Our marketing strategy sets your company's course for the next 12 months
A strategy answers the three questions management asks when planning each year: which channels to invest in, how much to spend on them month by month and how to tell that the plan is working. We write it between two workshops, based on data from your ad accounts, your sales and search demand. The document has eight chapters, from your business goals to a plan for the first 90 days. You can implement it with us or with anyone you choose, because every chapter ends with decisions that can be carried out.
When a strategy makes sense
You're just starting to advertise
You have a product and a test budget, and every agency suggests its own channel. The strategy sets the order: where to start, how much to spend on the first test and when it's worth adding budget.
You're sorting out your channels
A new head of marketing inherits several channels run separately and a budget split the same way as last year. The document gives them one plan in which every channel has a role, an amount and a measure of success.
You're planning the year
The board asks how much marketing needs to deliver the sales plan and when the budget starts paying back. We answer with numbers broken down by quarter, with seasonality and the break-even point.
You're entering a new market or launching a new product
You don't know yet whether customers are searching for what you sell or whether you first have to show it to them. The strategy shows what to test first, what to roll out next and how you'll know you're heading in the right direction.
What the document covers
The document, which our proposals call the Digital Strategy, has eight chapters. Each one ends with decisions you can implement.
1Starting point
We describe your business goals, margin, results so far and sales data.
2Customers and competitors
We look at who buys, how they search and what your competitors do in Google and in their ads.
3Channels
We choose the platforms and define their role, from building demand to closing sales.
4Funnel
We map the path from first contact to a purchase or a lead and point out where customers drop off today.
512-month budget
We split the budget across channels and months, taking seasonality and the break-even point into account.
6KPIs
We set the numbers you judge each channel by, with a target value and a threshold at which we act.
7Analytics plan
We define what we track, with which tool and who implements it.
8Rollout order
We plan what happens in the first 90 days and what comes in the following quarters.
How we work on the strategy
- week 1
Kick-off workshop
We meet online for about 3 hours to talk about your goals, margin, customers and what you already know about your channels. We need the people who decide on the budget and on sales.
- 2 to 3 weeks
Analysis
We analyse data from your accounts, analytics and sales, search demand and your competitors in Google and in their ads.
- within 4 weeks of the workshop
Document
You get the strategy in writing, to read before we go through it together.
- within a week of the document
Review
At the second workshop we answer your questions, make decisions and agree the rollout order.
What a strategy costs
We price the strategy by scope. You get the amount and the timeline in writing after we talk. You pay half at the start and half after the review.
- Markets
- one or several
- Channels
- how many platforms and channels the plan covers
- Analysis
- with or without sales data and competitor analysis
- Analytics
- the analytics plan alone or also a review of your current setup
Questions about the strategy
How is a strategy different from a campaign plan?
A campaign plan covers the platforms we manage and is part of campaign management. A strategy covers the whole company: every channel, the 12-month budget, the funnel and analytics.
How is an advertising strategy different from a communication strategy?
An advertising strategy says where and at what cost you reach customers: channels, budget, campaigns and results tracking. A marketing communication strategy says what you tell them: the message, the tone and the arguments.
Our document is an online marketing strategy with a focus on advertising and analytics. We cover the message to the extent the campaigns need it. If you have your own communication strategy or a creative agency, we build on what they have set out.
Who implements the strategy?
You decide: your team, us as part of campaign management or another provider. We write the document so that anyone who knows the channels can implement it.
How long does it take to prepare the strategy?
About 4 weeks from the kick-off workshop to the document, followed by the review. For several markets, we give the timeline in our proposal.
What do you need from us?
For the two workshops we need the people who decide on the budget and on sales. For the analysis we ask for read-only access to your accounts and analytics, plus sales data from the last year if you have it.
Does the strategy cover SEO, email and social media?
The strategy defines the role of every channel, including ones we don't run, such as SEO or email marketing. We write the detailed plan for advertising and analytics. Your team or other providers handle the rollout in the remaining channels.
Our company is just starting out. Is it worth beginning with a strategy?
Yes, it's a good moment. The strategy shows which channel to start with, how much to spend on a test and how you'll know it's worth increasing the budget.
Let's talk about a strategy for your company
Tell us where your company is today and what should change over the year, and we'll prepare a proposal with the scope, the price and the dates of both workshops.