a business’ objectives. If it is not aligned which what the company is aiming to achieve, what’s the point? How on earth can it actually aid the business? It just eats up budget and the results are worthless.
In times of a healthy economy and lush, plush marketing budgets, many companies fall afoul of this strategic perspective, spending increasingly on ever-more impressive branding campaigns and unnecessary promotions and stunts, just to prove they can. And then the FD challenges the marketing team to justify its spend…!
Austere times, however, need common sense and control, causing a company to challenge itself and its marketing budgets – and how the budgets are used. And this is where the strategy is often taken down from the shelf, dusted off and looks vaguely familiar to the reader.
Are you on your way out?
A strategy that is referred to and reviewed regularly becomes a powerful tool; supporting, guiding, directing and challenging day to day marketing decisions and expenditure, reminding a company what it’s aiming for!
If your exit strategy is to keep the company within the family, then you will probably focus your marketing activity on maintaining a loyal customer base and excellent customer service, with steady, limited growth. So your marketing activity will reflect that, with customer communication at its core.
If you’re planning on selling the company to your largest competitor, however, your marketing activity is likely to be focused on growing as quickly and loudly as possible, acquiring more and more customers with lots of digital marketing and PR!
Two completely different scenarios requiring two completely different marketing strategies…
If your marketing strategy needs a review – or you don’t have one and you know you need one, give us a call. We’ll be gentle… 01243 214 175
