|
|
Like this article? PLEASE +1 it! |
|
What's the Hang-up? Strategic or Tactical?
|
| Guest post by: Ed Delia |
Article Overview: A lot of times we meet with companies that have one or marketing projects that are stalled. Or to use the more corporate pc lingo, “in development.” While there may be some truth to this, “in development” to me means “not finished.”
![]() |
Free Download - May the best brand win. And he did. - Three Great Branding Lessons from the Campaign Trail By Ed Delia |
What's the Hang-up? Strategic or Tactical?
Why do these projects – the corporate brochure, web site, company newsletter, or sales presentation package – get stalled in the first place? And, in other cases, why do seemingly well-executed projects or campaigns fail to deliver?
From our experience, it’s often a case of a tangle-up between strategies and tactics. Many businesses use these terms interchangeably – this is a mistake. Though they are interdependent for achieving brand leadership, they are mutually exclusive, and understanding the difference between the two will make or break your branding effort.
Strategy vs. Tactics
The MS Encarta Dictionary defines “strategy” and “tactics” as:
Strategy: planning in any field; a carefully devised plan of action to achieve a goal or the art of developing or carrying out such a plan
Tactics: means to an end; finding and implementing means to achieve particular, immediate or short term aims
Put simply, “strategy” deals with planning and “tactics” deal with actions. When you develop a brand strategy, you focus on the “big picture,” your business goals, the targeted recipients of your message, and anticipated results. Tactics are the actions contained within that plan, each with specific, measurable objectives, that you will undertake to reach your defined goals.
I like to think of strategies and tactics in terms of football. The strategy is the game plan, the proverbial Xs and Os crisscrossed over a chalkboard, the plays taped to the quarterback’s wrist band. The tactics include a perfectly executed pass that lands right between the numbers of a receiver in the center of the end zone. Without a solid game-day strategy, without countless hours spent by the coach and players analyzing the competitor’s strengths and weaknesses along with their own, a team could still lose the game because of one incomplete pass after another.
Without a plan, even the best efforts fall flat. So, if it feels like your best efforts are never good enough, it’s your strategy, not your tactics, that need to change.
To achieve brand leadership, you must become a strategist. Shooting from the hip with randomly sent postcards or press releases will never make a lasting impression.
When you create a plan, you are devising brand strategies to meet key business goals. Only then can you realistically assess the pros and cons of each tactic.
Creating a Strategy for Brand Leadership
The reason that some of your tactics fail, even if others you know have successfully used similar tactics, is because your chosen tactics are not part of a comprehensive brand strategy. Creating the road map to brand leadership involves five key steps:
1. Discovering – your company, your customers and the unique bridge that connects you with them.
2. Expressing – your brand with a message and image unlike any other in your industry or marketplace.
3. Planning – the appropriate strategies, tactics and metrics to ensure effective delivery of your brand to align with sales, and meet business goals.
4. Delivering – consistent communication of your brand to the marketplace, at all relevant touch points, both internal and external.
5. Evaluating – quarterly monitoring of the results of your brand strategy to continuously adjust and increase penetration, effectiveness and results.
Keep it simple
Think about a strategy in terms of consulting a road map on a long journey. You may hit a few pot holes and some unpredictable congestion along the way. But you still know exactly where you are headed, and how you’ll get there. Now, consider the same trip without a map or directions of any kind. You’d be blindly following signs, taking a series of dead ends, wasting a lot of time to stop and get your bearings, and feeling like you’re not getting anywhere. When you have a map, all of the tactical moves – taking a right or a left, traveling on the highway or back roads – are a no-brainer. Without a map, it’s a stressful and impossible endeavor.
Aspects of brand strategy can seem overwhelming at first glance. But the more you work on strategies, the easier the tactical branding initiatives become. A strategy based on brand leadership makes you a winner in business. Tactics determine how big the win is.
Article Tags: best efforts, brand leadership, brand strategy, brochure web, business goals, chalkboard, company newsletter, corporate brochure, countless hours, encarta dictionary, end zone, game day, game plan, measurable objectives, ms encarta, presentation package, sales presentation, strategy and tactics, strengths and weaknesses, wrist band
|
About the Author: Ed Delia RSS for Ed's articles - Visit Ed's website Ed Delia grew up in the dynamic and challenging world of marketing. In 1998, he was named president of Delia Associates, assuming full control of the company founded by his father in 1964. Delia Associates has directly contributed to the success and growth of a wide varitey of clients, helping businesses expand their sales opportunities through the development and implementation of highly successful branding campaigns. In 2007, Ed became only the ninth professional in N.J. to earn the Professional Certified Marketer designation from the American Marketing Association, Joing an Elite group of just 250 marketing professionals in the U.S. who hold that designation. Ed was honored as one of New Jersey's 40 under 40 for 20069, an annual designation by NJBiz, the state's leading business publication. He also was named 2006 Outstanding Business Person of the Year by the Somerset Business Partnership. Ed is a frequent speaker on branding, marketing, advertising, and technology-driven communications. He is an Expert Speaker for Vistage International, the largest peer-to-peer learning organization for CEOs. Ed earned his BA in English from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. Click here to visit Ed's website Where Branding Goes Wrong And What to Do About It Lets Put the BS Aside For Good Why a Satisfied Customer is Bad News for Your Brand TodayRelevance Rules What to do When Youre the VP of Sales AND Marketing |
Related Forum Posts
Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.
Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.
Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.



