Call it Tactics, Not Strategy

If you think that the most important part of a successful marketing campaign is the size of your budget, you’re wrong. It’s much more critical to understand what you’re trying to accomplish and how you intend to make it happen. And that means developing a solid strategy along with a tactical plan to support it.

Far and away the single most critical element of good marketing is strategy. Without a sound strategy in place, the marketing process becomes a monumental waste of money, and little else. Really the only way to improve the efficiency of your marketing dollars is to get clear, up front, on what you want those dollars to do for you. More bang for the buck is the ultimate benefit of a strategic approach.

But what is a strategy, and how can you tell if you have a good one? It’s a common challenge that many businesses struggle with. And an important point to get clear on.

Even the fan favorite Game of Thrones weighed in on the confusion. Fans might remember this dialogue between Cersei and Tyrion Lannister in Season 2 of the show. A large fleet of enemy ships was spotted sailing towards the walled capital city.

Cersei: We have strong, high walls. We’ll rain fire down on them from above.

Tyrion: Rain fire on them from above…you’re quoting Father, aren’t you?

Cersei: Why not? He has a good mind for strategy, doesn’t he?

Tyrion: Call it tactics not strategy, but yes, he does have a good mind for it. The best mind, some would say…

Tyrion’s quite correct point is that raining fire down on an enemy from the ramparts of a walled city is indeed a tactic. But if that’s the case, then what is the strategy?

The walled city is the strategy. Let me explain.

In the fictional world in which Game of Thrones takes place, there are only so many ways to protect a city from those who would seek to pillage it. Geography permitting, the founders could perhaps choose a mountain top like the Eyrie or an island like Dragonstone. With abundant water, like at Riverrun, water becomes a strategic defense. An active cordon of soldiers and cavalry constantly on patrol around the city perimeter is an option on land. And of course, city planners could also build a wall, which in this case is what they did.

The wall is a strategic barrier between the city and those who may try to sack it. The city founders were faced with a strategic question of the highest order—how to protect the city. The wall was the answer to that question.

Defending said wall is a matter of tactics. And raining fire down on the assault troops is one of those tactics.

But suppose the wall had never been built. In other words, suppose there was no strategy in place to defend the city and instead the approach was to simply wing it when an attack happened. Defending the city would become much more difficult, with a much lower probability of success.

The term “Barbarians at the gates” wouldn’t apply simply because there would be no gates. Instead, the city itself would become a battleground whenever enemies staged an assault. Without the strategic advantage of the wall in place, resources would be gobbled up much more quickly, with much less effect. It would be a very bad way to protect a city.

Marketing works the same way.

Many businesses don’t have a sound strategy in place. There is no overarching framework upon which a tactical marketing plan can be implemented. Without a strategy, it’s not uncommon for businesses to keep throwing marketing dollars at the marketplace hoping that something will work. I call it the Spaghetti Syndrome—if you throw enough spaghetti at the wall, some will stick.

Tactical implementation of a marketing plan without an overarching strategy works much the same way, which is to say, it doesn’t really work at all. It can also get pretty messy, not to mention wasteful.

A business simply cannot succeed without a clearly defined and well-articulated strategy. Sure, it’s possible to survive—for a time—without one, but it’s impossible to grow and dominate.

Your marketing strategy should form the framework that gives shape to all the marketing tactics you use to implement it. By integrating a set of logical, well-thought-out tactics within a clearly articulated strategy, you’ll find that your marketing efforts become much more efficient, successful, and cost effective.

So how do you create that all important strategy? First, think your business through. Be thoughtful, careful, and deliberate in this process. If you’re a business of more than one, get the entire team involved. Whether you’re already in operation or you’re just working through a new idea, invest some time and deep thought in what you want from this. Don’t let the glare of your really Big Idea blind you to the realities of life in the real world.

The next step in developing a workable marketing strategy is to identify your strategic goals. What are you trying to accomplish over the long term? And how does your business deliver unique value to the marketplace? In a very, very broad sense, your strategy should at minimum answer these questions. Your strategy defines what you are going to do. Your tactics define how you’re going to do it.

Don’t stop now, however. You also need to do your due diligence. Is your strategy viable, sustainable and scalable? What does the competitive landscape look like? Who are your potential customers and where are they? Can you spot any unserved or underserved niches in your target marketspace? Can you position your offers to take advantage of them?

These elements are all part of the process of thinking at the strategic level. You need to see the big picture before you start taking even small actions. Game of Thrones fans would probably agree that Tywin Lannister, Tyrion’s father, had a commanding grasp of strategy. Not everybody does.

My advice is to plan your business and marketing strategy meticulously. And if you don’t know what you’re doing, get some help from somebody who does.