I'm currently working with a client developing a strategic marketing plan.  We've been working together on more tactical promotional issues for some time and the time has come to formalise the business' marketing approach.  The benefits of the exercise are tremendous and include:

• Examining the wider marketing context of the business;
• Determining a company's positioning against its competitors;
• Establishing the brand values that should be the touchstone of any and every business decision;
• Making planned decisions about whether and when to develop new products or expand into new markets;
• Providing a strategic framework within which to make tactical decisions.

Taking a strategic approach to marketing requires a shift in mindset:

• Marketing is no longer just about promoting the business; it's about putting the customer or client at its heart;
• Marketing is about making the right connections, linking the various elements of the marketing mix;
• Marketing becomes an ongoing approach to doing business that helps that business grow.
• From time to time businesses ask me to help them at a purely tactical level.  The reality is that I can help improve their tactical marketing activities so far but without a firm strategic foundation, "so far" is as far as it goes. In the longer term - if you have serious ambitions for your business - the route of strategic marketing is the one to take.
• If you're not yet convinced that you need a strategic approach to your marketing, why not check out some of the free marketing resources on this site.
• If you'd like to get your hands on an outline marketing plan, please contact Clarity Marketing.