Most “strategies" for marketing are just glorified to-do lists.

A real strategy builds momentum, tracks ROI, and ties every action to a bigger outcome.

If it’s not doing that, it’s not a strategy.

Let’s stop pretending that checking boxes equals growth.

Why Most Strategies Are Broken from the Start

Most companies are executing activity, not strategy, and they’re burning through time, money, and opportunity because of it.

Here are the four most common marketing strategy mistakes I’ve seen over and over again:

• Mistake #1: Confusing tasks with actual strategy
• Mistake #2: No clear objective or measurable outcome
• Mistake #3: Zero alignment between sales and marketing
• Mistake #4: “Just do more” thinking, without analyzing what’s working

If your plan doesn’t drive pipeline, revenue, or brand equity, you’re not building momentum.

You’re just staying busy.

I’ve Been There

Earlier in my career, I worked for one of the largest restoration franchises in the country.

Everything was task-based, “Send five emails,” “Drop off business cards,” “Post on Facebook.”

None of it was tied to a larger outcome.

No roadmap, no alignment, no tracking.

It was busy work disguised as marketing.

I learned the hard way: without a real strategy, even the best teams will stall out.

So What Does a Real Strategy Actually Look Like?

Let’s break it down:

A Clear Goal

What’s the actual destination? Most businesses can’t clearly articulate what success looks like.

Strategy starts with defining a specific, measurable goal.

Think: “Grow inbound leads by 25%” or “Reduce sales cycle from 30 to 15 days.”

Defined Audiences

“Targeting everyone in your area” is not a strategy.

You need to get laser-focused on who you serve, based on demographics, buying behaviors, industry, and psychographics.

Know your ideal customer inside and out. Build messaging around them.

Sales Process Mapping

Do you know what happens from first contact to closed deal?

You should be able to visually map every step, from awareness, to nurturing, to proposal, to follow-up, to close.

Tools like Lucidchart make this easy and incredibly effective.

Marketing That Actually Supports Sales

Are your marketing efforts shortening your sales cycle, building credibility, and generating demand? Or are you just throwing content out to check a box?

Your marketing should:

• Answer objections
• Build authority
• Drive consistent leads
• Support the sales conversation at every stage

Measurement and Feedback Loops

Real strategy = real metrics. You need to track:

• Cost per lead (CPL)
• Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
• Lifetime value (LTV)
• Pipeline velocity

And it should be reviewed consistently, not “whenever we get around to it.”

Ownership

Who owns the strategy?

Not the intern.

Not three different people with other full-time jobs.

A successful strategy is owned and driven by a dedicated leader, ideally a Fractional Chief Sales & Marketing Officer (CSMO), who ties every action back to results.

Strategy vs. Activity: Know the Difference

Here’s a cheat sheet to tell if you’re doing strategy, or just keeping busy.

Goals

Activity: Post weekly on LinkedIn

vs

Strategy: Build Authority in Niche equalling a 20% increase in inbound leads.

Defined Audiences

Activity: Targeting everyone in my local area

vs

Strategy: Targeting specific profiles of ideal customer, (ex. ages 30–45, business owners, industry-specific interests, buying behaviors

Sales Process Mapping

Activity: Random calls, emails, and proposals with no tracking

vs

Strategy: Map every stage of the sales process to identify drop-off points and tailor follow-up tactics accordingly (e.g., 3-day response workflows, automated reminders, proposal ownership)

Marketing Tactics that Support Sales

Activity: Make content for the sake of content

vs

Strategy: Create educational or authority based content that answers objections, shortens sales cycles, and nurtures leads(blogs, podcasts, FAQ’s, demo reels)

Measurement and Feedback Loop

Activity: Feeling based evaluations

vs

Strategy: Set KPI’s (CPL, CAC, LTV), use a dashboard or CRM to track every campaign weekly and adjust based on data, not opinion.

Ownership

Activity: Ownership is split responsibility between 3 people who already have 10 other jobs.

vs

Strategy:  Assign ownership to a dedicated leader, ideally a Fractional CSMO, who drives execution, managers ROI, and keeps strategy aligned with business outcomes.

If your team can’t clearly identify what they’re working toward, or how to measure progress, you’re operating on activity, not strategy.

Sales & Marketing Must Work Together

This is non-negotiable.

• A sales plan without marketing = starved pipeline
• A marketing plan without sales = no conversion
• A disjointed plan = confused customers and wasted dollars

They’re two halves of the same engine, and they must be aligned and data-driven to drive real results.

What To Do If You Don’t Have a Real Strategy Yet

Good news: You’re not alone, and you’re not too late.

Here’s how to fix it:

1. Audit your current efforts. Are you doing strategy, or just activity?
2. Clarify your business goals. What are the 2–3 big outcomes that matter?
3. Map your customer journey. From first touch to close, get it visual.
4. Assign ownership. Make sure one person is driving execution.
5. Implement tracking tools. Use a CRM or dashboard that ties actions to revenue.
6. Bring in a pro. A Fractional CSMO can align the chaos and build a strategy that scales.

Stop pretending a checklist is a strategy.

Start building a plan that builds momentum, scales with clarity, and pays you back.

Want help mapping out your real strategy?

Email me directly: sean@tierlevel.com

Let’s build something that actually works.

SML

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