At Active Profile, we understand more than most how important it is to prime your business for long-term success. And sure way to get you on that path to succession is through the creation and execution of a top-notch marketing strategy – one that goes way beyond simply ensuring the visibility of your brand. Because what's the point of being seen, if you're not also being heard? 

A truly robust marketing strategy involves knowing who to speak to and when - crafting a narrative that pricks up ears, and then continuously optimising as your business ebbs, flows and grows. 

Whether you're a hungry startup gearing up for funding or an established player redefining your trajectory, getting this spot on can prove essential for the prosperity of your business. As an agency, we’ve been on the scene for over 18 years, giving us plenty of time to hone our own effective marketing strategy approaches. The Active Profile way is very much fuelled by data-driven insights through the likes of growth experiments, and drawing on our ‘Profile Meets Performance’ ethos.  

So, with all of that in mind - we’re about to impart some of what we know about how to set yourself up for true marketing strategy success.  

It all begins with a workshop…  

Welcome to the blueprint phase of your strategy creation. This is where understanding transforms into action. At Active Profile, we conduct deep-delving workshops as a crucial first step to crafting a strategy that anticipates and aligns with the goals of our clients and their audiences. These workshops serve as a brilliantly blank canvas, where your business landscape can be mapped out and brought to life. You can often find myself and the AP team carrying out workshop exercises like the SWOT analysis - which aims to dissect strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats - forming the foundation for your strategic decision going forward. 

In these collaborative brainstorming spaces, we don't just set goals with our clients; we define what makes a business stand out – really drilling down into those key USPs and intensely considering the messages that will resonate authentically with your audiences. These workshops are where we unearth customer pain points and needs, forming the basis for crafting tailored marketing messages. Collaborative workshops are about connecting with specific segments in a personalised, authentic way. 

In the fast-spinning world of marketing, assumptions are the enemy. Workshops are therefore also a great way to dismantle assumptions and replace them with insights. They're not just about laying foundations; they're about sculpting the future success of your marketing efforts.

So, gather your team, roll up your sleeves, and get everyone around the table, post-it notes in hand! Trust us when we say a workshop is your catalyst and springboard for the solid beginnings of a compelling marketing success story. 

The right content, in the right places 

Content is not just about words; it's about connection. We know that one size doesn't fit all, which is why your strategy should focus on tailoring content to each of your target personas / established audiences, each addressing their unique needs, aspirations, and pain points. Because personalised content is powerful content.  

When it comes to the content within your strategy, every word, image, and video is a manifestation of your brand's essence. It's about translating your uniqueness into a language that resonates with the right people and serving it to them at the right time. As you and your team craft compelling content, always have in mind the story you're trying to weave as you speak. People connect with narratives – so get ready to not just communicate, but to try and truly connect.

It’s important also that you do the legwork to discover exactly how your audience wish to be served their content. Is it best served in short, on-the-go reads that are digestible? Maybe they’d prefer a podcast? Or perhaps a long-form detailed read they can really sink their teeth into? Getting your content formatting and channel mix spot-on is a huge part of the marketing strategy process. So, while the essence and message of your content matter greatly – nailing where and how it’s served to your audience is just as paramount.  

Experimentation time  

At Active Profile, we’re a huge fan of the growth experiments methodology. Largely because they’re all about helping brands to become agile, adaptive, and staying one step ahead. They’re part of how we’re able to keep businesses not only relevant but thriving. Growth experiments are a dynamic testing ground, that will allow you to constantly evolve and refine your marketing strategy. It's a methodology that thrives on the little and often approach - a continuous cycle of testing and proving or disproving hypotheses. 

One pretty remarkable aspect of growth experiments is their ability to use data as a guiding light. They can empower your business with insights, enabling you to make better-informed decisions about what your customers want and how best to engage with them. It's not just about intuition or hunches; it's about leveraging data to drive strategic choices – and all of this can be achieved through some simple, yet very nifty, A/B testing. 

Growth experiments are also as cost-effective as they are scalable. They don't require a hefty budget, but they do demand constant monitoring and optimisation. It's a meticulous process, allowing for continuous tweaks until your marketing messaging finds its sweet spot. This approach isn't a one-off tactic, it's a commitment to the journey of improvement, making it a perfectly placed approach for any marketing strategy built with growth in mind.  

Set clear goals and tweak as you go 

Goals shape your journey, which is why it’s important for your marketing strategy that you set both short-term and long-term objectives, balancing quick victories with lasting impact. KPIs are another key compass, turning aspirations into measurable outcomes. They provide clarity to navigate your strategy with precision. The optimisation process of constantly tweaking and refining your strategy, learning from each iteration, will also see you travel further on the path to success.  

We advise that you set a regular monitoring schedule to proactively steer towards your long-term growth milestones. This is *really* important, as the market world is nothing if not changeable – meaning your strategy should be too. You’ll need to be poised to adapt based on changes. You may also need to learn to value the feedback you gain, even if it means changing course completely. The name of the goal-setting and optimisation game is to keep evolving to remain agile and effective. 

Some quick parting wisdom 

So, we've explored the blueprint phase, the art of tailored content, right through to the power of growth experiments. With all of this in mind, two clear takeaways emerge when it comes to crafting a stellar marketing strategy: the importance of setting clear goals and embracing the flexibility to tweak and optimise along the way.

A meticulously crafted marketing strategy isn't just a means to enhance visibility, either. It can also be a driving force to propel your business to new levels of growth, enhancing brand credibility, and ultimately making you more enticing and investor-ready by showcasing a well-defined path to sustained success.

So, as you begin your strategic marketing planning - prepare to always stay agile, and let your strategy become a living, breathing entity, evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of your audience. Remember that good old quote: "life is a journey, not a destination"? Well, success with your marketing strategy lies not just in achieving goals, but in the commitment to improvement and growth along the way.

Are you looking for help to successfully shape your marketing strategy? Get in touch with Jemma and the Active Profile team today. We know exactly the right questions to ask in order to gain a deep understanding of your business and how to put you on the path to growth.