--- tytul: "Marketing Strategy: A 12-Month Action Plan" opis: "Channels, budget, calendar and measures for twelve months. A document you can work from, not a presentation that ends up in a drawer." adres: https://justidea.agency/en/services/marketing-agency/marketing-strategy/ serwis: "JustIdea Agency" jezyk: en zrodlo: automatyczny odpowiednik strony HTML, generowany przy każdym buildzie --- [Home](https://justidea.agency/en/)/[Services](https://justidea.agency/en/services/)/[Digital marketing agency](https://justidea.agency/en/services/digital-marketing-agency/)/Marketing strategy Strategy [Our rating: 4.96 out of 5, 224 reviews on Google, Facebook and Clutch](https://justidea.agency/en/justidea-reviews/) # A marketing strategy that turns into concrete action A strategy is good when it still helps you make decisions a few months later. That is why we build it as a twelve-month plan: which channels, in what order, for how much, who is responsible for delivery and how we will know the activities are working. Without these five elements you get a presentation, not a strategy: the kind nobody opens again after a quarter. Book a call about your goals Scope and pricing ** A plan with a budget, not a manifesto Every activity has a budget, a deadline and a person responsible. That makes the strategy a document you can actually work from, not just a presentation of assumptions. ** We start with what to switch off A marketing budget does not stretch. That is why we start not by adding more activities, but by checking what can be dropped or cut back to free up money for more important priorities. ![A twelve-month plan of marketing activities](https://justidea.agency/assets/ill-strategia-marketing.svg) ![Google Premier Partner](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/google-premier-partner-d0211fa8.svg) approx. 4 weeks from data to document Trusted by ![LPP](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/lpp-logo-2-b64d3a02.svg) ![House](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/logo-house-c706eeae.svg) ![Toyota](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/toyota-logo-pasek.svg) ![Fame MMA](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/fame-ffb4e0d0.webp) ![Surf Inc.](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/surfinc-logo-pasek.webp) ![LyoFood](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/lyo-cb899d46.webp) ![ExpertSender](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/expert-ca00548d.webp) ![Purinova](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/purinova-217da6ab.webp) ![Mennica Gdańska](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/mennica-98166c12.webp) ![Group IB](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/group-ib-b711171e.webp) ![Smart Kids Planet](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/smart-kids-151311c5.webp) ![SuperSonic](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/supersonic-a35404fe.webp) ![Wierzynek](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/wierzynek-1-d027e7cc.webp) ![RegoBis](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/regobis-a8b446e3.webp) Technology partners ![Google Premier Partner](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/google-premier-partner-d0211fa8.svg) ![Meta Business Partner](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/meta-partner-300x172-8802cc64.webp) ![HubSpot Certified Partner](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/hubspot-partner-300x145-34b60f9f.webp) ![ExpertSender Premium Partner](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/expertsender-premium-300x60-f6573b2d.webp) ![GetResponse MAX Trusted Partner](https://justidea.agency/assets/osiagniecia/partner-getresponse-max.webp) Starting point ## When does a company really need a marketing strategy? Not every company needs an extensive strategy. But if you recognise even one of these situations, it is worth putting the direction of your activities in order. ** ### A budget split by gut feeling Channels get budget according to what „always worked”, instead of shared goals and data. It is then hard to decide where the next part of the budget should really go. ** ### A new year, a new plan from scratch Every year you start with the same questions: what do we do, where do we invest and what do we drop? A strategy gives you a point of reference you can come back to and update. ** ### A new market or a new product A change of market or offer means new customer groups, channels and budget decisions. A strategy helps set the direction before you start investing in specific activities. ** ### Several agencies, but no shared plan One agency runs SEO, a second paid campaigns, a third social media. Each may deliver its own scope well, but without a shared plan the activities do not have to add up to one whole. Definition ### What is a marketing strategy and what are marketing activities? **A marketing strategy is** a plan for how to use the budget and marketing channels to reach a specific business goal. It sets where we operate, how much we invest, what results we want and how we will know the activities are working. Marketing activities are the execution of that plan: ad campaigns, tests, optimisation, remarketing or analytics work. The strategy answers „what, where and why are we doing it?”, and the activities answer „how are we doing it?”. A goal translated into numbers How many sales or enquiries we want to generate, at what cost and by when. A marketing goal should follow from the business goal and be measurable. Audiences and the buying process Who buys, how they make the decision and where we can reach them. This is the basis for choosing channels and allocating the budget. Splitting the budget between channels How much we invest in each channel, what is a proven direction and what is a test. That way you know where the budget is meant to work now and what we are still testing. Calendar and responsibility What, when and who. Specific activities, deadlines and the people responsible for delivering them. How it is made ## Four stages, about four weeks The first stage is the longest, because data on costs and results rarely sits in one place. 1. 1 ### Gathering data 2 weeks Channel results brought down to one measure, acquisition costs, customer lifetime value. Plus interviews with the people in marketing and sales, because their knowledge is not written down anywhere. 2. 2 ### Market and competitor analysis 1 week Market and competitor analysis: who holds which areas, where there is room and what entry costs. We name the strengths and weaknesses of the offer as well as the opportunities and threats, and we check what competitors are not doing, because that is usually where it is cheapest. 3. 3 ### Workshop 1 day We test the conclusions against your knowledge of the market and set the goals together, along with what we give up. Without this day the strategy is made about you, not with you. 4. 4 ### Document and rollout 1 week A twelve-month plan with a budget, calendar, measures and division of responsibility. Developing the marketing strategy ends with a document, not a presentation. Plus a meeting where we go through the first quarter task by task. Client reviews ## JustIdea ratings on three independent platforms Every strategy document looks good on presentation day, and the difference shows during rollout. The ratings concern the whole agency, not strategies alone. 4.96 / 5 weighted average of 224 reviews across three platforms. Clients gave them, and each site links to the profile with the full text of every review. [Read the reviews](https://justidea.agency/en/justidea-reviews/) [![Google](https://justidea.agency/assets/logo-google.svg) 4.97 / 5 156 reviews on our Google Business Profile See the profile](https://www.google.com/search?q=JustIdea+Agency+Krak%C3%B3w+opinie)[![Facebook](https://justidea.agency/assets/logo-facebook.svg) 5.0 / 5 33 reviews on our Facebook page See the profile](https://www.facebook.com/justidea.agency/reviews)[![Clutch](https://justidea.agency/assets/logo-clutch.svg) 4.9 / 5 35 B2B reviews, each verified in a call with the client See the profile](https://clutch.co/profile/justidea-agency) Certificates and partnerships ## What the plan's assumptions rest on A strategy is only as good as the data it stands on. This is what we can show beyond our own opinion of ourselves. ### Google Premier Partner Google, top tier of the Google Partners programme A status awarded for client results, not for passed tests. In a strategy it lets us estimate the real acquisition cost in Google channels before we write it into the plan, so the budget does not rest on averages from industry articles. ### Meta Business Partner Meta, partner programme Access to tools and data on Meta's side. When planning the budget it lets us separate sales that would have happened without advertising from sales actually bought, and that changes the recommended split of funds. ### HubSpot Certified Partner HubSpot, partner programme Working on the sales system closes measurement at the order, not at the click. In strategies for service businesses it is often the only way to see which channel brings enquiries that actually turn into something. Scope and pricing ## How much does a marketing strategy cost? One item, from €1,230 net, about four weeks of work. Full scope. Running campaigns after the strategy is rolled out we price separately, in performance marketing packages. Full scope ### Marketing strategy A one-off strategy developed before campaigns start. We begin with the numbers: how much you can realistically pay to acquire a customer at your margin. On that basis we choose channels and split the budget, and we close the whole thing with a workshop with your team and briefs for contractors. from €1,230 net - Unit economics: customer value, margin, channel break-even point - Channel selection and media budget split - Measurement and conversion plan - Campaign map for the first months - Test plan and evaluation criteria Book a call about your goals ## When we advise against a strategy With a monthly budget below about €1,000, a separate strategy document rarely pays for itself. It is better then to take one channel, run it well and come back to the strategy conversation when there is something to split between. We say so on the first call, before the question of price comes up. We also advise against a strategy for companies that have not settled their brand positioning. An action plan built on an unclear message falls apart in the second quarter, because each channel interprets it its own way. In that situation we start with the brand platform, which is a separate service, and only then build the plan on it. The third case is a company that needs to settle one specific question, for example whether to go onto a marketplace. That is not strategy but consulting, it is cheaper and takes less time. We do not sell a bigger scope when a smaller one is enough, because that is the fastest way to a client who will not come back. Doubts before we start ## Marketing strategy: four things we hear ### “Strategies end up in a drawer” Very often, and usually because they had no budget, calendar or names. A document in which every activity has an amount, a deadline and a person is a working tool, not a presentation, and that is the only difference that decides it. ### “The agency will plan what it sells itself” A fair suspicion, and that is why the price of the strategy does not depend on what you order afterwards. In the plan we mark which activities your team will carry out and where another contractor will come out cheaper. ### “The market changes faster than the plan” That is why the plan has quarterly checkpoints and clearly marked assumptions. When an assumption stops being true, you know which part of the plan is falling apart, and you do not have to rewrite everything. ### “We have our own marketer” Great, then their role is to bring knowledge of the company, and ours is to bring market data and a view not tied to earlier decisions. The best strategies are made in that setup, not instead of it. Limits of the service ## How is a marketing strategy different from consulting and from a brand strategy? Short answer A marketing strategy is a twelve-month plan: channels, budget, calendar, measures and responsibility. Consulting settles individual decisions when marketing already works, and a brand strategy answers who the brand is and what it says, and comes before the plan. The price of the strategy does not depend on what you order afterwards, and we write the plan so it can be rolled out without us, with briefs for contractors in every channel. ![A plan for the year with a budget and calendar, between a single decision and settling who the brand is](https://justidea.agency/assets/ill-kampanie.svg) ### This is the service - The budget is split by gut feeling, not by one measure. - Several agencies, each with its own plan, and nobody responsible for the whole. - A new year, a new market or a new product, and decisions that will shape the year. ### Start with something else - There is one question and marketing already works: that is marketing consulting, cheaper and faster. - The message is not settled: brand strategy first. - You want a strategy for one ad channel: a performance marketing package includes it in the price. FAQ ## Marketing strategy: questions before you decide **### What are marketing activities?** They are the individual things done so that a company sells: ad campaigns, content, presence in search, mailings to your database, social media management, sales materials. Activities are the execution, and the strategy is the decision about which of them we run, in what order and for how much. Companies that run activities without a strategy usually do many things at once and cannot say which one brought the result. **### What is a marketing strategy?** It is a plan, usually set out for twelve months: who you address your communication to, with what message, through which channels, for how much and by which indicators you will judge the effect. A good strategy includes a budget, a calendar and a division of responsibility, because without those three elements it is a presentation nobody returns to after the first quarter. **### How much does a marketing strategy cost?** A marketing strategy costs from €1,230 net and is billed once, and preparing it takes about four weeks. The amount does not depend on what you order afterwards: running campaigns we price separately, in performance marketing packages. The first call, where we agree the scope, is free. **### How long does it take to prepare a strategy?** Usually about four weeks: two for gathering data, a week for market analysis, a day of workshop and a week for the document. The first stage is the longest, because data on costs and results rarely sits in one place and has to be pulled from several systems. **### How is a marketing strategy different from a marketing plan?** The strategy answers why and to whom, the marketing plan answers what and when. A company's marketing strategy sets goals, target groups, positioning and the budget split between channels, and the plan breaks it down into specific activities on a calendar. In practice we hand over one document in which both layers sit side by side, because a strategy without a plan remains a declaration, and a plan without a strategy is a task list nobody can defend when the budget is cut. **### What are the key elements of a marketing strategy?** Five elements of a marketing strategy without which the document does not pass the November test. A goal translated into numbers and tied to business goals. A description of target groups based on behaviour before purchase. Positioning, meaning the source of competitive advantage: what the company is to stand out with against competitors and what answers real customer needs. A budget split across channels, distinguishing what is certain from what is a test. And measures with a calendar, meaning results monitoring. The most important elements usually take one page, the rest of the document is their justification. **### How is a strategy different from marketing consulting?** In scope and in what it answers. Consulting settles individual decisions when marketing already works, for example whether to enter a new channel, and ends with a recommendation. A strategy builds the whole plan of activities for a year, with a budget and calendar. If there is one question, consulting is cheaper and faster, and that is what we then advise. **### How is a marketing strategy different from a brand strategy?** A brand strategy answers who we are and what we say: positioning, persona, tone of voice. A marketing strategy answers how and where we say it and for how much. The first comes before the second, so if the message is not settled, we start with the brand platform, because a plan built on an unclear message falls apart in the second quarter. **### Do we have to order the execution from you?** No. The strategy costs the same regardless of who rolls it out later: us, another agency or your team. The plan can be carried out without us, because it marks which activities your team will do and which are worth outsourcing and to whom. To the briefs for contractors we add questions worth asking them. ## Marketing strategy: what is worth knowing ** ### The November test, or how to recognise a good strategy A good strategy is one someone opens in November to settle an argument about the budget. For that to happen, every activity needs an amount, a deadline and a person, and the assumptions have to be listed separately, so you can check which have stopped being true. A document without these elements fails the test, however well written it is. ** ### Why we start with what to switch off Marketing budgets almost never grow by as much as new ideas need. That is why the first part of the plan says what we drop and how much that frees up. It is the hardest conversation at the workshop and at the same time the one that actually funds the rest of the plan. ** ### One measure instead of an indicator per channel Every channel reports the indicator it looks best in, and in such a comparison they all look good. A strategy starts by bringing them down to one measure, usually customer acquisition cost and lifetime value. Only then can you see which channel really deserves a bigger share. ** ### Marketing strategy in Kraków and remotely Our office is in Kraków and most workshops take place there, but we work for companies from all over Poland, because the other stages rest on data and conversations. For the workshop, though, it is worth gathering the team in one place, because it is the only day when everyone's presence really changes the result. ** ### How to create a marketing strategy step by step Creating a marketing strategy has a fixed order, and that order decides the quality of the document. First the analysis: channel results, acquisition cost, market and competitor analysis and what the company can do better than others. Then setting goals and choosing target groups, because only with both can you identify the channels that make sense. Next the budget and calendar, and finally the measures. A company that starts with channels, meaning with the question „are we doing TikTok”, gets a list of ideas instead of a strategy, and will not increase sales, only spending. A professional marketing strategy is recognisable by the fact that every activity can be traced back to a goal, and every goal to a number. ** ### Does every company need a marketing strategy Not every one, and we say so before pricing. With one channel and one product, a strategy can be more form than substance: a well-prepared quarterly action plan is enough. A marketing strategy for your company is key when there are several channels, sales also happen online, the budget is split between them every month and the company launches new products or services or enters new markets. Changing market conditions cannot be predicted for a year ahead, so the document has a built-in quarterly review: a good strategy is not one that never changes, but one where you can see what to change when the assumptions stop holding. An effective communication strategy is part of it, not a separate project. Other services ## What else can we do for you? A marketing strategy rarely works in isolation from the rest: the same traffic then has to be measured and closed. These are the pages that most often come into the same conversation, each with its own scope and its own quote. [### Marketing consulting What B2B marketing consulting involves: we say what to do, in what order and what not to do, based on your numbers. View ›](https://justidea.agency/en/services/marketing-agency/marketing-consulting/) [### Company strategy We settle who the brand is and what it promises before you spend a penny on campaigns. View ›](https://justidea.agency/en/services/advertising-agency/business-strategy/) [### Google Ads A Google Ads agency that asks about margin, returns and shipping cost before deciding on the budget. View ›](https://justidea.agency/en/services/marketing-agency/google-ads/) ## Let's check whether you need a strategy or one decision In a free consultation we go through how you split the budget today and what comes of it. Sometimes shorter consulting is enough, and then we suggest it before quoting the strategy. ![Two paths after the workshop: one decision or an action plan spread over four quarters](https://justidea.agency/assets/ill-strategia-marketingowa-plan.svg) Book a call about your goals First consultation free of charge and with no obligation Book a call about your goals Contact ## A conversation about your numbers: 30 minutes The call is led by a new business specialist. When we get into the details of an account, the specialist for that channel joins in. We reply within one business day. A quick review of your tracking and campaignsThree priorities for the next quarterA written summary that stays with you Before the meeting we review your website, your visibility and what your campaigns show from the outside. We will not open with “so, what does your company do?”. [Our rating: 4.96 out of 5, 224 reviews on Google, Facebook and Clutch](https://justidea.agency/en/justidea-reviews/) What happens after you send it 01 within 1 business day ### We reply to your email The reply comes from the same new business specialist who will run the call. No qualification form and no call from an unknown number. 02 this week ### A 30-minute conversation We go through your numbers and your questions. If it turns out we are not the right fit, we will tell you straight away.