A Tactical Plan for Executing a Good Marketing Strategy
Many companies do a fine job when it comes to formulating their marketing strategies. But sometimes there’s a gap between those great strategies and how they’re implemented.
Sure, the strategies look really strong outlined in a glitzy senior leadership presentation. But what comes next in the “devilish details” is the next big test – and it’s where the failure often occurs.
And failure can happen in many ways. In a recent survey of senior executives conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the following impediments to executing company strategies are experienced most often:
- Cultural attitudes that resist change
- Insufficient or poorly managed resources
- Lack of corporate “agility”
- The strategy is poorly communicated
- Insufficient overall coordination across the organization
- Lack of accountability
- External developments with negative consequences
If there is one trait strategy implementation that’s a common contributor to these impediments, it’s that the people who are involved in strategy development aren’t sufficiently involved in the oversight of the implementation.
Or perhaps they are … but then they aren’t sufficiently committed to collaborating closely with the departments that are the most critical to successful outcomes. If they haven’t been meaningfully engaged at the outset, it’s likely they don’t have a vested interest in the success of the strategy.
Top management may view strategy implementation as a separate activity. But in reality, strategy design and strategy delivery are inextricably linked.
One way to bridge the gap is to involve both sides of the equation in collecting and evaluating important intelligence – things like the competitor landscape or the needs of customers and how those needs might be changing.
Strong leaders move adroitly to adjust strategies and their implementation in order to account for changing opportunities (or risks). All the while, they keep the “end-goal” in sight, which helps them avoid being knocked off-track by short-term distractions.
If you’re looking for assistance on the implementation side of marketing strategy, we’d be happy to share our thoughts and ideas. Call us at 800-457-1099.
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