Start with the Marketing Fundamentals: Understand First, Then Execute
So you think you need a website, or a social media ad or an email blast. You’re not sure, and you don’t even know where to start. Like many business owners or busy brand builders, you’re eager to get something done and into the marketplace. Unfortunately, too many projects start this way and move forward without a basic understanding of targets, timing and, most important, purpose.
A website or email blast may be a good idea, but in reality, a comprehensive approach is what’s needed here. When tackling a project as a one-off marketing tactic, you’ll likely encounter lots of gaps in the story as well as questions. In my mind, starting the conversation with the “what” before the “how” — or, even more important, the “why” — is backward. For example, being asked to bake a cake before knowing if you have all the ingredients is a recipe for disaster. Going forward without at least some level of assessment to determine whether your thinking is correct can prove costly and will most certainly jeopardize a project’s success.
Smart strategy starts with essential information and basic marketing fundamentals. Beginning with the “what,” or the tactic, assumes you’ve already figured out it may be an effective solution for the problem at hand.
So, without getting too theoretical or bogged down in process, let’s take a step back and review the basics for a more thoughtful and fundamental approach.
Getting down to basics.
Traditional marketing plans and even short-term project briefs commonly feature the following three essential components to help inform and direct teams.
Objective — The Why
Whether you call it the objective or something similar, such as purpose, goals, or mission, this statement helps address the big question: Why are you doing this? According to Simon Sinek, author of the bestseller Start with Why, once we know our why, everything flows with greater meaning, alignment, and efficiency. Said another way, deciding on the what before the how — or, more critically, the why — is putting the cart before the horse and will likely create a series of disconnected initiatives that miss the mark entirely. It’s difficult to defend a marketing effort’s success if its desired outcome wasn’t clear, measurable, or understood from the beginning. Your stated objectives might be acquiring new customers, growing your e-commerce business, improving overall brand awareness, or demonstrating other growth indicators in one or more channels. Logic follows that if the objective isn’t identified, however, it’s impossible to determine the best approach to achieve it.
Strategy — The How
Once the objective is defined, we can then move on to strategy, or the how. Think about strategy as the focused and clear approach one takes to solve a problem and create a desired outcome. A strategy can comprise the methods around targeting markets, channels, how the brand/product will be positioned and priced, along with the messaging or style to be deployed.
Tactics — The What
Now it’s time to talk tactics! These are the more specific deliverables, such as a new website or establishing a monthly series of email blasts. Think in terms of details like earned or paid media, tools, calendars, and budgets. The best plans account for all the individual tactics being efficiently produced, timed, and, most important, how they work together as a cohesive unit.
Avoid shortcuts or a rush to a one-off execution.
When facing your next business challenge, consider applying the three basic marketing fundamentals as you plan. In doing so, you’ll discover it’s easier to coordinate and focus your team on results. Once the purpose is understood, teams will not only be much more motivated to find creative solutions should issues arise but also clear about intended outcomes and empowered to pivot or adapt when necessary.
Below are a few questions to get your wheels turning and your brief started. Good luck!
What is the problem you’re hoping to solve?
What is the purpose, objective, or the why?
What metrics or performance indicators will you use to measure success?
What is the timing for this effort?
Who is your target audience?
What challenges or obstacles do you envision?