You've Got a Marketing Strategy. But Do You Have a Plan?

We’re already well into February, January has finally packed it bags and, for me at least taken its blues with it. So now we can actually get on with the year ahead, which makes it a perfect opportunity to ask: how’s your marketing strategy going? And equally important, how’s your marketing plan going? If the whole marketing strategy vs marketing plan thing makes your head tilt like you’re trying to figure out where all those extra fees for your plane ticket came from, don’t worry you’re not alone.

To me, the difference between strategy and plan seems straight forward, but that isn’t always the case and reminds me of a couple of interviews I had a while ago. Both times, the brief for the second stage was the same: prepare a marketing strategy for the company. So I did exactly that. Without access to their data or targets, I could only go so far, but I followed my method and presented a damn good, solid, strategy for them. And in both interviews, I was told it was missing crucial details about how I’d implement it.

The first time, I just looked at them a little dumbfounded (I was early in my career). The second time I pointed out that they had asked for a marketing strategy, not a marketing plan. Had they wanted that I would have been more than happy to put it together.

This still comes to the issue at hand, many professionals appear to use the two terms, “strategy” and “plan” interchangeably. If it’s from someone outside of marketing, fine, I understand, after all ask me to explain the difference between a self-sealing stem bolt and a standard one and I’d struggle. But in that second interview, the person leading the conversation had a Chartered Institute of Marketing qualification.

What’s the difference? Easy. A solid marketing strategy will cover the “who”, the “what”, the “why”, and the “where”, but the “how” and the “when” sits in the marketing plan. To help put it in perspective, here’s a question for you: what are you actually doing on your next holiday?

Marketing Strategy vs Marketing Plan: The holiday edition

Let’s take a look at your next holiday from a strategy vs plan perspective.

The strategy will look at the big decisions you need to make:

Where do you want to go?
Who is the holiday for?
What is the purpose?
Why that destination?

The plan for your holiday will then look at:

How are you travelling?
When are you going
What are you packing
Who’s responsible for each bit?
And finally, what is your budget for it?

One sets the direction, while the other delivers what you need to complete it.

Why You Need a Strategy (Otherwise You're Guessing)

A holiday without a strategy is essentially throwing your gear into the back of a campervan and just hitting the road with no idea of the direction. Could be fun, could be a disaster! It’s the same with marketing. Without a strategy, you’ll be floating from tactic to tactic, you might get lucky and stumble upon something that works. But more often than not, you’ll just go back to doing the same things you were doing before, unsure whether they are the right ones, or if there are better ways to boost your company.

Your Marketing Plan Doesn’t Need To Be Complicated

The complexity of your plan depends upon what you’ve set out in your strategy. If your holiday strategy is a road trip of French vineyards, that will need a bigger plan than a one week all inclusive sun sea and sand holiday.

A plan that takes in email campaigns, exhibitions, advertising and social media, that’s your French holiday. Leaflet drops and the odd social media post? Well, that’s your all-inclusive. Both approaches work, it’s just a case of whether they are the best fit for your company. But, both will require a different level of detail, with the later fitting on a single side of paper!

The Power of Accountability

The great thing about a marketing plan is it works in so many different ways. First off, it gives structure to how you’re going to achieve your strategy, and by association meet your business goals. But secondly, it provides accountability too. In short, it keeps you honest.

Your marketing plan will let you know if you hit your January goals.

And, what’s more, your plan will give you that all important perspective of:

How many campaigns you launched
How much content you created
How many leads you generated

It’s that final one that’s the crucial one, because the goal of your marketing plan should always be to deliver more leads.

Need A Hand?

If you’re stuck somewhere between strategy and execution, or if your plan is more like lost luggage, then let’s talk. Sometimes, just having someone to sense check your thinking and not over, or under thinking things. After all, as silly as it sounds, the best marketing plan is the one you actually use!

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