In a marketing plan, it’s crucial to have a solid strategy before any set of tactics makes sense. Usually, companies do the opposite. Why is this considered the beginning of the end?
Imagine you are the pilot of a major airline preparing to fly from Boston to Hawaii. It’s an 11-hour and 25-minute flight, and you don’t have a detailed flight plan. Yes, you might know a lot about flying techniques. But without a clear plan and established route, you will likely have to execute a series of unexpected, chaotic, and risky maneuvers.
During the flight, there will be unexpected situations, whether from the weather, winds, or clouds. Every decision you make by touching a button could turn out to be the wrong one. The worst part is that this lack of direction would result in dangerous deviations or even an emergency landing in an unplanned area. A situation that completely compromises the flight. From the start, the storm was evident. Wasn’t it?
It’s the same in the world of marketing. Applying strategic tactics without a properly structured marketing plan is like flying without an altimeter. While individual tactics might be effective on their own, without an overall strategy to coordinate them, you risk facing a series of unforeseen and costly challenges.
Strategic tactics without a marketing plan
There is a common situation happening in businesses around the world. Strategy is being given little consideration compared to a marketing plan. This is due to the saturation of communication channels and the constant pressure to quickly adapt to new trends and technologies.
Many companies focus on implementing individual strategic tactics without a comprehensive panoramic vision. Desperate to capture public attention through quick promotions and viral content. However, this lack of strategic focus can lead to scattered and incoherent efforts. Efforts that over time result in decreased effectiveness.
According to Norvell Jefferson’s report B2B Marketing Trends in 2024, 70% of companies that do not have a clear and well-defined marketing plan tend to fail in their campaigns and objectives.
HubSpot highlights in its study The State of Marketing 2024 that 60% of CMOs say one of the main reasons for their failures is the lack of a well-structured strategy. Additionally, they note that companies that do not develop an integrated marketing plan face a customer churn rate 2.5 times higher compared to those that do.
Strategic tactics with a marketing plan
The scenario changes completely in this situation. From the sky to the ground. Now imagine you are a pilot with a clear and well-planned flight plan. Before takeoff, you have thoroughly reviewed every aspect of your route. From weather conditions to landmarks and possible contingencies. Don’t you feel more confident?
Now every maneuver, from the initial climb to landing, is based on a detailed plan. It considers both long-term goals and necessary real-time adjustments. This structured approach allows for precise and efficient navigation. Reducing the possibility of unpleasant surprises. It will surely be a successful flight.
Let’s look at how this becomes vital in the marketing scenario. A key tool to turn the execution of strategic tactics into a smooth and well-directed process. Where strategic tactics are implemented with a clear and coordinated purpose. Aligned with the company’s overall objectives.
Finding the right marketing plan for my company
First, let’s clarify the concept. A marketing plan is a clear route to achieve objectives. It is not the objectives themselves. With the following three examples, we hope it becomes more clearly. Becoming the market leader is not a tactic, it’s a goal. Providing customers with the best quality is not a tactic, it’s a mission. Tripling the number of potential clients is not a tactic, it’s a goal.
To become the market leader, the tactic would be to target a new market niche and dominate it. To improve the quality of customer service, the tactic would be to hire more empathetic advisors with a sense of belonging. And to triple the number of clients, the tactic would be to execute targeted marketing campaigns using advanced segmentation techniques.
Understanding this, we can dive into how to build the marketing plan where all these strategic tactics converge. There are thousands of ways to do it. Some more complete than others. What’s certain is that each company is different. But we’ll share a base that we believe is the most accurate. Because it also considers a vital factor for all brands today: technology.
Building a marketing plan
1. Creating a clear and detailed summary of the company
The first step is to know your company thoroughly. It seems obvious, but sometimes important details are overlooked. In day-to-day operations, we often forget to conduct a thorough analysis of our own resources, capabilities, and limitations. We focus so much on daily operations and immediate demands that we fail to care for a critical evaluation of our internal processes.
Map out important details such as the products or services you offer and question whether it is necessary to communicate all of them. Consider the location and number of offices. Also, note internal key points such as purpose and mission. Additionally, list the characteristics that make your marketing team outstanding. These include their training, years of experience, and specific areas of expertise.
Finally, perform a SWOT analysis. This is where your marketing plan begins. List your strengths, skills, opportunities, and threats. Be very objective. Ask questions like: What are we good at? Which things customers like about us? What do we want to correct? Which issues do we need to address? How can we be more efficient? What might the industry want in the short term? How is our value proposition? In short, all the questions you consider necessary to cover everything.
2. Understanding business initiatives
What initiatives should you undertake to meet your business objectives? How can the marketing team help the company achieve them? These two key questions will help clear up the picture further. For this, list each initiative you could implement.
Include the description of each initiative, as well as the goals and metrics for measuring its success. For example: Initiative 1 might be to work on creating a blog over the next 12 months that becomes a go-to resource for answering our customers’ most common questions. The goal of this initiative would be to increase the website’s position on Google. Metrics to measure success would be 5,000 organic visits per month. And so on with initiatives 2, 3, 4, etc.
3. Defining the target market
Which markets and industries do you want to target to reach your customers? Have a clear order. Remember, doing everything at once is not ideal. You need to strategically conquer the market step by step. With well-supported strategic tactics.
Make a complete list. Including sub-industries with more specific segments of your audience. For example: the food and beverage sector. This includes bars and grills, breweries, steakhouses, etc.
Next, perform a competitive analysis. List companies that are direct competitors. Include products or services you compete with. Ask yourself: What do they do and what could they do better than me? Another way is to consider the communication channels your competitors use. For instance, a blog that ranks well on Google and uses the same keywords as you.
4. Defining the market strategy
Describe the products with which you will enter the target market, described in the previous section. How does this product or service address the challenges of the potential customer? What makes this product or service different from your competitors?
Consider the price. Is it competitive? Also, think about how these products should be promoted. Consider team members who can contribute knowledge to make this product or service known in the market. Finally, consider the process. How is the product or service delivered to the customer? Is it an ongoing service? If you sell an intangible product, how can customers get visible proof of your company?
5. Defining a budget for execution
You need to be clear about how much you plan to invest to ensure you meet the marketing plan’s objectives. List the projected expenses needed. Remember that not all strategic tactics depend on a budget. There are organic channels like SEO strategy that have free tools to achieve results.
6. Defining channels aligned with strategic tactics
Considering what was built earlier, which channels do you think are most suitable for educating customers? For generating leads? For building brand awareness?
Make a list of possible channels considering the consumer journey. Include the objective of each channel and the metric to measure its effectiveness. Consider key channels such as: website, social media, email marketing, SEO, content marketing (blogs, whitepapers, eBooks, infographics), digital advertising, affiliate marketing, and more.
7. Defining technologies as allies of the marketing plan
Define which technologies and software you need to reach your goals and objectives. Keep in mind that there are hundreds on the market. Some better than others. Some more expensive than others. But not always the most expensive is the best. Do thorough research on the benefits of the technology tools that catch your interest the most.
The most important ones we consider are: marketing CRM, email marketing software, marketing automation software, advertising management software, and social media management software. Remember, there are providers that offer everything in one platform. This could be a very good option.
Never let turbulence lead you to failure
To conclude, it is clear that to properly structure a marketing plan, you need to have solid strategic tactics. A well-designed marketing plan is like the flight plan of an experienced pilot. It’s the detailed map that guides all maneuvers, avoiding surprises and ensuring that every action is aimed at achieving long-term objectives.
Without a clear marketing plan, strategic tactics can turn into chaotic and disconnected maneuvers. Likely to mistakes and failures. As we have seen, companies that neglect this planning face significantly higher failure rates. In contrast, a structured approach allows for coherent and adjusted execution. Maximizing the impact and return of each applied tactic. We hope you enjoyed the flight.
If you still have questions or feel you need some guidance, don’t worry. At Interfaz, we offer an aligned marketing plan and strategic tactics. Designed to ensure the companies we work with a competitive edge.
