Creating an agile marketing strategy

These might be assumptions about customer acquisition, revenue growth, or even the political climate. Regardless, most marketing plans are a neatly-packaged set of guesses about the next one, five, or even ten years.

That’s why, instead of a marketing plan, you should invest in a marketing strategy. Defined, a marketing strategy is “the guide that helps marketers choose, prioritize, plan, and execute projects to influence profitable customer action.”

When I started at CoSchedule in November 2014, our website had a few thousand page views, about the same amount of email subscribers, and a couple thousand customers. Today, CoSchedule has over 500,000 email subscribers, more than 1.35 million monthly page views, and over 7,000 customers in more than 100 countries around the world. And we did it all without a 30-page marketing plan stuffed in a neglected desk drawer.

Instead, we used an agile marketing strategy. And you need a strategy, too. A good marketing strategy provides the roadmap for you and your team to execute well-planned projects that you’ll measure against a clearly defined goal.

So, how do you do it? There are four fundamentals to developing a marketing strategy that works.

Before you can succeed in marketing, you have to know how to get there. Clear goals offer your marketing team direction and a defined understanding of what success looks like. A strategy is “agile” when it can shift, change, and adapt to unforeseen conditions. But, even when your strategy shifts, your goals don’t. This means every action and initiative is still aligned with ultimate success.

Knowing who your customers are, what they look like, what they care about, and how to compel them to profitable action is the heart of marketing. Developing a marketing persona(s) is the perfect way to refine your approach.

The authors explain OMTM as picking “the one number you’re completely focused on above everything else.” Your OMTM may be new customers, sales-qualified leads, or even email list subscribers. The practice builds focus and discipline so that all of your activities are tied to growing the metric most closely tied to growth for your stage of maturity.

The best strategy is useless without solid execution. So, which tactics will you use to achieve your goals and make that strategy a success? Here, methodically match your tactics with your OMTM. Throughout the year, make a habit of eliminating some tactics while doubling down on others depending on how they influence your OMTM.

Marketing in 2019 doesn’t need to be a bummer, and you still have time to throw out the plan and replace it with an agile strategy. Do whatever it takes to get your team on the right track. Shred the marketing plan, craft a strategy, and get rocking.

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