Build and grow: how to define a marketing strategy for today and tomorrow
Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2025 6:49 am
Understanding a marketing strategy will allow you to implement it effectively and in a way that is geared toward achieving both short- and long-term goals. You will even be able to implement it student database assertively within your own marketing and sales departments .
Do you want to learn more about this topic? Then, keep reading! In this post you will see:
What is a marketing strategy?
The importance of marketing strategies
Concepts and models to shape a marketing strategy
Successful applications of a marketing strategy
Why should you use narrative design in your strategy?
What is a marketing strategy?
A marketing strategy is what allows you to achieve your various objectives when you want to place or position your product or service on the market.
It's important to understand that you can also have more than one strategy, depending on your audience and the various goals your business is working towards.
Words like "strategy" and "objective" are often confused. Ideally, the marketing department should define and establish a concrete objective before initiating a strategy. And if the sales team is also involved in this planning process, even better!
Only after a goal is clearly defined is it possible to work on a strategy. Common business goals may include:
Grow your audience;
Improve dialogue;
Increase sales;
Retain more customers;
Improve profitability.
Business objectives will encounter various obstacles, and it is critical to identify them so that marketing strategies can work to overcome them.
In some cases, a single marketing strategy can also be used to work on more than one objective.
For example, when you want to increase the size of your audience on social media, you can improve the dialogue between consumers and brands while increasing sales.
Starbucks, for example, did a great job of growing their audience through the use of hashtag campaigns.
Starbucks Hashtag Campaign
Meanwhile, Coca-Cola boosted engagement and sales through its “Share a Coke” campaign.
share a coke campaign
Source: MarketingMag
Whenever we tell a story in a marketing strategy, we have to make sure that there is a deeper reason than simply offering a brand's products at a particular time. It is essential to create a perspective of both short- and long-term success.
Most marketers will agree that there are only two ways to sell things. Of course, it is possible to implement various strategies along the way, but it boils down to two ways.
The first is an activity that triggers an immediate response, known as activation . People see a promotion or product and take action. It doesn't depend on a long-term relationship or memories.
The second is about brand building and focusing on long-term growth . The idea is to take advantage of people's memories and trends that are changing in one way or another.
The reality is that both have the ability to influence consumer behavior . They can influence consumers now, as well as behaviors that will continue in the next week or month, or even in a few years.
The importance of marketing strategies
Although there is a certain tendency towards "short-termism" in today's consumerism, there is still room for long-term marketing strategies.
Many businesses focus on the here and now. What can be done to sell right now? What is the best way to get a quick payoff?
Sales enablement is about seeing what will make a particular customer make a purchase.
There are already active leads out there that are interested in buying. This means that with the right strategy, you can push them through the sales funnel quickly and effectively.
However, once you've made the sale, what reason will they have to come back for more?
If you used a short-term sales strategy, you may have closed the deal. But, on the next approach, the person may be attracted to another company's short-term strategy because you did not establish a strong, lasting connection.
That’s why a long-term approach is crucial and should focus more on your business narrative rather than a quick product pitch.
Building a marketing strategy
There are specific steps to building a marketing strategy that allows you to focus on long-term growth. These are:
Define your goals
You need to do a lot of planning, leading to clear goals, to ensure that challenges, trends and all relevant information are taken into account.
Establish metrics
Metrics to explore how a strategy is developing are essential to tracking progress. Indicators can include budget and financial data, such as expenses and ROI , as well as other, more marketing-related numbers, such as followers and site visitors.
Define your audience
It is essential to know who the campaign is directed at to ensure that we create a connection through the marketing strategy.
It's more than just knowing an age range and basic details. Create a buyer persona that lays out the goals of the "average" customer, as well as the pain points they need to address.
Build a narrative
Explain what your unique value proposition is not only with your product/service but with your brand. Be creative with your approach and deliver a memorable customer experience.
Create unique content
Provide content that focuses on your customer, not you. Make sure you demonstrate that you understand their pain points and expectations and explain how you will deliver on the promises you made.
Launch exciting campaigns
Be innovative and generate excitement around your brand. Every campaign you launch should follow your strategy, target a specific audience and have a concrete objective.
Align your teams
Your marketing goals can only be achieved when you align your teams to work toward the same objectives.
Marketing and sales cannot operate independently. If you want to achieve long-term success, you need to make sure that everyone is working together and that the message is the same across all departments.
Optimize
Work to continue improving the way you deliver content and interact with your audience.
Casper is a great example of a company that launched a campaign that was revolutionary. Not only was it the first direct-to-consumer mattress company, but it was innovative in its approach.
When it started, it only had one mattress. And since people like to try different mattresses before buying, Casper needed to change this consumer behavior.
This change in perspective was achieved through different campaigns. The first one was in the New York subway . Different illustrations showed how the Casper mattress fit into the lives of different people.
People were excited by the idea of what Casper was offering. They dreamed big and challenged their customers to do the same.
When you decide to launch a strategy, you may need to do some additional research. This is when you can count on content that will support you.
Basically, it creates a strategy to help you achieve your next goal, which is: establishing a long-term strategy .
The research you do can give you more insight into your audience and what they want from you.
Interactive content can help your audience learn and become more open. Polls, in particular, can provide the information you need.
Concepts and models to shape a marketing strategy
There are a variety of concepts that will shape your marketing strategy. Additionally, you can incorporate several models that can impact your ability to connect with your target audience.
Embrace all channels
Use all channels – you can’t expect to find all your customers and keep them engaged using just one channel.
Social platforms include Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and more. Other digital channels can include your website and email marketing.
Of course, you can also get creative with search engines, in-app messaging, paid communications, and more.
Within each channel, there are several ways to work on content. Use hashtags and make sure to invite participation as much as possible.
Understand the sales funnel
The sales funnel is essentially the customer journey from a different perspective. Often, when we engage in sales activation, we are targeting those who are already interested in buying.
They may be just hours or days away from making their decision. However, an effective sales funnel represents all types of customers. You can be sure to nurture leads at every level so you can enjoy long-term growth.
There are five stages of a sales funnel to consider:
Awareness ;
Consideration;
Decision;
Retention;
Advocate or Ambassador.
Any good marketing strategy will take all five stages into account. You may have campaigns that focus on each level, as each approach will be different.
For example, a quiz can help people become more aware of the benefits your product offers, while a calculator will help you with the consideration process.
Then, a lookbook can help with retention so everyone is aware of your extended product line.
Perform the PEST analysis
As you engage in various marketing strategies, you need to explore four external factors that will undoubtedly affect your business. PEST analysis focuses on Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors .
In the world we live in, you can accidentally damage your brand if you don't pay attention to these factors on an ongoing basis.
Failing to consider a campaign that may have a political or social advantage can cause disruption, and not in the way you might want.
There may be opportunities or threats, so a proper PEST analysis will allow you to explore market trends and ensure that your strategy is aligned with them.
Consider each of the factors carefully:
Political
Some companies choose to get political, while others stay neutral. Whatever you choose, you need to be careful.
Additionally, various policies can affect things like tariff restrictions, consumer protection laws, and more.
Economic
Consumers are more focused on environmental factors, so you need to consider aspects such as sustainability, waste management, climate change, carbon emissions and more.
Social
Consider the social implications of a marketing strategy based on your target audience and how they behave.
You may want to consider aspects such as health awareness, social class, culture, age distribution, and more to determine what motivates your audience the most.
Technological
Technological aspects require you to consider advances as well as what you may be spending on research and development.
This is an area where you want to stay ahead of your competition without leaving your target customers behind due to infrastructure or even comprehension issues.
Perfect examples of companies that don't conduct PEST analysis are those that suddenly find themselves on the wrong side of cancel culture, like Blockbuster and KFC.
Address pain points with interactive content
Pain points can vary:
Financial;
Convenience;
Service.
Nobody wants to read a block of text to see how you're going to address a problem, they'd rather see it than believe it.
Share a story and provide original content to show how you can deliver on your promises of being unique and innovative.
Interactive content can help you address pain points carefully.
ROI calculators , for example, make it easy to address financial pain points. Show people what kind of return on investment they can expect or what the cost of doing business with you will be.
Surveys can provide an opportunity to address convenience issues a customer is experiencing while showing them what you can offer, specifically, based on their feedback.
Even an interactive lookbook can be a way to showcase how diverse your selection is, ensuring customers know what to expect when they choose to do business with you.
As you address their pain points, you also put them at ease. They see that you understand them and that you are using interactive content to push yourself and show them what you can do.
This can help build a long-term relationship because they understand that you have the means to help them overcome any pain points they may have now or encounter in the future.
Successful applications of a marketing strategy
There are success stories in every industry. Companies have learned to research their target audience and have a better dialogue with them in order to understand their needs and desires more effectively.
Content has become more important and therefore more strategic. Much of this stems from how the consumer has evolved.
They don't just want to be sold to, they want to be part of the process. That's why storytelling has become an effective long-term solution.
Tell a story about how you got to where you are. Show your consumers who you really are.
Nike has been successful for years because it has a brand narrative that people can relate to. And each new campaign is more successful than the next.
Her campaign for equality, which has been in the air for several years, is proof that people want to connect with Nike because of its story.
Do you want to learn more about this topic? Then, keep reading! In this post you will see:
What is a marketing strategy?
The importance of marketing strategies
Concepts and models to shape a marketing strategy
Successful applications of a marketing strategy
Why should you use narrative design in your strategy?
What is a marketing strategy?
A marketing strategy is what allows you to achieve your various objectives when you want to place or position your product or service on the market.
It's important to understand that you can also have more than one strategy, depending on your audience and the various goals your business is working towards.
Words like "strategy" and "objective" are often confused. Ideally, the marketing department should define and establish a concrete objective before initiating a strategy. And if the sales team is also involved in this planning process, even better!
Only after a goal is clearly defined is it possible to work on a strategy. Common business goals may include:
Grow your audience;
Improve dialogue;
Increase sales;
Retain more customers;
Improve profitability.
Business objectives will encounter various obstacles, and it is critical to identify them so that marketing strategies can work to overcome them.
In some cases, a single marketing strategy can also be used to work on more than one objective.
For example, when you want to increase the size of your audience on social media, you can improve the dialogue between consumers and brands while increasing sales.
Starbucks, for example, did a great job of growing their audience through the use of hashtag campaigns.
Starbucks Hashtag Campaign
Meanwhile, Coca-Cola boosted engagement and sales through its “Share a Coke” campaign.
share a coke campaign
Source: MarketingMag
Whenever we tell a story in a marketing strategy, we have to make sure that there is a deeper reason than simply offering a brand's products at a particular time. It is essential to create a perspective of both short- and long-term success.
Most marketers will agree that there are only two ways to sell things. Of course, it is possible to implement various strategies along the way, but it boils down to two ways.
The first is an activity that triggers an immediate response, known as activation . People see a promotion or product and take action. It doesn't depend on a long-term relationship or memories.
The second is about brand building and focusing on long-term growth . The idea is to take advantage of people's memories and trends that are changing in one way or another.
The reality is that both have the ability to influence consumer behavior . They can influence consumers now, as well as behaviors that will continue in the next week or month, or even in a few years.
The importance of marketing strategies
Although there is a certain tendency towards "short-termism" in today's consumerism, there is still room for long-term marketing strategies.
Many businesses focus on the here and now. What can be done to sell right now? What is the best way to get a quick payoff?
Sales enablement is about seeing what will make a particular customer make a purchase.
There are already active leads out there that are interested in buying. This means that with the right strategy, you can push them through the sales funnel quickly and effectively.
However, once you've made the sale, what reason will they have to come back for more?
If you used a short-term sales strategy, you may have closed the deal. But, on the next approach, the person may be attracted to another company's short-term strategy because you did not establish a strong, lasting connection.
That’s why a long-term approach is crucial and should focus more on your business narrative rather than a quick product pitch.
Building a marketing strategy
There are specific steps to building a marketing strategy that allows you to focus on long-term growth. These are:
Define your goals
You need to do a lot of planning, leading to clear goals, to ensure that challenges, trends and all relevant information are taken into account.
Establish metrics
Metrics to explore how a strategy is developing are essential to tracking progress. Indicators can include budget and financial data, such as expenses and ROI , as well as other, more marketing-related numbers, such as followers and site visitors.
Define your audience
It is essential to know who the campaign is directed at to ensure that we create a connection through the marketing strategy.
It's more than just knowing an age range and basic details. Create a buyer persona that lays out the goals of the "average" customer, as well as the pain points they need to address.
Build a narrative
Explain what your unique value proposition is not only with your product/service but with your brand. Be creative with your approach and deliver a memorable customer experience.
Create unique content
Provide content that focuses on your customer, not you. Make sure you demonstrate that you understand their pain points and expectations and explain how you will deliver on the promises you made.
Launch exciting campaigns
Be innovative and generate excitement around your brand. Every campaign you launch should follow your strategy, target a specific audience and have a concrete objective.
Align your teams
Your marketing goals can only be achieved when you align your teams to work toward the same objectives.
Marketing and sales cannot operate independently. If you want to achieve long-term success, you need to make sure that everyone is working together and that the message is the same across all departments.
Optimize
Work to continue improving the way you deliver content and interact with your audience.
Casper is a great example of a company that launched a campaign that was revolutionary. Not only was it the first direct-to-consumer mattress company, but it was innovative in its approach.
When it started, it only had one mattress. And since people like to try different mattresses before buying, Casper needed to change this consumer behavior.
This change in perspective was achieved through different campaigns. The first one was in the New York subway . Different illustrations showed how the Casper mattress fit into the lives of different people.
People were excited by the idea of what Casper was offering. They dreamed big and challenged their customers to do the same.
When you decide to launch a strategy, you may need to do some additional research. This is when you can count on content that will support you.
Basically, it creates a strategy to help you achieve your next goal, which is: establishing a long-term strategy .
The research you do can give you more insight into your audience and what they want from you.
Interactive content can help your audience learn and become more open. Polls, in particular, can provide the information you need.
Concepts and models to shape a marketing strategy
There are a variety of concepts that will shape your marketing strategy. Additionally, you can incorporate several models that can impact your ability to connect with your target audience.
Embrace all channels
Use all channels – you can’t expect to find all your customers and keep them engaged using just one channel.
Social platforms include Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and more. Other digital channels can include your website and email marketing.
Of course, you can also get creative with search engines, in-app messaging, paid communications, and more.
Within each channel, there are several ways to work on content. Use hashtags and make sure to invite participation as much as possible.
Understand the sales funnel
The sales funnel is essentially the customer journey from a different perspective. Often, when we engage in sales activation, we are targeting those who are already interested in buying.
They may be just hours or days away from making their decision. However, an effective sales funnel represents all types of customers. You can be sure to nurture leads at every level so you can enjoy long-term growth.
There are five stages of a sales funnel to consider:
Awareness ;
Consideration;
Decision;
Retention;
Advocate or Ambassador.
Any good marketing strategy will take all five stages into account. You may have campaigns that focus on each level, as each approach will be different.
For example, a quiz can help people become more aware of the benefits your product offers, while a calculator will help you with the consideration process.
Then, a lookbook can help with retention so everyone is aware of your extended product line.
Perform the PEST analysis
As you engage in various marketing strategies, you need to explore four external factors that will undoubtedly affect your business. PEST analysis focuses on Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors .
In the world we live in, you can accidentally damage your brand if you don't pay attention to these factors on an ongoing basis.
Failing to consider a campaign that may have a political or social advantage can cause disruption, and not in the way you might want.
There may be opportunities or threats, so a proper PEST analysis will allow you to explore market trends and ensure that your strategy is aligned with them.
Consider each of the factors carefully:
Political
Some companies choose to get political, while others stay neutral. Whatever you choose, you need to be careful.
Additionally, various policies can affect things like tariff restrictions, consumer protection laws, and more.
Economic
Consumers are more focused on environmental factors, so you need to consider aspects such as sustainability, waste management, climate change, carbon emissions and more.
Social
Consider the social implications of a marketing strategy based on your target audience and how they behave.
You may want to consider aspects such as health awareness, social class, culture, age distribution, and more to determine what motivates your audience the most.
Technological
Technological aspects require you to consider advances as well as what you may be spending on research and development.
This is an area where you want to stay ahead of your competition without leaving your target customers behind due to infrastructure or even comprehension issues.
Perfect examples of companies that don't conduct PEST analysis are those that suddenly find themselves on the wrong side of cancel culture, like Blockbuster and KFC.
Address pain points with interactive content
Pain points can vary:
Financial;
Convenience;
Service.
Nobody wants to read a block of text to see how you're going to address a problem, they'd rather see it than believe it.
Share a story and provide original content to show how you can deliver on your promises of being unique and innovative.
Interactive content can help you address pain points carefully.
ROI calculators , for example, make it easy to address financial pain points. Show people what kind of return on investment they can expect or what the cost of doing business with you will be.
Surveys can provide an opportunity to address convenience issues a customer is experiencing while showing them what you can offer, specifically, based on their feedback.
Even an interactive lookbook can be a way to showcase how diverse your selection is, ensuring customers know what to expect when they choose to do business with you.
As you address their pain points, you also put them at ease. They see that you understand them and that you are using interactive content to push yourself and show them what you can do.
This can help build a long-term relationship because they understand that you have the means to help them overcome any pain points they may have now or encounter in the future.
Successful applications of a marketing strategy
There are success stories in every industry. Companies have learned to research their target audience and have a better dialogue with them in order to understand their needs and desires more effectively.
Content has become more important and therefore more strategic. Much of this stems from how the consumer has evolved.
They don't just want to be sold to, they want to be part of the process. That's why storytelling has become an effective long-term solution.
Tell a story about how you got to where you are. Show your consumers who you really are.
Nike has been successful for years because it has a brand narrative that people can relate to. And each new campaign is more successful than the next.
Her campaign for equality, which has been in the air for several years, is proof that people want to connect with Nike because of its story.