05 Nov Think strategy, not tactics.

When meeting potential clients for the first time, I always explain that the work that I do is based on one simple objective – increasing sales by developing robust brand positioning strategies.

In past years this would often lead to a comment like “So you do logos?” but in recent times this has been replaced with remarks like “Interesting, but I’m looking for help with digital”.

Yes, digital engagement seems to be on everyone’s lips. A fact borne out by a recent survey that 95% of marketing directors believe it has become increasingly important in the last two years. But important for what exactly?

A cynic might say; important to be seen to be embracing it.

At the end of the day, we all know that very few brands can actually correlate advertising effectiveness with the creation of digital content. Indeed since 2012, key drivers for companies using social media and tangible evidence of business benefits have fallen by more than 20%.

So why is the medium constantly lionised? The answer is simple – It’s trendy.

Or rather it enables business to keep up with the latest trends. Trends in customer perceptions, trends in audience engagement, trends in wishing to be seen as being part of the wider world.

Using social media is perfectly fine. But it is only a part of the marketing mix. It’s a tactic, amongst a whole host of other tactics. It is not a strategy.

A robust strategy draws together all of the various marketing channels available and drives them forward as a focused piece of brand positioning. It’s an aligned approach that enables brand messaging to be consistent, distinctive and relevant.

A successfully delivered brand strategy always ensures that the consumer knows exactly what the brand stands for.

So next time you’re in a conversation about how to deploy your company’s marketing budget, first think about your overall business objective. What are you hoping to achieve from your investment?

If the answer is merely more awareness, that’s great – digital content can certainly do that.

If however, the answer is ultimately sales, you might want to think a bit more carefully about how a series of tactics, such as online engagement can help come together to build a more coherent strategy.