It seems like all anyone can talk about these days is being strategic for anything and everything you want to do, doesn’t it? It’s always about “being strategic” when you do this and make sure you “think strategically” about that. It’s almost enough to make an entrepreneur loathe planning for anything; be it marketing, list building, lead generation, or client acquisition.

Or, in 2020, going to the store, eating out, even entertaining guests – not to mention whether you’re “allowed” to.

By now, you must be asking yourself what the big deal is about being strategic with your online marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, and yes, your brand building.

AND, you may well ask… “Who said it’s so important, and why?”

The simple answer is, “Everyone”. And yes, when we say everyone, we mean us too. For example, we’ve presented more than a few blog posts about the importance and benefits of strategic marketing in the past. These posts include everything from revising your ideal client profile to post-pandemic strategizing to strategic email marketing to sponsoring the YOMT Strategic Business Building Podcast.

So yes, you can say that, as a group, the pros at Your Online Marketing Team (YOMT) are fully committed to “being strategic” about brand building, business building, lead generation, and all types of marketing, such as content marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, and maybe even direct marketing (which could include “snail mail”).

5 Reasons Strategic Marketing Matters (Make that 5 x 2 reasons)

A well-defined marketing strategy helps you:

• Set – and reach – your business goals. 

• A realistic marketing strategy keeps you focused and organized, enabling you to track your successes and (gulp!) your failures.

• Stay agile and responsive to the needs of your target market.

• Know when something works so you can do everything possible to keep it on track or make it better.

• Know when something doesn’t work as planned, as well as why, so you can fix it!

If these are not enough reasons to convince you it’s time to develop a strategic marketing plan, here are five more reasons that should:

1. Top marketers are organized – The most organized marketers are 397% more likely to report success.
2. Top marketers set goals – Goal-setting marketers are 376% more likely to report success. 70% of the most organized marketers achieve their goals Most of the Time, while an elite 10% of organized marketers always achieve them.
3. Top marketers document their strategy – Marketers with a documented strategy are 313% more likely to report success.
4. Top marketers proactively plan projects and campaigns – Marketers who proactively plan projects are 356% more likely to report success.
5. Top marketers use agile project management processes – Marketers using agile project management were 252% more likely to report success.

This data was borrowed from a 2019 marketing survey of B2C and B2B marketing teams by the folks at CoSchedule.com.

Let’s Talk About Your Strategic Marketing Plan

While we’ve made it as clear as possible that we believe every online marketer needs a strategic business plan to succeed, it must also be said that it’s never been more important than it is as we move from 2020 to 2021! Never… More… Important!!!

In fact, after the madness we call 2020, your launch marketing strategy is so important, it comes before Step One! It’s doing pre-marketing; that is, the first thing you MUST do before you invest your valuable time, energy, and money in any marketing activities.

As explained so clearly by article author Starza Thompson at WomenBelong.com, your marketing strategy is “Your guide to who you target, how you talk about your business, and how you differentiate yourself from all other businesses in your industry. It is the strategic foundation of your marketing house.”

Ah yes (and thank you Ms. Thompson), it’s the strategic foundation of your 2021 marketing plan! Which is where we can best help you.

As mentioned in a previous blog post, we have recently introduced our Foundations Strategy Package. With this package, we help you lay the foundation for consistent marketing success without wasting time, money, and energy doing it yourself. (That’s known as a “Call back” to the quote above!)

This hot new support package is for new clients who want to develop and hone:

• Your brand identity

• Your target market to effectively engage and promote your business

• Your unique customer avatar so your marketing speaks directly to them

• An initial marketing strategy for your products, dependent upon your goals

• The best tools that will set you up for success and help you gain momentum

• A suggested launch timeline for an evergreen program

We will literally become your very personal marketing support team; an experienced, knowledgeable group of marketing professionals who know how to create and implement a bold and effective strategy at a fraction of the cost. (It’s like we were born to do this!)

Are you ready to get bold by being strategic about marketing in the New Year? If so, click here.

If you still have questions about how we can be your strategic marketing partner for 2021, click here to schedule a complimentary consultation and get your questions answered.