Marketing Blunders - Choosing Tactics Over Strategy

" The purpose of this post is to spark conversation on the various challenges we as Digital Marketers and Social Media Strategist face. Please feel free to share your experiences and solutions in the comment section."

Why is it that so many businesses choose tactics first, before doing any strategic planning? I think one of the culprits is because we live in a world that revolves around instant gratification. From fast food, to TV on Demand, to the Internet, society has embraced Nowism with no signs of letting go.

Nowism (Image from Trendwatching.com)

Unfortunately, so have many businesses. When organizations decide to take their marketing efforts to the next level, often they go about it backwards, choosing tactics over strategy.  They focus on deploying social media technologies like Facebook , Twitter , Blogs or online communities first before focusing on what they really want to accomplish.  Why is this the case?

Here are three reasons why I believe businesses do this, as well as some methods that I've used to address them.

1. They desire an immediate return on investment:
When setting up a blog, Facebook page, or Twitter account, they're able to see something tangible (the product). Yet taking a "tactics first" approach is probably one of the biggest marketing blunders out there. Why? Because it often lacks direction, producing mediocre results, ultimately costing them more financially in the long haul (not to mention the investment of time).

A Caveat: In specific scenarios, a tactical approach with social media can actually act as a catalyst, motivating the client to take further action, moving into a strategy. This tends to be more prevalent when working with independant professionals. But these tend to be few and far between.

Takeaway: We need to assist our clients to shake the " Nowism " mindset, understanding that social media, digital marketing, and success in general does not come instantaneously. Great. But how? One approach that I use is to craft a brief paragraph (seen below) to be placed into the proposal which essentially summarizes what I'm discussing in the post. By doing this, you assist the client make an informed decision, and position yourself as an advisor.

Excerpt from one of my proposals

2. There is a lack of funding for strategic planning:

Ah, the chicken and the egg scenario. In order to be profitable, have longevity, and maintain corporate probity, a clear, concise, marketing strategy or social media strategic plan is needed. Yet, to do this, there needs to be a budget to pay for that strategic planning.

Whether it's a small business looking to do local business marketing, or a marketing department with limited funds, taking a tactical approach and leveraging low cost social media technologies such as Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress, etc may be their only viable choice. Having bootstrapped a startup in the past on a shoestring budget, I understand this.

Here's the danger though. Without a strategy (or at least some form of strategic planning), they're riding blind. It would be comparable to doing a cross country road trip without a map. And in the future, they may discover that they did not have the proper resources required to manage these tactics.  How many dead social media accounts have you seen floating around on the web? Not only does this look bad (especially if it's one of the big 4; Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ ) but it can have a negative impact on a company's brand.

Takeaway: If your client is adamant on a tactics first approach, encourage them to start small. Explain the scope of each platform, helping them select one to use that will get them to the next step. Remind them not to dive into something without serious consideration the ability to handle it in a long term capacity.

3. They are unclear as to what a strategy means to them:
Some businesses don't understand how to devise a strategy, and how it will translate to business. It's an intangible. And truthfully, many digital marketers and social media consultants don't fully understand either. It seems that we all have a different explanation or perception as to what a social media or marketing strategy should look like.

Takeaway: As marketers it is our job to clearly explain how a strategic plan translates into business success, giving them clarity, direction, and a roadmap to meet their objectives. An approach I use is breaking down what the strategy means in the eyes of the client, both verbally and on paper, with an emphasis on the deliverables.

I use Jim Tobin's approach from Ignite Social Media as a basis when formulating strategies. He does a fantastic job in explaining what a social media strategy is, and how to create a strategic plan using the POST methodology ( People, Objectives, Strategy, Tactics )



Why do you think businesses skip out on strategic planning, when it is so vitally important to their business longevity? What methods have you used to help the client "see the light" so to speak?