We love to push a lot of top-notch web and social media tactics for small businesses. Those are well and good, but the truth is you can’t simply jump on board whatever new tactic comes along. If you’re going to have any success that new tactic needs to be worked into your strategy.
That strategy needs to come first. It should drive which tactics you employ and which tactics you don’t touch. The strategy should explain why you use the tactics you do.
A restaurant may opt to use Twitter because sending random updates from a cell phone on the fly is a lot easier than finding time to sit down at a computer and draft a blog post. The tactic is appealing. But strategically finding a quick and easy way to deliver coupons and discounts to an army of fans is what’s important. That’s the goal. Twitter is just the tactic.
A consultant might turn to blogging as a way to capture and broadcast their expertise. The strategy is to employ educational marketing to inform their audience and establish themselves as a voice in the field. Blogging is just one of many tactics that would accomplish this goal (and a particularly good one).
A hip and eclectic music shop might see Facebook as an ideal way to connect with their crowd. The strategy is relational marketing. It relies heavily on the personality of the shop and demands a tactic that’s going to communicate a lot of personality. Facebook would be an ideal tactic to execute that strategy—it’s a perfect place to exude style, opinion and fun.
Before you get too carried away with the latest new tactic, make sure it fits with your overall marketing strategy.
