How To Set Your Marketing Strategy, and Where Content Fits In

A strategy helps you stay focused, efficient, and aligned with the business's objectives

Having a marketing strategy is essential for any business to achieve its objectives, as it acts as a roadmap for the business to follow when embarking on marketing initiatives.

For starters, the strategy helps to focus the business's efforts, ensuring that they are aligned with their goals. By having a plan in place, the business can make sure that all marketing activities are working towards the same objectives, increasing the likelihood of success.

The strategy provides a roadmap for the business's marketing initiatives, ensuring that they are focused, efficient, and aligned with the business's objectives. By understanding the target audience, allocating resources effectively, and differentiating themselves from competitors, businesses can create successful marketing campaigns that drive business growth.

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The 8 components of a marketing strategy

By taking the time to be clear about the following eight categories, businesses can create successful marketing campaigns that drive business growth (with content marketing being a part of it all).

1. Target audience: A clear understanding of the target audience, including demographics, behaviors, needs, and pain points, is crucial for developing a successful marketing strategy.

2. Brand positioning: Determining the unique value proposition and positioning of the brand in the market, in order to differentiate it from competitors and appeal to the target audience.

3. Market research: Conducting market research to gather data and insights about the target audience, the competitive landscape, and the market trends, in order to inform and adjust the marketing strategy.

4. Competitor analysis: Analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of competitors, in order to identify opportunities for differentiation and gain a competitive advantage.

5. Marketing mix: Defining the mix of product, price, place, and promotion that will be used to reach and engage the target audience and achieve the marketing objectives.

6. Marketing objectives: Setting clear and measurable marketing objectives, such as increasing brand awareness, generating leads, or boosting sales, that align with the overall business objectives.

7. Marketing budget: Allocating a budget for marketing activities, including resources such as personnel, technology, and advertising.

8. Measurement and evaluation: Measuring and evaluating the performance of the marketing strategy using key metrics, such as conversion rate, return on investment (ROI), and customer satisfaction, in order to continuously improve and adjust the strategy as needed.

These components form the foundation of a comprehensive marketing strategy and should be tailored to the specific needs and goals of the business. Effective implementation of the marketing strategy will help to drive growth, reach and engage the target audience, and achieve the desired marketing outcomes.

Bucket your marketing initiatives as either outdoor, indoor, or digital

Once you have your north star, next you need to take out a big sheet of paper and make a wish list of marketing initiatives. Next, you need to organize bucket them as either outdoor, indoor, and digital marketing, and content marketing fits into ALL of these three categories.

Here's a brief overview of each:

1. Outdoor Marketing: Outdoor marketing involves the use of physical advertising media to reach consumers outside of their homes or workplaces, such as billboards, bus shelters, street furniture, and more. It is designed to reach a large and diverse audience, often with a simple message or call to action.

In outdoor marketing, content marketing can be used in the form of billboards, posters, and other forms of outdoor advertising. For example, a billboard may include a catchy headline and engaging visuals to promote a brand or product. The aim is to attract the attention of people who are passing by the billboard.

2. Indoor Marketing: Indoor marketing involves the use of physical advertising media to reach consumers inside buildings, such as shopping malls, airports, and public spaces. It is typically used to reach a captive audience and can take the form of posters, banners, and digital displays.

In indoor marketing, content marketing can be used in the form of in-store displays, point of sale materials, and brochures. For example, a company may use in-store displays to showcase their products and educate customers about their benefits. Brochures can be used to provide detailed information about a product or service, including its features, benefits, and pricing.

3. Digital Marketing: Digital marketing involves the use of digital channels and technologies to reach and engage with the target audience, such as search engines, social media, email, mobile apps, and more. It is designed to reach a large and diverse audience, often with a more personalized message or call to action, and can be easily measured and optimized based on performance.

In digital marketing, content marketing is often used to create engaging content that attracts potential customers. This can be in the form of blog posts, social media posts, videos, infographics, and more. The aim is to provide valuable content that educates, entertains, or informs potential customers, which can lead to increased brand awareness, engagement, and sales.

It’s important to categorize your marketing budget into these 3 categories because each of them use different channels to reach and engage with the target audience. Further, each type of marketing has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the choice of which to use will depend on the target audience, marketing objectives, and budget. For example, outdoor marketing is a good choice for reaching a large and diverse audience with a simple message, while digital marketing is better suited for reaching a more targeted audience with a personalized message and tracking performance more effectively.

An effective marketing strategy often uses a combination of different types of marketing to reach and engage with the target audience in a comprehensive and effective manner.