The difference between a marketing strategy and a marketing plan

by RyanRhoten | Oct 4, 2024 | Newsletter

I’m a huge fan of using AI to simplify and amplify your content. I’ve put this week’s newsletter into Google’s NotebookLM to create an audio conversation between two AI hosts. The AI version expands on the newsletter and, at times, hallucinates, but I think it’s an interesting way to think about repurposing your content.

Marketing Strategy and Marketing Plans Explained

To build your brand, you need both a marketing strategy and a marketing plan. Each plays a critical role, but they serve different functions:

A Marketing Strategy answers big-picture questions like:

What are we trying to achieve?
Why are we doing this in the first place?

A marketing strategy is your long-term vision for engaging with your audience. It’s where you define:

Positioning
Value proposition
Overarching goals

It’s also about selecting your content categories, topics, and platforms.

A Marketing Plan handles the tactical and execution side.

How are we going to get there?
What steps do we need to take to achieve the strategy?

The plan is like a shot, providing the nitty-gritty, specific actions and timelines needed to make your strategy come to life. It includes frameworks and templates, and it’s practical, tactical, and ready for immediate use.

While your strategy is the compass guiding you north, the plan is your GPS giving you turn-by-turn directions to your destination, complete with gas station pit stops and coffee breaks.

Developing marketing strategies and plans are things I help clients do as part of The Brand Messaging System™️, which is a proven step-by-step, guided process to help founders get really clear on their message, offer, and marketing so they can clearly articulate who they are and what they do succinctly.

It’s delivered 1:1, mono a mono, typically over 45-60 days. The Brand Messaging System™️ is what founders turn to when they’re starting their business, pivoting their business, or growing their business and know they need a marketing strategy and a plan that connects their message to everything they do.

Breaking It Down: Marketing Strategy vs. Marketing Plan

While the difference may seem clear, let’s break down what makes each one unique and how they differ:

Marketing Strategy:
Your strategy defines the long-term approach and vision for your market engagement.

It’s aligned with your company’s top-level goals and vision. A clear marketing strategy keeps you focused and ensures that every move you make is purposeful.

Think of it as ‘why you do what you do’—like your brand’s essence, but with fewer existential crises. This is the 30,000-foot view, focusing on the bigger picture and laying the foundation for all your marketing efforts.

Marketing Plan:
A detailed marketing plan provides you with execution clarity. A plan allows you to take action and measure progress over time because without a plan, even the best strategies will fall flat.

Your plan is more specific and operational. Focusing on the ‘how’—the friendly GPS voice saying, ‘In 200 feet, order your next round.’

Plans follow a practical methodology, laying out exactly what needs to be done—what channels, content, and tools you’ll use; it’s the step-by-step guide to executing your strategy.

Using Both Builds Awareness for Your Brand

Combining marketing strategies and plans is like having your favorite margarita after a long day; they help you build awareness while also building an audience for your brand.

1 Start with Strategy:
Look at your positioning, customer needs, and your competitors. Set clear, long-term goals for the next 1, 3, or 5 years.

2 Develop a Tactical Plan:
With your strategy nailed down, dive into the details. Identify specific platforms, social media, email marketing, and content to help you execute your strategy. Set timelines and get started.

3 Iterate and Adjust:
Like the creation of a great recipe, while your strategy is long-term, your plan and ingredients should be flexible.

As you learn what works and what doesn’t, refine your recipe and keep your eye on the long-term goal. Your strategy shouldn’t change too often, but adjusting the tactics in your plan is essential for staying agile.

To sum up, a solid marketing strategy gives you the direction and purpose you need to grow your business, while a well-thought-out marketing plan turns that strategy into action.

Last Call: What’s Your Next Step?

So, you’ve got the strategy (your brand’s North Star), and you’ve got the plan (your trusty roadmap). But what happens when the details get fuzzy or you’re unsure if you’re mixing the right ingredients?

That’s where The Brand Messaging System™️ comes in. A 1:1, guided process that unmuddles your message, offer, and marketing into clear-as-a-martini (not a dirty one) clarity in just 45-60 days.

When you’re ready, schedule a call, and let’s chat about your strategy so we can create a plan that works for you.

Features: The Stuff

We love our features, however, let’s be clear, when we talk about features, we’re referring to what your product or service is or does. The chair, for instance, is this color, has these dimensions, or distributes weight evenly.

Bad messaging leads with features.

But, hey, I get it. You’re proud of your service and what you’ve built because they showcase what you offer—but here’s the catch: your audience will not care as much as you do.

Think of features as the raw ingredients in a cocktail; yes, they are essential, but not enough to make someone order it without knowing what’s in it for them.

For example, if you run a leadership coaching program, a feature might be the 45 videos in the program or the program lasting six months.

While important, these features describe what your program is and NOT how it helps (that’s next).

Action Steps for the stuff:

Create an Ingredients list.
Identify all of the features of your service.
Note the features that distinguish you from the competition.

BTW, I’m not saying you shouldn’t use features in your marketing; you shouldn’t lead with them.

Benefits: The Spoils

So, you’ve got your features identified in an ingredients list. Next, you need to turn them into something meaningful. That’s where benefits come in.

A benefit provides tells your customers what they will be able to do, feel, or have because they hired you. Benefits explain why the feature matters and how the value proposition is achieved. Benefits are the transformation your customer experiences by using your product or service.

Benefits help your customers visualize how their life improves, so connecting the dots between what you offer and how it impacts them is essential.

The chair, for example, has a seat that is so comfy, you can sit there for hours without getting a sore bum.

For your coaching program, a benefit could be 1:1 coaching or website copy revisions (both of which I do as part of The Brand Messaging System™️.

Action Steps to Translate Features into Benefits:

For each feature, ask: “So what? How does this make my customer’s life easier or better?”
Frame benefits in terms of customer outcomes—what do they gain?
Be specific about the improvements they’ll experience.

For messaging, benefits sit in between your features and value proposition, connecting your features to your value proposition.

Value Proposition: The Solution

Your value proposition is the distilled essence of why someone should choose your brand over the competition. Your value proposition must be tied directly to your customer’s goals.

It’s the promise you make to your audience that captures both the features and benefits, typically wrapped into one compelling statement. The chair might enable you to meet the right person or call an Uber to get home.

Your value proposition communicates why your customer should care—and pay.

Think of it like the signature cocktail at the bar: it’s not just the ingredients or how it’s made; it’s the feeling and experience your customer wants when they place their order.

Your program’s value proposition might sound like this: “Our personalized leadership coaching helps solopreneurs scale their businesses with 1:1 coaching and website revisions that resonate with your ideal audience.”

Action Steps to a Strong Value Proposition:

Link your features to the benefits they enable.
Match the benefits to the outcome your customer will achieve.
Write your value proposition by telling prospects how their lives will be better.

The Last Call: Key Takeaways for Sharpening Your Brand Message

Turn your frown upside down and do the same to this list. Start with your Value proposition. Highlight your service’s benefits, then link features to the benefits to show how your value prop is achieved.

Craft a value proposition: Identify the transformation your clients achieve and how it links to their goals.

Identify your benefits: Show your customers the benefits of using your service.

Jot down your features: Note the raw facts about what your product or service is or does.

When you nail this down, your messaging will become the perfect drink that they can’t wait to sit at your bar and order over and over.

Whenever you’re ready, here’s how I can help.

1 Brand Messaging OS: Join over 100 founders and solopreneurs and create your own brand messaging operating system (BMOS) and bring clarity, focus, and alignment to your audience, message, and offer.

Imagine not worrying about what to say when asked, “What do you do?” Or not worrying about needing to get another job because your leads have dried up. If that sounds like something you need, the BMOS may be for you. Schedule a call, and let’s chat.

The difference between a marketing strategy and a marketing plan

Marketing Strategy and Marketing Plans Explained

Breaking It Down: Marketing Strategy vs. Marketing Plan

Using Both Builds Awareness for Your Brand

Last Call: What’s Your Next Step?

Features: The Stuff

Benefits: The Spoils

Value Proposition: The Solution

The Last Call: Key Takeaways for Sharpening Your Brand Message

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