How to Create a Marketing Strategy That Works

What Is a Marketing Strategy?

A marketing strategy is a clear, actionable roadmap that defines the big-picture approach for attracting an audience, engaging with them, and converting them into customers to help a business achieve its goals.

A marketing strategy focuses on the overall direction-the "what" and "why" of your marketing efforts.

It answers questions like:

• Who is your target audience?
• What makes your business different?
• How will you position your product or service?

This is different from a marketing plan, which focuses on the details-the "how" of executing your strategy.

For example, if your marketing strategy is to grow brand awareness through social media (rather than search engine marketing as many of your rivals do), your marketing plan might include details about posting schedules, content types, and performance reporting.

An effective marketing strategy keeps your efforts focused, helping you avoid wasted time and resources.

It can make your marketing more impactful and yield better results.

What Do Marketing Strategies Involve?

A strong marketing strategy has five core elements that work together to help your business reach defined goals:

• Target audience : The specific group of people most likely to buy your product or service. The clearer you are about who they are-like their age, interests, and needs-the easier it will be to create messages that resonate.
• Market research : The process of gathering and analyzing information about the audience and the market you're competing in. It includes studying customer behavior, identifying competitors, and spotting opportunities.
• Value proposition : The why and how your product or service is different (and better) than the competition. It's the answer to, "Why should customers choose you?"
• Marketing channels < /a>: The platforms you plan to use to reach your target audience. These could include social media, email, SEO, paid advertising, or offline methods like flyers and local events.
• Goals and KPIs : Goals set the direction for your strategy, while key performance indicators (KPIs) measure success. Clear, concrete goals help you track progress and keep your strategy focused.

How to Create & Launch a Marketing Strategy

Follow these steps to build and execute a marketing strategy:

1. Set Clear Goals

The first step is setting clear, measurable goals that help you understand where to focus your efforts and make it easy to see whether your marketing activities are working.

Start with your main business goal and break it into specific targets.

For example:

• Instead of "get more customers," aim for "attract 20 new customers per month"
• Instead of "grow our email list," target "add 100 email subscribers every month"
• Instead of "increase sales," specify "sell 200 products in Q3"

Use the SMART framework to refine each goal:

• Specific: Focused and well-defined (e.g., increase followers on Instagram)
• Measurable: Includes numbers to track progress (e.g., gain 1,000 new followers)
• Achievable: Realistic based on your resources
• Relevant: Directly tied to your business objectives (e.g., driving leads for a service)
• Time-bound: Include a deadline (e.g., within 90 days)

For example: "Increase website traffic by 20% in six months by focusing on attracting visitors from search engines."

Your goals also help determine which marketing metrics you need to track. Each goal connects to specific numbers that show your progress:

• Want more sales? Track conversion rates and revenue per customer
• Building brand awareness? Monitor social media followers and website visits
• Growing your newsletter? Focus on signup rates and email open rates

Match each goal to two to three key metrics. Focus on numbers that directly show progress toward your goals.

For the goal we just mentioned about attracting traffic from search engines, your KPIs might be organic sessions and keyword rankings.

2. Research the Market

Doing market research helps you learn about your audience, your competition, and your opportunities, which helps you make smarter decisions.

Here's how to do it:

Start with a competitive analysis.

Check their websites, social media profiles, newsletters, prices, and customer reviews. And observe which marketing channels they use the most.

If you're not sure who your top competitors are, use a competitor research tool like Market Explorer.

Select the "Find Competitors" tab, enter your domain, and click "Research a market."

Then, scroll down in the "Overview" tab to the "Domain vs Market Dynamics" table. These are the biggest players in your market.

The "Benchmarking" tab shows how your site compares against competitors regarding traffic, search volume, acquisition channels, social media platforms, and more.

Next, learn about your potential customers.

The "Audience" tab in Market Explorer provides a helpful summary of your audience's demographics, socioeconomic status, and online behavior.

You can also create surveys for website visitors to complete, ask existing customers why they chose your business, browse comments on your social media channels, and explore industry-specific forums.

Then, look for patterns in your research.

Identify common problems, desired features, issues with pricing, and effective marketing messages.

Further reading : How to Do a Market Analysis (Step by Step)

3. Define What You Offer

Define what your business offers before diving into tactics.

A really effective way to do this is to run a SWOT analysis.

A SWOT analysis identifies your:

• Strengths: What does your business do well? (e.g., locally roasted, high-quality coffee)
• Weaknesses: Where do you fall behind? (e.g., limited seating)
• Opportunities: What trends or gaps can you leverage? (e.g., demand for delivery)
• Threats: What challenges could hurt your success? (e.g., new competitor nearby)

Now turn your analysis into your strategy:

1. Match strengths to opportunities: If you have expert baristas (strength) and customers want coffee education (opportunity), make coffee-making classes part of your strategy
2. Address key weaknesses: If limited seating (weakness) holds you back, focus your strategy on takeout and delivery options
3. Plan for threats: If a competitor is opening nearby, emphasize what makes you different (like your local roasting)

Your strategy might be: "Showcase our coffee expertise through classes and content while expanding convenient ordering options."

This strategy gives clear direction for your next steps: messaging, channel selection, and budget allocation.

4. Craft Your Messaging

Your brand messaging tells customers what you stand for and why they should care.

Here's how to create messaging that connects with your audience:

First, define your brand's tone of voice.

Your tone of voice sets the personality behind your brand.

Ask yourself:

• Is your brand casual or professional?
• Does it use humor or stay formal?
• Are you more bold or subtle?

For example, a local pizza shop might use a fun, friendly tone: "Craving a slice? We've got your next favorite!"

A financial consultant would likely lean professional: "Helping you grow your wealth with personalized advice."

Then, focus on customer benefits over features.

Highlight how your product or service solves problems and how it can improve your customers' lives. Instead of just describing features, explain why they matter.

For instance:

• Feature: "Our software is cloud-based."
• Benefit: "Access your data anytime, anywhere, without worrying about backups."

Finally, keep it simple and remain consistent.

Whether it's your website, social media posts, or ads, your message should feel like it's coming from the same voice. Because consistency builds trust.

5. Choose Your Marketing Channels

Your target audience's behavior determines which marketing channels will work best for your business.

(You probably already determined at least one main channel when determining your strategy, but you'll need to support those efforts with additional channels.)

Common marketing channels include:

• Digital marketing
  • Social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok)
  • Email marketing
  • Your business's website
  • Search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Online ads (Google, Facebook, and Instagram)

• Traditional marketing
  • Local newspaper ads
  • Radio spots
  • Direct mail
  • Business cards
  • Local events and trade shows

Many small businesses lose focus by attempting too many channels at once. Instead, focus on a few channels where your audience spends most of its time.

For example, a local bakery might focus on:

• Instagram: To show off beautiful pastries
• Google Business Profile: To appear in local searches
• Email newsletter: To alert customers about daily specials

And consider starting solely with free marketing channels.

Many small businesses succeed using only free Google Business Profile listings, social media, their websites, and email marketing.

Further reading :

6. Set & Allocate Your Budget

Your marketing budget determines what you can do, where you can focus your efforts, and ensures you don't overspend.

Begin with an amount you can afford.

Many small businesses start with a percentage of their annual revenue-typically 5%-10%-but the key is to stay within your means.

Then, focus your budget on the channels most likely to deliver results.

For example, if your audience is active on social media, you might invest in targeted ads. If SEO drives traffic, consider paying for SEO tools or external support.

Next, divide your budget across specific activities to stay organized and focused on key tactics.

For instance:

• Paid ads: $300/month (Google Ads)
• Content creation: $200/month (blog posts or videos)
• Tools: $100/month (social media scheduling or email platforms)

Leave 10%-15% of your budget for testing new ideas if at all possible.

Try a different ad format, a short-term promotion, or an unfamiliar channel. If it works, increase spending later as you're able.

7. Launch Your Strategy and Monitor Progress

Start executing your marketing activities one at a time. This methodical approach helps you identify what works.

Here's what this can look like for your local coffee shop:

• Weeks one and two: Set up Google Business Profile and start posting weekly drink specials
• Weeks three and four: Create an Instagram account and post three times per week
• Weeks five and six: Start a simple email newsletter for loyalty program members
• Weeks seven and eight: Test a small-budget Google Ads campaign

Monitor each activity against the goals and metrics you set earlier.

Check your numbers weekly and record them in a simple spreadsheet. When you spot clear patterns, take action.

If you're on pace to attract more visitors via your Google Business Profile and other organic listings, continue to optimize your posting schedule.

This systematic approach lets you build on what works and fix what doesn't.

Easily Build a Marketing Strategy and Plan for Your Business

Here's something most marketing guides won't tell you: You don't need to get everything perfect from day one.

Test your ideas on a small scale-try $50 on Facebook ads before spending $1,000. That way, you can pivot if your campaigns don't yield the results you wanted.

Want to get started?

Sign up for a trial Semrush subscription.

You'll get access to 55+ tools to help you with:

• Competitor analysis
• Audience research
• Market research
• Content creation
• Tracking and monitoring

And plenty more.

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