One of the hardest things to do—for any individual, organization, or business—is to define a vision and strategy. It involves diving deep into one’s strengths and weaknesses, while having a clear view of the market opportunities and threats. Talking strategy usually means dealing with uncomfortable realities, as well as risking disagreement with others.
It’s much easier to deal in tactics.
For example, we could have a very benefit-oriented conversation about the pros and cons of certain social media networks, and how to post effectively and engagingly on social media for marketing purposes. But that’s a fairly useless conversation if social media is later determined to be unattractive or unsustainable as part of your overall marketing strategy, given other tactics available to you.
However, tactics are seductive because they are tangible, and offer the feeling of improvement and progress. But what if that progress is taking you in the wrong direction?
My column this month at Publishers Weekly tackles how to reduce your marketing anxiety by getting clear on your strategy first.
[…] Friedman follows a similar approach. In a recent article, she discusses why being mindful of a general marketing strategy is much more efficient than […]