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What are marketing tactics? – Part 1

By Nick Cucci specific and detailed strategic moves. They are a part
Fluid Pay LLC of the marketing strategy.

astering marketing for your business is a Both marketing strategies and marketing tactics are need-
process that can involve many different ed if you want to have a successful marketing push in
ideas, tools and people. A lot goes into mak- any industry. A marketing strategy is just information if
M ing a great marketing plan—strategy, tactics there are not any marketing tactics to make it all come
and goals, too. If you want to make the most of your to life. While it might seem like marketing tactics are the
marketing efforts, you will need to use the right market- important part of a strategy, the fact is that marketing
ing tactics. In this two-part series, I am going to discuss tactics alone are not inherently useful. Marketing strate-
marketing tactics and the most common ones you can use gies guide and select marketing tactics to achieve specific
to put your brand on the map. goals. Without a strategy behind them, marketing tactics
are less likely to be effective.
Marketing strategies versus marketing tactics
You need both marketing strategies and marketing tactics
In marketing, it is no secret that a variety of terms and for successful marketing.
buzzwords are routinely thrown around. Two of the most
common terms are "marketing strategy" and "marketing Choosing your marketing tactics
tactics." You will often see these terms used interchange-
ably, but they are not the same. Following is a definition of There are a lot of popular marketing tactics available, and
each term and the benefits that they bring. it can be tempting to choose your marketing tactics based
• Marketing strategy: A marketing strategy is a full- on hype or trends. In reality, this is not the best approach
when choosing appropriate tactics. Organized market-
scale plan that is made to support marketing efforts ers are found to be a whopping 674 percent more likely
for a brand or company. Strategies cover everything to report success from their efforts, so organization is key
from major goals to the individuals you are trying (see https://bit.ly/45xYlI8). Your marketing tactics should be
to reach. Think of them as a road map for all future chosen with purpose based on the information laid out in
marketing efforts. In today’s world, 63 percent of your marketing strategy.
businesses have marketing strategies in place (see
https://bit.ly/3OFUToM). To choose the best tactics for your specific strategy, ask
In most cases, a brand will have an overarching yourself:
marketing strategy. However, it is also possible for • What is your goal?
companies to have other smaller strategies at work
within a larger marketing strategy. At their core, • Who will you reach?
marketing strategies are made to help brands engage Your goal for marketing efforts should play a substantial
customers and sell more products. role in the marketing tactics that you choose. You want to
• Marketing tactic: Marketing tactics can sound simi- select marketing tactics that support the goals you have
lar to marketing strategies, but they actually exist in place, not just the ones that sound interesting or en-
within marketing strategies themselves. A market- gaging. Every marketing tactic should be chosen with a
ing tactic is one of the actual detailed actions that purpose. If you are working with multiple goals, you may
will be used to support the marketing strategy. need multiple marketing tactics to match. Common goals
All marketing strategies are dependent upon mar- include increasing brand awareness, enhancing connec-
tions with customers, regaining former customers, and
keting tactics to bring them to life. While a market- supporting a product launch
ing strategy is overarching, marketing tactics are
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