Marketing Strategy: Concept, Practice and Actions
Defining a marketing strategy should leave nothing to chance. Your growth depends directly on the strength of your marketing foundations... Hence the importance of moving forward with a method and a clear vision.
Looking to structure your marketing approach? This guide details each step to transform your vision into concrete results.
The fundamentals of a successful marketing strategy
What is a marketing strategy?
Marketing tactics and strategy are almost always confused. As Eugene Schwartz explains in his book "Breakthrough Advertising," your market is actually divided into five distinct levels of maturity.
At one end of the spectrum, around 60% of your market isn't even aware they have a problem: these are the "Unaware." In the middle, 35% acknowledge their difficulty and explore possible solutions: the "Problem Aware" and "Solution Aware." Finally, only 5% are ready to buy: the "Product Aware" and "Most Aware."
The most common mistake? Addressing all these segments in the same way. The right marketing strategy is to tailor your message to each level:
- For the “Unaware”: Raise awareness of the problem
- For the “Problem/Solution Aware”: Educate on solutions
- For “Product/Most Aware”: demonstrate your unique value
KPIs to follow
Ellevate's experience in providing marketing support to over 70 companies demonstrates that a successful strategy relies on precise metrics. Rigorous monitoring of your KPIs allows you to quickly identify your growth drivers.
Your priority indicators:
- Conversion rate by acquisition channel
- Customer acquisition cost
- Engagement rate on your content
- Customer retention and loyalty
- ROI of each marketing action
→ To go further, beyond just marketing: see how to build your quarterly growth plan.
Building a Marketing Strategy Step by Step
Whether you choose to internalize your strategy or entrust it to an outsourced marketing director (part-time CMO) , you want results. And to achieve them, it's best to act in the right order.
Auditing as a foundation
The initial analysis isn't simply a competitive or market analysis. This phase examines your marketing channels, conversion funnels, metrics, and current performance… and much more! It highlights growth opportunities and areas for improvement. Depending on your situation, a 360° marketing audit will focus more on specific dimensions:
- e-mailing strategy;
- acquisition via social networks;
- effectiveness of UGC content related to your brand;
- consistency of personal branding and communication processes;
- etc.
Definition of objectives
Your marketing goals need to be specific… And at Ellevate, we like them SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. For a B2B SaaS platform, for example, aim for goals like “increase conversion rate from 5% to 8% in 6 months.”
The operational action plan
Your marketing plan orchestrates all of your initiatives within a specific timeline. It details:
- Your quarterly priorities
- Your acquisition channels
- Your necessary resources
- Your checkpoints
→ To delve deeper into each construction step: consult our complete guide to the steps of a marketing strategy.
The main levers of a marketing strategy
Transforming your strategy into concrete actions requires precise orchestration of your channels. At Ellevate, we've observed that a well-structured multi-channel approach can reduce marketing costs by 70% while increasing revenue by 50%.
Digital acquisition
Your online visibility is based on several complementary pillars:
- SEO: natural positioning on search engines
- SEA: Google Ads and Bing Ads advertising
- Display: targeted advertising banners
- Native Ads: sponsored content on partner sites
Social media and influence
Social media plays its part, but you'll need to respect the rules of the platforms you choose, even if it means delegating to community management or ghostwriting specialists.
It all depends on your priorities: LinkedIn for B2B and personal branding, Instagram for visual storytelling, TikTok to reach young audiences, YouTube for education and demonstration… There's plenty to do!
Marketing automation
Modern companies have understood this: automation accelerates, boosts, and amplifies your actions and results.
- Segmented email marketing
- SMS campaigns and push notifications
- Chatbots and nurturing sequences
- Personalized retargeting
→ On these points: consider learning about the principles of A/B Testing to see which communication levers deserve to be optimized.
Traditional Marketing
That said, paper and more traditional mailings aren't dead yet! Think of press and public relations, for example. Events and trade shows are also popular in certain specific sectors of activity, for building a network, finding partners and suppliers, increasing visibility, etc. In short, direct and print marketing, if used well, remains a very respectable marketing channel.
Outsourced expertise for accelerated results!
Why delegate a company's marketing strategy ? First and foremost, to find fresh ideas! An outside perspective offers a different viewpoint, another angle on the data, and, above all, sometimes more effective approaches. At Ellevate, we support our clients through a methodical process:
- Complete audit of your current marketing
- Creation of a strategic roadmap
- Support in execution
All our marketing strategy services and support begin with an initial discussion to understand your true needs, expectations, and feasibility. Our belief: marketing can be more human-centered, leading to greater impact, better results, and greater business success. If you're ready to take action, simply schedule an appointment to discuss your project.
