By Heather Isch
I've had some time to reflect on some of the most successful projects we have done at LKF Marketing and each time it comes back to strategy. The clients that love us most have great results. Those clients have partnered in creating a solid strategy for conquering their challenges and building market share or brand equity.
Strategy is really developing a method for succeeding in dynamic markets. A quote from my favorite book, Warrior Marketing by Sun Tzu and Gary Gagliardi, reads as follows.
"The more stable your environment, the better traditional planning works. The more fast-changing and chaotic your environment, the more you must rely on the principles of strategy to adapt to changing conditions.
"Strategy must always deliver ROI. It is easy to spend dollars on the coolest new thing but it takes strategy to deliver results and increase profits for your clients."
Today, our tools for marketing are as complicated as the markets and clients we serve. The technology changes every day and as fast as we can learn. If we step back and ask ourselves, a series of questions we will find the right path.
What does the client want to accomplish?
What are the economic conditions or competitive conditions?
What does the desired audience care about?
What tools will fit our desired audience?
It is never about the cool new tools, the art, or the dashboard for social metrics. The tools should always be subject to the strategy.
What are we trying to do for the client? Are we going to disrupt the market? Are we launching a new product? The reason I love the book Warrior Marketing is that it is about the battle.
Every company is battling for customer mind share. Our job as marketers is to create the strategy that delivers the desired result. If you would like to know more about our favorite subject send us a note. In the meantime, take a look at some of the projects we have created for our clients.
As always, contact us to discuss your strategy needs.