How To Create A Genius Marketing Strategy?

You are doing social media without a strategy? Tell me how great that’s going.

Believe it or not the term ‘marketing strategy’ doesn’t have to be a stress-inducing one that can only be handled by senior professionals. A marketing strategy doesn’t need to be a plan consisting of 200 pages. A marketing strategy starts with an idea. Often a simple one. The strategy should be short and to the point. What might at first seem too simple, can in fact be really cool and bring results. Big results. Today the simple and effective things don’t have to be complicated with technology.

A successful digital marketing strategy should remain simple while its realisation should be challenging. One brilliant idea by itself though is worthless. But an idea combined with successful execution can change the world. Sometimes it can be obvious what to do — but only a few will find the strength to do everything brilliantly. This is what sets entrepreneurs apart from those who start a business and fail.

Jeff Bezos drew up his business plan for Amazon while on a road trip from New York to Seattle. In 1993, he left a successful job at Wall Street based hedge fund firm D.E. Shaw & Co to start Amazon from his garage. His former colleagues urged Bezos not to leave. But Bezos had a belief in his simple concept of founding an e-commerce store selling books. Amazon was born as an online bookstore, and the rest is history. Today Amazon is worth $1 trillion. Not bad for a simple idea.

What about your business? Your digital marketing strategy should answer the questions: What do you do that others don’t? What is it that sets you apart? To find out the answers can take you on a journey and prove interesting. What do you think is more important: to come up with an idea about why your business is so unique, or trying to be a perfectionist in what you do every day? In fact, in reality there is no choice. To be successful in business you have to do both. Just like Jeff Bezos did.

Your digital marketing strategy should be based around how your brand differs from your competitors and what is at the heart of your brand’s value. Just 1–3 words should be all it takes to understand what your brand represents. Sure, it might not be easy to find out, but once you have it everything else falls into place.This slogan should be easy to memorise and something deeply ingrained within your brand.

Ask yourself now: what is unique about your brand, what is its value, how is it different from others? The right answer should ideally be a single word. Just one word. Two if needs be. Three at a push. But no more. If you can’t summarise what is unique about your brand in 1–3 words, then start thinking again.

Let’s take a look at some other major global brands. The Scandinavian car manufacture Volvo adopted the short and simple slogan “Volvo your life”. It means “Roll your life” in Latin. In this context the word life not only means our physical presence on earth, but also how we choose to live — it’s the quality of our lives. We need to feel safe and protected in life, so safety is at the core of Volvo Cars. Over the decades, Volvo has established a reputation for building what are among the safest and most comfortable cars on the road. Life. Safety. Comfort. All simple concepts.

Here’s another example.

The current Mercedes-Benz slogan is “The best or nothing”. This phrase communicates what Mercedes-Benz as a brand represents. It’s telling consumers that if they want the very best in life, then it has to be Mercedes-Benz. Anything else isn’t worth it. The German car manufacturer’s promises to deliver “the best or nothing” works on two levels. Firstly, it communicates that Mercedes-Benz offers the best cars. In other words its design and manufacturing process is second to none. Secondly it’s saying if you want the best lifestyle, to be seen by friends and colleagues as successful, then only buy Mercedes-Benz.

Build a brand strategy by evaluating your business from the outside. What do you see? Be objective. How does your business compare to your competitors? What are your unique points that set you apart? Is your business competitive in all parts of the world? Open your eyes. Your strategy should be focussed and competitive.

Why is having a clear digital marketing strategy so important? Hopefully the above examples of Amazon, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz will help the answer the question. In case you’re still struggling, the answer is: they all have a short, clear and powerful marketing strategy. That is why they remain successful. If you do not have your own clear brand strategy, then when you turn off your ads, your sales will go down. It’s a proven fact in digital marketing. People — your consumers — will forget you.

It is essential to have a clear digital marketing strategy in place. Without one your advertising will become chaotic and ineffective. You can’t be consistent with your advertising. You must have a strategy that constantly evolves and tries different approaches, while all the time putting your brand behind the ad. If you think of books, you think of Amazon. If you think of lifestyle and safety on the road, you think of Volvo. If you think about precision engineering and having the best car, you think of Mercedes-Benz. You get the idea. It’s the brand that sells the products.

Remember, to be successful you must develop a clear brand and digital marketing strategy. Your brand comes first, and the products second. A final thought, if you misuse tactical advertising then people will treat your business as a one-time solution. Next time they might explore your competitors. Do not let this happen.