Strategy From the Ground Up

There's an intimidation factor when it comes to marketing strategy.

I regularly hear marketers saying they "can't do strategy" or that they aren't "strategic thinkers."

I doubt that's true.

The type of people that are drawn to marketing are generally thoughtful, curious people — which is all that it takes to be strategic.

But it is true that these marketers are usually not approaching their marketing strategically.

It's not a skill issue, it's a time issue.

When we think about strategy, the first thing we picture is 100+ page slide decks of big ideas packed with tons of completely unapproachable research.

When that's your perception of strategy, it's easy to get intimidated. You barely have time to think, how could you find the time to put together a big strategy document when you'll end up putting it on a shelf as soon as something more pressing comes to your attention?

To me, an effective strategy has two primary benefits for the people implementing it:

Prioritization is hard. So point number one ends up getting most of the attention. Without some kind of strategy you’re stuck floating in the ether trying to decide what to do next.

But we can’t discount how important point number two is for both our ability to get results and our ability to stay sane.

It’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day grind of checklists and “the way things have always been done.” We end up just going through the motions and lose sight of how individual projects tie into the bigger picture.

Even if you don’t have a clear image of that bigger picture, it’s possible to start approaching your everyday work with a more strategic mindset.

Before I start any project, I ask myself three questions. It’s not a formal process. I almost never write down the answers. But over the years of implementing this practice, I’ve found that thinking through these questions creates valuable clarity for myself and my team.

What problem are you solving?
Marketing is problem-solving and you can’t solve a problem you haven’t defined.

You need to understand the challenge or opportunity you face, and the ways this project will help you overcome them. The scope of the project doesn’t matter. Whether it’s something as simple as sending an email, or as complex as launching a new product, there is a problem that you’re trying to solve.

In defining the problem, you’ll find the flaws in your plan. It lets you separate what you’re trying to do from your initial conception of the project. It’s easy to get stuck on a medium — this was conceived as an email, so it needs to be an email. But thinking through the problem lets you see that there might be a more effective or frictionless path to solving it.

Who is the intended audience?
Reject the urge to say that you’re creating something for “everyone” or even “everyone in your industry.”

I try to picture an actual person on the receiving end of everything I create. Having a mental image of a real human being engaging with your work removes many of the potential pitfalls from your process.

Sure, you’re probably never creating something just for one person’s benefit, but if you can absolutely nail the messaging or execution for your ideal customer, it will probably appeal to a much wider audience.

What do you want them to do or feel?
This is how you define success. When you picture the audience you defined in question 2, what do you want them to do immediately after experiencing your work?

And your answer can’t be “make a sale.”

Think back to the behavioral design framework from Issue #1 when answering this question. Are you increasing their motivation, or their ability? Do you want them to take action, or change their thinking?