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.
