Tactical Marketing Vs. Strategic Marketing
Marketing is the action a company takes to place a product in front of a potential customer. The goal of marketing is to convert potential customers into actual, paying customers. Two important marketing concepts are tactical and strategic marketing. Tactical marketing is all about taking action, and strategic marketing is all about the thought process behind the action. Balancing these two strategies together makes for an effective marketing campaign.
The term “tactical marketing” refers to the actions a company takes in order to market a product. These actions generally include generating leads, placing ads, building websites, creating brochures and other mailings and implementing a follow-up system. Tactical marketing is the way the product is placed in front of potential customers.
The term “strategic marketing” refers to the content of a marketing campaign, what the information is, how the information is presented and whom the company is targeting with that information. Strategic marketing is all about taking time to understanding the customer, what is important to the customer and why he purchases specific items. Strategic marketing allows companies to provide a solution to a customer’s needs.
Effective advertising and marketing promotions generally follow an equation, and that equation begins with strategic marketing. A company first needs to know their target customer. Without this information, the marketing campaign cannot successfully entice the customer to take an action, such as purchasing the marketed product. Knowing the target customer gives an edge to be able to implement a successful marketing campaign.
Once a company understands the target customer, the next step is to place the product in front of the customer in a way that demands results. Understanding the customer allows the company to expose the customer to the product in a way that she responds to and in a way that is tailored to fit her needs. Doing this, the customer feels engaged, in control and she is more likely to purchase the product.
The fault of many marketing campaigns is only using tactical marketing strategies. Many companies do not take the time to fully understand their target customer, thus causing the campaigns to needlessly fail. Ignoring the strategic part of the marketing by working hard to complete important tasks, such as placing ads and building websites may seem effective; however, without thought behind the action, this approach is actually ineffective. The problem with implementing only tactical marketing strategies and not putting any additional thought into the marketing campaign is the conversion rate from potential customers to actual customers. Without targeting the marketing, companies may be widely distributing marketing materials to the wrong potential customers. The marketing campaigns that accomplish their goals are generally the ones that combine both strategic and tactical marketing strategies.