The simple and amazing fact is that most small to medium size businesses have no marketing strategy. None. At best they have a media schedule, like ‘This quarter we’ll run some radio spots and do a print ad.” That is not the same thing.
A marketing strategy is a plan to make money. A media schedule is a plan to spend money. There is a difference, believe me.
What do I mean by strategy? I mean begin at the end result and work backwards, laying out the steps. Your end result is more sales (how many?). Which means more leads (how many?). Which means attracting those leads with a compelling message (what message?). Which means delivering the message (using which media, costing how much, with what ROI?).
