Marketing Strategy: What is it and do you need one?

Let me guess - you promised yourself that this will be the year that you post consistently on social media. So, you have 10 posts sitting in drafts.

Maybe you opened up Canva, started a design, then closed it because it wasn't perfect.

Or perhaps you've been meaning to start posting to LinkedIn 5x per week, and you're still struggling.

Somehow, we've made it to the third week in January, and here we are.

Someone told you that social media was the key to growing your business. You're a business owner; when it comes to your craft, you're the expert. But marketing? It can feel like navigating through a maze.

Social media is full of advice about getting followers and making money. You figure they're having immense success, so they must know what they're talking about.

While their advice is not wrong, it's incomplete. Behind every post that you see is a strategy that you don't see. This is their plan for using social media to grow their business. 

That plan may or may not work for you.

You can mimic someone's playbook from what you see them do in public. But you won't have the same level of success if you don't know what they do in privat

In its most traditional sense, a strategy is a plan to reach a goal. While true, context is important.

Alex Smith, strategist and author of "No Bullshit Strategy," defines strategy as "the unique value a business provides to the market."

Your business grows when you offer unique value to customers.

Your marketing strategy is the way you will deliver and communicate that value.

Alex states, "A business is a system designed to deliver value and receive value in return. Business is a system for value exchange. The more value you give, the more value you get."

Marketing without a strategy is like throwing spaghetti at a wall and waiting to see what sticks.

The core of your marketing strategy must answer these 5 questions:

1. Who are you?

2. Who do you serve?

3. What do you offer?

4. Why should I choose you?

5. What makes you different?

Have you ever gone to the doctor because you have a cough you can't get rid of? You've tried cough medicine, vapor rubs, tea with turmeric, but nothing works. In your mind, it's a simple cough, annoying but nothing serious. So you try quick fixes to remedy it.

Once you grow tired of coughing, you finally go to the doctor, and the cough is diagnosed as a deeper problem.

You may be currently marketing and unaware of the reasons why it's not working. Here are the biggest signs that you are suffering the symptoms of a deeper problem:

You've been killing it, but recently leads have started to slow or become inconsistent. Once predictable revenue has become more sporadic. Conversions on sales calls have also started to dip.

This is a clear sign that things need to change. The tactics that got you to this level won't get you to the next.

A strategy will:

• Define your unique value and create messages that convert

• Identify your ideal, most profitable client profile

• Build marketing systems to consistently attract clients

Each year, part of your goals is to grow a bigger presence. You plan posts, set goals, and promise to post regularly.

But life happens.

Client work takes priority.

And before you know it, your marketing efforts look like a gym membership in February - barely used.

This start-stop cycle creates:

• Audience confusion - they never know when to expect to hear from you

• Lost momentum - every time you restart, you're building from scratch

• Revenue uncertainty - your pipeline becomes as unpredictable as your posting

• Brand disconnect - sporadic presence makes it hard for potential clients to trust you

• Exhaustion - restarting takes more energy than maintaining consistency

A good strategy helps you post in a way that fits your business and finds a balance between what you can maintain and what helps your business grow.

You're smart. You know something's wrong but can't tell exactly what. You look at your marketing efforts and feel stuck:

• Your content gets likes but doesn't convert to clients

• Your email list is growing but engagement is dropping

• Your network is expanding but not with the right people

• Your brand voice feels disconnected from who you really are

• Your marketing activities feel random rather than purposeful

This uncertainty is costing you more than just peace of mind. You waste time, money, and opportunities on the wrong things.

A strategy isn't about having all the answers - it's about having a framework to ask the right questions. It helps you:

• Identify what's actually working (not just what feels busy)

• Make decisions based on data, not guesswork

• Focus your energy on high-impact activities

• Build systems that scale with your growth

• Create marketing that feels authentic to you and resonates with your ideal clients

A marketing strategy isn't just another business tool. It's your roadmap to sustainable growth that honors who you are and the unique value you bring to the world.

Building with purpose creates lasting success beyond social media.

Ready to work on your marketing strategy? 

I'm taking on 3 more strategy clients through February.

Your unique value will be clear. Messages will reach your audience better. Marketing will improve. I will provide feedback on your marketing materials and a one-page strategy document.

You'll get a marketing plan that shows which actions matter most, so you're focused on the tactics that will actually move the needle in your business.

Get your marketing strategy today.

So you can predictably grow your profits.

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