There is no one-size-fits-all approach to marketing. Yet, all too often, businesses find themselves investing in marketing activity based on what their agency or consultant specialises in, rather than what their business actually needs.
Social media, SEO, paid advertising, email marketing, PR, events, content marketing. There are countless ways to reach your target audience, build awareness and generate opportunities. But just because a marketing channel is available, or has worked brilliantly for another business, doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for yours.
A good marketing strategy isn’t about doing more marketing. It’s about doing the right marketing, for the right reasons.
When your marketing strategy reflects someone else’s expertise
Imagine you approach a social media specialist because you want to grow your business. Unsurprisingly, their recommendation might be to increase your social media activity. Speak to an SEO agency and the answer could be improving your search rankings. A paid advertising specialist might suggest Google Ads. None of these recommendations is necessarily wrong. In fact, they could all deliver excellent results.
The challenge comes when recommendations are driven primarily by the services someone can deliver, rather than an objective assessment of what your business needs. There’s also a commercial consideration. Agencies and suppliers naturally want to grow their businesses, just like everyone else. But when the person advising you on your marketing strategy also stands to benefit from recommending particular services, it’s important to understand how those recommendations have been reached.
This isn’t about questioning anyone’s expertise or intentions. Specialists play an incredibly valuable role in marketing. It’s about recognising the difference between having expertise in a marketing channel and knowing whether that channel is the right investment for a particular business.
Start with the business, not the marketing channels
Before discussing campaigns, platforms or budgets, a marketing strategy should begin with understanding the business itself.
- What are you trying to achieve?
- Who are your customers?
- How do they make purchasing decisions?
- What makes you different from your competitors?
- Where are your opportunities for growth?
- What resources and budget do you realistically have available?
The answers will be different for every business.
For example, a professional services firm looking to build relationships with a relatively small number of high-value clients might benefit more from thought leadership, targeted business development and account-based marketing than a significant investment in paid social media advertising.
A local business targeting homeowners might find that local SEO, Google Business Profile optimisation, customer reviews and referral activity deliver a better return on investment.
Meanwhile, a business launching a new product into a competitive market may need a combination of brand awareness, paid advertising, PR and carefully planned content.
Even two businesses operating in the same sector may require completely different strategies because their ambitions, audiences, reputations and existing marketing foundations are different.
The strategy should determine the channels, not the other way around.
Sometimes the best recommendation is to do less
One of the most valuable things a marketing consultant can do is tell a business what not to invest in.
That might mean recommending that a business pauses an underperforming advertising campaign, reduces the number of social media platforms it uses or focuses on improving its website before spending money driving more traffic to it.
It could also mean recognising that the business doesn’t need a completely new marketing campaign at all.
Perhaps it has a good customer base but isn’t making the most of existing relationships. Maybe its biggest opportunity lies in improving customer retention, developing referral partnerships or making better use of the valuable content it already has. Sometimes the answer is to improve what is already there, rather than introduce something new.
These recommendations might not generate the largest fees for a marketing supplier, but they could deliver significantly greater value to the business. And that’s what good strategic advice should be about.
The value of an independent perspective
Marketing strategies shouldn’t be created in isolation from the wider business. They need to consider commercial objectives, sales activity, internal capabilities, customer behaviour and the competitive landscape. They also need to be realistic about what can be delivered and how success will be measured. This is where an independent, channel-neutral perspective can make a real difference.
Rather than beginning with a preferred solution, an independent marketing consultant can assess the opportunities available and recommend the most appropriate combination of activity. That might involve working alongside existing agencies and specialists, bringing in new expertise where needed or helping an internal team make better use of its resources. It also means being prepared to challenge assumptions, including the belief that something should continue simply because the business has always done it.
Importantly, independence doesn’t mean a lack of specialist knowledge. It means having the breadth of experience to understand how different marketing disciplines work together, recognise when specialist expertise is required and make recommendations based on business needs rather than a preferred service offering.
The five questions worth asking about your marketing strategy
Whether you’re reviewing an existing strategy or commissioning a new one, there are a few questions worth considering:
1. Does the strategy clearly link to our business objectives? – can you see how the recommended activity will support what the business is trying to achieve?
2. Why have these particular marketing channels been recommended? – is there evidence that they are appropriate for your audience and objectives?
3. Have other options been considered? – or does the strategy largely reflect the services your supplier already provides?
4. What are we being advised not to do? – a strategy should involve making choices and prioritising resources, not simply creating a longer list of marketing activities.
5. How will we know whether it’s working? – are there measures of success beyond likes, impressions and website traffic?
If the answers aren’t clear, it may be time to revisit the strategy.
Your business deserves its own marketing strategy
At Number 34 Consultancy, we believe the starting point for any marketing strategy should always be the business, not a particular marketing discipline. Having worked across different sectors, with businesses of varying sizes and ambitions, we’ve seen first-hand that what works brilliantly for one business may achieve very little for another.
Our role is to understand the business, ask the right questions, challenge existing thinking and identify where marketing can make the greatest difference. Sometimes that means recommending new activity. Sometimes it means changing direction. And sometimes it means making better use of what a business already has.
We work alongside specialist suppliers when their expertise is needed, because no single person or agency should claim to be the best at everything.
Ultimately, a marketing strategy should give you clarity, direction and confidence that your investment is supporting your wider business goals.
Your marketing strategy shouldn’t be shaped by what someone wants to sell you. It should be shaped by what your business needs to achieve.
If you’re unsure whether your current marketing activity is delivering what your business needs, or you’re ready to take a more strategic approach, get in touch to discuss how we can help.