Beyond Tactics: Building a Strong Marketing Strategy

Today's world moves fast—almost too fast. With tools like AI and automation at our fingertips, it’s tempting to ditch strategy and just throw things at the wall to see what sticks. When everything feels urgent, it’s easy to prioritize speed over intention.

But that’s where things can get messy, quick. Suddenly, your marketing feels scattered and disconnected from the bigger picture. You lose sight of the "why" behind your efforts, and before you know it, your marketing is entirely out of sync with what the business needs to achieve.

In today’s post, we’re breaking down the layers of a strong strategy that keeps your team aligned, your efforts purposeful, and your business on track. We’ll also look at why it’s never too late to revisit your plans for the year and how regular strategy check-ups can save you from tricky situations down the road.

Let’s dive in.

What makes a good marketing strategy?

The short answer? One built on a clear business strategy and paired with a strong brand strategy.

Too often, business, brand, and marketing strategies are lumped together or used interchangeably, but they each serve distinct roles and have unique components. The best marketing strategies aren't standalone; they're layered.

They align seamlessly with the business and brand, ensuring every effort is purposeful, clear, connected, and optimized for meaningful impact.

Business strategy defines where the company is going and what it needs to do to get there. It considers the current and evolving market dynamics and has a pulse on the company's short—and long-term view. Depending on business maturity, the strategy can stay relatively the same year over year or, at times, change drastically.

Brand strategy shapes how people perceive and connect with the company. When done thoughtfully, a brand strategy will sustain as the business grows and changes. But at times, it may need to be refreshed or tweaked to evolve with the company and the times. In certain situations, significant business strategy changes, such as mergers and acquisitions or substantial deviations from core products and services, may warrant a rebrand and rehaul of the brand strategy. 

One important thing to note is that brand strategy is not synonymous with brand identity. The brand identity (visual and verbal) is a strategy component, not the whole strategy. Ultimately, brand strategy is the entire unified employee and client experience. From what a person thinks and feels when they see a job posting or hear a spokesperson speak at a conference to what it is like to be a customer and engage with your team regularly. 

The strongest, most trusted brands embrace a brand strategy that unifies a consistent experience no matter the interaction. 

Marketing strategy determines how the company communicates, raises brand awareness and recognition, and engages its audiences. It’s essential to establish marketing goals that directly reflect and advance your broader business objectives.

For example, one of your business objectives could be to expand into the Pacific Northwest market within six months.

Your marketing objective could be to build brand awareness in the Pacific Northwest market through ABM, public relations, and thought leadership. 

Like the business strategy, the marketing strategy looks at resources, budgets, programs, and tactical plans to map out what marketing needs to accomplish. 

The most effective marketing strategies are collaborated on and integrated with human resources, sales, customer success, finance, and other cross-functional departments to align all efforts to the employee and customer experience.

Your marketing strategy affects all areas of your business and should be integrated seamlessly into every aspect of it.

The marketing strategy decides the types of marketing and activities to focus on. 

• Who are we marketing to
• Where will we focus & why
• What will engage and resonate

Within the marketing strategy, you may have subset strategies as well. For example, a specific thought leadership program may apply multiple marketing techniques to achieve the company's objective of being a thought leader in the market. 

You may also have specific social media marketing strategies for each communication platform that layer up to your digital marketing, content, PR, and other communications programs.

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Isn’t the marketing strategy the same as the tactical plan?

A common misconception is that the marketing plan is the same as the strategy. The tactical execution plan is an element within the strategy, but it is more focused on how to execute.

• How will we execute
• When will we execute, and in what order
• What resources do we need
• How will we measure success

The strategy should connect all the tactics to the bigger picture for the business and outline an approach that integrates with others within the organization. 

How to connect the layers, optimize, and adapt 

Not every organization is the same; neither are business, brand, and marketing strategies. Some strategies may be brief and straightforward; others may be very detailed and complex. Regardless, the most crucial element is that you have three distinct layers; you know the role each plays, and they are all interconnected.

A few questions to consider:

1. Is it clear how each marketing objective supports the business plan?
2. Do your marketing tactics show interconnections and dependencies?
3. Has your business strategy or market shifted? Does your brand strategy still align?
4. Are your efforts prioritized, and does your team have a clear execution roadmap?
5. Do you review your marketing strategy regularly and adjust as necessary based on performance?

The last question on the list is an important one. If you're only really looking at the strategy at the end of the year, you're likely too late. While we encourage you to look at the plans regularly and often, even a monthly discussion with your team can help identify areas that may not be working or are in jeopardy. This, followed by a more thorough look at the end of each quarter, can ensure your efforts are most effective and continue to align with the business and brand direction. 

Quick Recap

Regardless of where you are in the fiscal year, it’s not too late to take a look at the strategies you put together. Use our interactive strategy evaluation tool to consider if you should take another look at your strategy and whether it is working.

Need help developing a marketing strategy that aligns with your brand and business goals? Let’s chat.