Course content
So let’s start with a basic question – why have a marketing strategy? It gives you a framework for implementing your marketing plans. It ensures they are aligned and that they’re working the way you want them to. Your marketing strategy will outline your marketing goals, which are shaped by the overall goals of your organisation.
In this course we’ll look at how your marketing strategy works in more detail. It needs to describe your services and products, profile your clients or customers, and identifiy any competition. In other words, it describes your marketplace. Importantly, it lays out the marketing activities that best achieve your organisation’s vision, mission and overarching objectives and serves as the foundation for all your communication campaigns.
In this course we’ll look at how your marketing strategy works in more detail. It needs to describe your services and products, profile your clients or customers, and identifiy any competition. In other words, it describes your marketplace. Importantly, it lays out the marketing activities that best achieve your organisation’s vision, mission and overarching objectives and serves as the foundation for all your communication campaigns.
Hi and welcome to Lumin. This course is about developing a marketing strategy – not a plan, but a strategy. So what’s the difference between the two? Put simply, your marketing strategy is the thinking and your marketing plan is the doing.
I’m Stefan Delatovic, Account Director at Think HQ, and together we’ll look at all the things you need to consider when it comes to developing a marketing strategy. Get these right and your strategy really cannot fail.
So let’s start with the most basic of questions – why have a marketing strategy?
Because it gives you a framework for implementing all your marketing plans. It ensures they are aligned and that they’re working like you want them to. Your strategy should lay out your marketing goals, which are shaped by the overall goals of your organisation. If you do that, you’ll have assurance that your marketing is working to achieve your big ideas.
That brings us to what your marketing strategy has to contain – because stating the goals or objectives of your marketing activity is where you want to start. What’s the purpose of your organisation’s marketing and what is it going to achieve? For example, a disability service provider looking after three suburbs might have an overall goal of increasing its footprint and its client base, ultimately raising revenue. Your marketing strategy needs to identify goals that drive that expansion.
Your marketing strategy describes your services and products; it profiles your clients or customers and identifies any competition. In other words, it describes your marketplace. Importantly, and here’s the answer to why have a marketing strategy in a nutshell – it lays out the marketing activities that best achieve your organisation’s vision, mission and overarching objectives and serves as the foundation for all your communication campaigns.
It also outlines the budget you need for all marketing activity, which is obviously a big deal. No-one’s going to sign off on a marketing strategy without knowing what it’s going to cost. What will please them most of course is what it’s going to return! As we work through the process, it may sound a bit commercial, as we’ll be talking in terms of customers, clients and markets, but that’s because profit-driven operations have done a lot of work in this area, and we want to benefit from that, and apply it to the good things that you’re doing.
And to finish, remember – your marketing strategy doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s working to support your business plan, your vision and your brand, so it must link to all of those. Next, we’ll look at the research you’ll be doing to get started.
I’m Stefan Delatovic, Account Director at Think HQ, and together we’ll look at all the things you need to consider when it comes to developing a marketing strategy. Get these right and your strategy really cannot fail.
So let’s start with the most basic of questions – why have a marketing strategy?
Because it gives you a framework for implementing all your marketing plans. It ensures they are aligned and that they’re working like you want them to. Your strategy should lay out your marketing goals, which are shaped by the overall goals of your organisation. If you do that, you’ll have assurance that your marketing is working to achieve your big ideas.
That brings us to what your marketing strategy has to contain – because stating the goals or objectives of your marketing activity is where you want to start. What’s the purpose of your organisation’s marketing and what is it going to achieve? For example, a disability service provider looking after three suburbs might have an overall goal of increasing its footprint and its client base, ultimately raising revenue. Your marketing strategy needs to identify goals that drive that expansion.
Your marketing strategy describes your services and products; it profiles your clients or customers and identifies any competition. In other words, it describes your marketplace. Importantly, and here’s the answer to why have a marketing strategy in a nutshell – it lays out the marketing activities that best achieve your organisation’s vision, mission and overarching objectives and serves as the foundation for all your communication campaigns.
It also outlines the budget you need for all marketing activity, which is obviously a big deal. No-one’s going to sign off on a marketing strategy without knowing what it’s going to cost. What will please them most of course is what it’s going to return! As we work through the process, it may sound a bit commercial, as we’ll be talking in terms of customers, clients and markets, but that’s because profit-driven operations have done a lot of work in this area, and we want to benefit from that, and apply it to the good things that you’re doing.
And to finish, remember – your marketing strategy doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s working to support your business plan, your vision and your brand, so it must link to all of those. Next, we’ll look at the research you’ll be doing to get started.
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About the instructor
Stefan Delatovic
Stefan is an accomplished communicator specialising in media, crisis messaging and strategy. With 18 years’ experience, his passion is for using stories and ideas to shape communities and empower them. His origins as a journalist in a regional community give him a deep understanding of how people digest information, interact with complicated ideas, and the role communication plays in their lives. Working from strategic planning right through to time-critical reactive messaging, he has successfully coordinated emergency management communication functions that provide cohesive advice and action.