Marketing Insights: B2B Marketing Deadly Sin #2 - Thinking Tactics First, Not Strategy

by Rick Whitmyre,
president and a principal,
Tiziani Whitmyre, Inc.

In our continuing series, the "Five Deadly Sins of B2B Marketing," let's look at Deadly Sin #2, which is: "Thinking Tactics First, Not Strategy."

In today’s, slash-the-budget, reorganize-daily marketing world, most ads, brochures, web sites, and PR campaigns bear little connection to the company’s business plan. Why? Poor management communication, revolving leadership, dynamic markets, mid-year adjustments, you name it.

A colleague once lamented, “I've found that 90% of the time, the vice president of marketing and the vice president of sales aren't talking to each other, and some times it’s the same person.” Next time, pull out the strategic or annual business plan before developing a campaign. Make your tactical decisions within the strategic framework. Engage the management team early in the process to gain alignment on the approach and to facilitate approvals. Achieve consensus on the target audiences and key buying decision drivers.

A clearly articulated positioning platform with a unique value statement and key customer benefits builds a strong strategic foundation to implement your messages. Creating information architecture for your company helps you choose the most effective marketing tools. And understanding the channel strategy and selling cycle helps deliver the communications with maximum impact. Develop a consistent tone and image for your campaigns that optimize your positioning. Enjoin customers in an ongoing conversation and move them to your value proposition.

As our creative director Fred Martins says, “a strategic plan is a great document that helps risk-averse people make decisions to move forward” – a key enabler in today’s corporate organization.

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There are more Deadly Sins, of course. Stay tuned...

Or, if you can't wait, we've developed a free white paper to help marketing executives avoid these money-wasting, product-killing, and even career-ending mistakes.

Download a free copy of it, “The Five Deadly Sins of B2B Marketing,” from http://www.tizinc.com/DeadlySins. Or, call us at 781-793-9380.

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