Often times business owners confuse marketing objectives, strategies, and tactics. For example, discounting isn't a strategy. It's a tactic used to incentivize. Another mistake made is when business owners execute marketing tactics which don't align with their objectives. For example, as a business owner you may be enticed by the scale of a TV or magazine spot. However, if your goal is to get more customers in your door this is not be the best tactic for a number of reasons. One being the reach is so wide your business will be out of range of the majority of your target market. (Since people tend to eat, shop and entertain locally.) So what is an objective, what is a strategy and what is a tactic? Read on.
Objective: An over arching goal or milestone for your business which you want your marketing strategies to accomplish.
Strategy: A foundation of which your marketing plan rests upon, designed to accomplish your objectives. So as not to confuse your objective with your strategy, your strategy can follow this format in which you fill in the blanks: “Convince (that) Because...” Example: Convince men and women between the ages of 25 and 40 who are taste conscious, enjoy cooking and the outdoors that Kingsford Charcoal is the brand that saves you time because of its Sure Fire Grooves.
Tactic: The branch of marketing used to carry out your strategy such as: Advertising, Business to Business, Direct/Database Marketing, Social Media, Public Relations, Tradeshow/Event and Internet Marketing, etc.It's important to get specific about each aspect of your marketing plan so that your efforts compliment one another. You must also make sure you can rationalize why your plan is the best course of action. For the example below we are communicating the innovation behind the brand and the value/impact that innovation has on the consumers' lives. (Saves them time but doesn't impact flavor) Here's how this portion might look integrated together:
Objective: Increase the sales of Kingsford Charcoal.
Strategy: Convince men and women between the ages of 25 and 40 who are taste conscious, enjoy cooking and the outdoors that Kingsford Charcoal is the brand that saves you time because of its Sure Fire Grooves.
Tactics: Advertising, Promotions, Internet Marketing and Direct Mail.Finally, each tactic should be well researched, put into a time line, and a budget should also be mapped out.
To receive help with your integrated marketing campaign to ensure maximum impact and success contact Vira Creative today.