The Ultimate Guide
How To Create A Marketing Strategy That Will Skyrocket Your Results By 9,360%
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Written By
Nathan Ellering
@njelleringNathan is the mastermind behind CoSchedule’s content marketing blog. He’s got a knack for writing actionable content (no fluff here) and knows the secrets to growing your traffic. After joining CoSchedule in 2014, he’s grown the CoSchedule blog audience from 500 to over 400,000 monthly subscribers!
Tasked with creating a marketing strategy?
It can be tough to even know where to begin.
Trust us. We’ve been there.
So we’ve read blog posts, articles, and books. I’ve taken courses. I’ve watched videos. I’ve listened to podcasts. I’ve learned, tested, iterated, and improved upon all of it.
When I started at CoSchedule in November 2014, we had a few thousand page views, about the same amount of email subscribers, and a couple thousand customers.
Today, CoSchedule has 880,000+ email subscribers, more than 1.3 million monthly page views, and 9,000+ customers in 100+ countries around the world.
The marketing strategy you’re about to learn has helped CoSchedule generate 434% more page views, 1,222% more email subscribers, and a whopping 9,360% more marketing-qualified leads.
A lot of that success has to do with marketing an exceptional product. And some of it has to do with creating a marketing strategy that connects with the right target audience.
^^^ I’m sharing everything I know about marketing strategy. And I wish I had found a guide like this when I got started in marketing.
That’s why I’m sharing everything I’ve learned about marketing strategy in this ultimate, comprehensive guide.
Table of Contents
What is Marketing Strategy?
It’s not a dusty 30-page binder stuffed in a neglected desk drawer.
Marketing strategy is the guide that helps marketers choose, prioritize, plan, and execute projects to influence profitable customer action.
While some document their marketing strategy in the form of a marketing plan, this is not a requirement. Strategic direction doesn’t require documentation.
However, there is evidence to suggest that marketers who document their marketing strategy are more likely to reach their goals. So this guide comes complete with a marketing strategy template kit to help you put what you learn into practice immediately.
Why Does Every Business Need a Marketing Strategy?
Marketing is not about producing content. Marketing is about producing content that produces results.
A marketing strategy provides the roadmap for you and your team to execute well-planned projects you’ll measure against a clearly defined goal.
This process not only helps you target the right audience with the right content and the right level of effort, but helps you literally understand the impact marketing projects have upon the growth of your organization.
^^^ And that growth is what your boss is looking for. Proving you’ve done it with marketing makes you look like a rock star.
Can I Create a Marketing Strategy Myself?
Absolutely. This comprehensive + actionable guide exists to help you create a marketing strategy without the assistance of a third-party vendor.
Download the free marketing strategy template kit available within this guide to start immediately.
Read through the chapters now to:
Forget the noise surrounding marketing strategy.
So much content tells you what to do, but most of it totally neglects teaching you how to do it. Learn everything from ‘what’ to ‘how’ with the complete, actionable, practical, and realistic advice you’ll find in this comprehensive guide.
Get real-life, market-tested advice that skyrockets results by as much as 9,360%.
This isn’t your average blog post on marketing strategy… this guide is full of personal anecdotes, tactics, methods, hacks, processes, exercises, and frameworks that have proven to help the team and me grow CoSchedule’s results by nearly 10,000%. Seriously.
Leave with a marketing strategy you’ll actually—and realistically—execute.
Put what you learn into practice immediately with free downloadable + editable marketing strategy templates in the form of PowerPoint decks and Excel spreadsheets.
Get Your Free Marketing Strategy Template Kit
Put what you learn into practice immediately. Download your free marketing strategy template kit now. All of these templates are available in an editable PowerPoint deck and an Excel spreadsheet so you can tailor your marketing strategy specifically for your organization.
The complete bundle includes everything needed to execute the advice in this guide:
- Marketing strategy outline template
- Marketing goal tracking template
- SWOT analysis template
- Marketing persona template
- Brand positioning template
- Brand voice template
- Marketing tactics list
- Project prioritization template
- Marketing timeline template
- Marketing budget template
- Project timeline template
- Marketing ROI template
How to Use the Complete Marketing Strategy Template
When you download your kit, you’ll find a detailed Excel template where you can document each piece of your marketing strategy. It can even be uploaded to Google Sheets or Office 365 to make it collaborative with your team.
Each template features its own tab:
Then, use your PowerPoint deck to present a complete strategy to your organization:
Follow each chapter in the guide to complete each template step-by-step.
Marketing Strategy Overview
Some of the advice you’ll learn in this guide may go against everything you’ve learned.
Other parts of it may reiterate what you already know.
The point is: This stuff works. And you’re not going to learn about the same BS things just because everyone else talks about them.
Before you can succeed in marketing, you have to know how to get there. Clear goals offer your marketing team direction and a defined understanding of what success looks like.
In this chapter, you’ll learn:
- How to set ambitious yet achievable goals using the SMART framework.
- The best way to determine KPIs that move the needle toward real business growth.
- What you can do to measure your progress.
The classic SWOT analysis is an old-school piece of marketing strategy. But, it still has a great deal of value when formulating an effective marketing strategy.
In this chapter, you’ll learn:
- Why this step should not be overlooked when you’re starting fresh.
- How to run a SWOT analysis efficiently and effectively.
- The value of understanding the competitive landscape in your niche.
Personas are vital for understanding target audiences. They help marketers visualize who they’re trying to reach, and empathize with their needs to deliver delightful experiences.
In this chapter, you’ll learn:
- Who is your ideal customer?
- What are their core needs, wants, problems, and concerns?
- How can your marketing efforts convert them into customers?
There is an overwhelming number of marketing channels out there. With more ways to reach customers than ever, how can you select the best ones for your business?
In this chapter, you’ll learn:
- All about the numerous channels available to marketers today.
- Which platforms, networks, and content types generate the most ROI.
- How to narrow down which channels to master.
The best strategy is useless without solid execution. So, which tactics will you use to achieve your goals and make that strategy a success?
In this chapter, you’ll learn:
- The difference between strategy, tactics, and goals.
- How to select tactics that will drive the most benefit for your business.
- Why it’s important to avoid chasing trends (and to focus on what works).
You have big plans. But … you also have a limited budget. In order to succeed, it’s important to understand how much money you can spend, and then determine how to get the most out of your available financial resources.
In this chapter, you’ll learn:
- How to set realistic marketing budgets.
- Ways to ensure you stay within your limits.
Your brand voice impacts ever piece of content and copy you write. In order to make your messages cut through the noise, you need to make sure yours is on point.
In this chapter, you’ll learn:
- The importance of brand voice.
- The difference between voice and tone (and why you need to pay attention to both).
- How to define and document your brand voice to build consistency with multiple writers.
Plan your work, then work your plan. By following this process, any marketing team can map out a high-level strategy for the next six months, in one day.
In this chapter, you’ll learn:
- Why bringing your team together to plan is important.
- How to organize a marketing team meeting to brainstorm a 10X strategy.
- The best way to run your brainstorming session for best results.
After you’ve held your marketing planning summit, you’ll have tons of ideas you could execute. The challenge is narrowing down the very best ideas that will make the most impact.
In this chapter, you’ll learn:
- How to identify high-value campaign concepts and project ideas.
- The best way to separate 10X ideas from 10% suggestions.
- An actionable plan for getting ideas organized.
Once your 10X ideas and campaigns have been determined, you’ll need to map out when they’ll be executed. One way to do this is with a clear marketing timeline.
In this chapter, you’ll learn:
- The benefits of using a timeline or calendar to map out marketing projects.
- How to plan all your campaign deadlines in advance.
- The best way to keep your entire team up-to-date on which projects are coming up next.
Checklists ensure work gets completed the right way the first time, every time.
In this chapter, you’ll learn:
- How to determine which tasks are necessary to complete a project successfully.
- How to put those tasks into a logical order from start to finish.
- How to build project checklists your team can easily follow.
Once you’ve started to execute your strategy, it’s important to measure your results, and just your approach accordingly. With this simple process, you can use Google Analytics to track your return on investment, and prove the worth of your strategy.
In this chapter, you’ll learn:
- What marketing ROI means.
- The best way to calculate it with a simple formula.
- How to use Google Analytics to measure ROI.
Get Started Planning Your Marketing Strategy Now
Ready to dive in? Get started with the first chapter.