12 Marketing Strategies and How to Create One

An effective marketing strategy helps you reach your target audience. When you understand your customers’ needs and the market’s trends, you can create compelling messages that speak to your customers and drive sales.¹

This article will cover the best marketing strategies, some examples to follow and tips for creating your own.

A marketing strategy is a comprehensive plan for promoting your product or service to people who may want to buy it. It outlines how you can achieve your marketing objectives and connect with your audience.²

As an example, a marketing strategy should include:

1. Goals: Start by deciding what you want to achieve with your marketing campaign 
2. Market research: Know the market’s landscape, your customers’ needs and what your competitors are doing
3. Target audience: Define specific demographics and characteristics for your ideal customer
4. Value proposition: Outline the unique benefits and features of your product or service
5. Marketing channels: Select the most effective platforms and mediums to reach your audience
6. Budgeting: Allocate resources for your marketing activities
7. Metrics and evaluation: Establish criteria for measuring your success and making data-driven adjustments

The best way to reach your audience will depend on who your potential customers are, what their pain points are, and where they spend their time. Here are some business marketing strategy examples you can follow.³

If you focus on creating valuable, relevant and consistent content, you’ll attract and engage your target audience. You can do this through a media marketing strategy that includes blog posts, articles, e-books, infographics and whitepapers that establish your brand as a trusted authority.

Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn let you reach members of your audience where they hang out online. You can create and share content, engage with followers and run paid advertising campaigns.

Sending targeted messages directly to customers’ inboxes is one of the most effective marketing strategies. You can send newsletters, promotional offers and personalized recommendations.

Optimizing a website to rank higher on the search engine results pages can drive organic traffic to your website. SEO tactics such as keyword research, on-page optimization, link building and technical SEO can make your website more visible and relevant to users.

Platforms like Google Ads and Bing Ads offer pay-per-click (PPC) options through which you pay each time a potential customer clicks one of your ads. These ads include keywords that are relevant to your target market and appear in the search results or on partner websites.

Influencers are people who have a large, engaged following on social media or other platforms. You can collaborate with influencers whose audience aligns with yours so they can promote your product or service to their followers.

You can also work with individuals or companies that promote your business in exchange for a commission on sales generated through their referral links. Affiliates use marketing channels such as blogs, social media posts and email campaigns.

Trade shows, conferences and local events provide opportunities for you to directly engage with potential customers and showcase your products or services before an interested audience.

Unconventional, low-cost marketing tactics can create memorable experiences and generate buzz around your brand. Get creative with street art, flash mobs, viral videos and other stunts to capture attention, surprise your audience and create a strong emotional connection.⁴

Creating and sharing videos in the form of tutorials, product demonstrations, customer testimonials, and live streams can grab your audience’s attention. Videos are highly engaging and can be distributed across various platforms, such as YouTube, social media and your website.

Reach potential customers wherever they are by advertising through their smartphones and tablets with SMS messages, mobile apps and mobile-optimized websites. You can do push notifications, in-app advertising and location-based marketing to provide timely and relevant ads.⁵

Managing your interactions with current and potential customers using data analytics can help improve your business’s relationships. Customer relationship management (CRM) systems track customer interactions, manage leads and automate your marketing efforts.⁶

You can develop a marketing strategy based on the above campaign strategy examples by doing the following.⁷

Start by gathering data about your industry, competitors and potential customers. Use surveys, focus groups and market analysis reports to understand trends, customer preferences and market gaps. Use this information to identify opportunities and make strategic decisions.

Clearly define who your ideal customers are. Segment your audience based on demographics, behaviors, and any other relevant characteristics. When you understand your potential customers, you can tailor your messaging and marketing efforts to speak to them in their language.

Establish specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) goals for your marketing efforts. You may want to increase brand awareness, increase website traffic, generate leads or increase sales. Clear objectives give you a benchmark for measuring your marketing initiatives’ success.

Select the most effective channels to reach your target audience. Consider where your audience spends its time and which platforms are most compatible with your brand and your business objectives.

Craft a compelling value proposition to demonstrate what makes your product or service unique and why people should choose you. Your unique value proposition (UVP) should focus on the benefits and solutions you provide. It should speak in terms of your audience’s specific needs and pain points.⁸

Determine the budget for your marketing activities and distribute it based on your strategy. Include money for advertising, tools, and personnel. Prioritize your marketing budget based on the channels and tactics that will give you the highest return on investment.

Plan and schedule your marketing activities on a content calendar to develop consistent messaging across all channels and keep your team organized. Include important dates, campaign timelines, content topics and publishing schedules.⁹

Consider the following tips to maximize your marketing efforts:

To ensure your marketing efforts are effective, monitoring and analyzing your performance is crucial. Use analytics tools to track key metrics such as website traffic, conversion rates, and customer engagement. By understanding what’s working for your company’s marketing strategy and what’s not, you can make informed decisions to optimize your campaigns. Regularly review reports, conduct A/B testing, and adjust your strategy based on data-driven insights.

Example: If your blog posts are drawing significant traffic, but not converting leads, you may need to adjust your call-to-action (CTA) or refine your content to better align with your audience’s interests.

The marketing landscape is ever-changing with new tools, technologies and techniques emerging regularly. Stay ahead by keeping up with the latest industry trends and best practices. Follow industry leaders on social media, subscribe to relevant blogs, attend webinars and participate in professional conferences. Being informed allows you to innovate and apply the latest trends to your marketing strategy.

Example: Incorporating new social media platforms or content formats, such as short-form video or interactive infographics, could enhance your engagement and reach if these are trending in your industry.

Flexibility and adaptability are key to overcoming marketing challenges and capitalizing on opportunities. The ability to quickly pivot your strategy in response to market changes, consumer behavior or unexpected events can make a significant difference in your success. Develop contingency plans and ensure your team is agile enough to implement changes swiftly.

Example: During a sudden market downturn, you might shift your focus from premium products to more affordable options that meet consumers’ immediate needs.

At the heart of any successful marketing strategy is a deep understanding of your customer’s needs and preferences. Conduct surveys, focus groups and use your social media presence as listening tools to gather firsthand customer feedback. Adjust your offerings, messaging, and tactics to better meet their expectations. Personalized marketing efforts that resonate on an individual level can drive higher engagement and satisfaction.

Example: Tailoring email campaigns based on customer behavior and preferences can lead to higher open and click-through rates.

Effective marketing is often the result of cross-departmental collaboration. Marketing teams should work closely with sales, customer service, product development and other departments to ensure cohesive messaging and a unified approach. These collaborations can provide valuable insights, align goals and create a seamless customer experience.

Example: Partnering with the product development team can help you understand the unique features of new products, enabling you to create more compelling and accurate marketing materials.

Harness the power of technology to streamline your marketing efforts and increase efficiency. Marketing automation tools can help you manage campaigns, segment audiences and nurture leads with minimal manual intervention. Customer relationship management (CRM) systems can help you keep track of interactions and tailor your approach based on past behavior.

Example: Use automated email sequences to nurture leads through the customer journey, providing them with relevant content at different stages of their purchasing decision.

By integrating these strategies, you can build a robust marketing plan that drives growth, engages your audience and positions your brand as a leader in the industry.

Technology has dramatically changed the marketing field. With an Online MS in Marketing from William & Mary, you can learn to use advanced tools to craft compelling marketing campaigns that deliver results for your organization. Our faculty are experts in their fields and will work closely with you as you complete our rigorous curriculum. In as little as 15 months, you can develop the skills you need to quickly advance your marketing career.

Schedule an appointment with one of our admissions outreach advisors today to apply.