What do you want more of this year?
Throughout my career in marketing and advertising, I have realized there is much uncertainty regarding the difference between objectives, strategies and tactics. While some overcome this confusion, many instead become paralyzed as they write marketing plans.
While I feel it is necessary to share the textbook definitions of these marketing planning terms (see the end of this article), I am today recommending a shift. Don’t get stuck in the categorization of your ideas. Instead, decide what you want more of and make plans to get it.
A few years ago, I had a beach resort for a client. They were at a crossroads and struggled to understand what marketing efforts would truly make a difference to their bottom line. Together, we identified their “mores.” They wanted:
- MORE people coming to their resort
- People at the resort spending MORE money
- MORE repeat visitors
Once we identified their three “mores,” it was easy to know what we needed to do. We would just ask ourselves, “Will this give us more, more or more?” If we could not answer “yes,” we did not waste our efforts moving forward.
In addition, once defined, the “more, more, more” became a mantra for the extended marketing team. The entire resort team understood what they were working together to achieve.
So, tell us – what do you want more of this year?
Objective: an end that can be reasonably achieved within an expected timeframe and with available resources
Strategy: a method or plan chosen to bring about a desired future, such as achievement of a goal or solution to a problem
Tactic: means by which a strategy is carried out
Source: BusinessDictionary.com
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