Hajra Naz
It is popular to be happy now, but when you are making your plan, you should not be like that. Being realistic is better than hoping 10 times out of 10.
If I got one dollar for every time someone talked about their marketing by listing out the things they did in the past, I would be rich now.
Social media, ads, logos, new ideas, and so on. These are all good things to do, but they are often done before the plan is finished.
These should be based on your goal, not the other way around, which is why I believe this to be a major issue.
Although it may be tempting to get started on marketing projects right once, waiting will save you a significant amount of money in the long run. You will also do things better and faster.
The Origins of Strategy
The word “strategy” was first seen in military books. Army leaders from old empires would look at the land to see its good and bad parts.
This was very important for attacking and defending. By knowing the land and its good places, army leaders could put their soldiers in the best places to win.
Even if they had fewer soldiers, good plans could help them beat even the strongest enemies.
Only after they knew the land and had a plan would the leaders send their soldiers to fight. This part is called “tactic.”
So, strategy is where we play and how we win in a fight. Tactics are how we do the strategy and win.
When the Allies attacked Normandy to fight the Nazis, the strategy they used is still studied today.
It took the Allies many years to think about the plan before they started planning hard 18 months before D-Day (June 6, 1944).
- The plan to cross the English Channel and invade France began as early as 1942. High-ranking leaders talked about this and worked together.
- In early 1943, after a meeting in Casablanca, they started making detailed plans. They agreed that crossing the channel was very important.
- From mid-1943, they did a lot of training. This included practicing landing on beaches, dropping from planes, and working together as an army, navy, and air force.
- They also spent a lot of time getting ready. This included making special equipment, collecting supplies, and bringing troops to the United Kingdom.
- In the months before the invasion, they made final plans, used tricks to confuse the enemy, and made sure everything was ready to go.
And then came the best short plan ever written for a battle. General Montgomery’s plan was only one page long, but it was enough to make sure his soldiers did what they were supposed to do after years of planning. And look at the word underlined at the bottom right of the page.
Can you think of what would have happened if the Allies had attacked the beaches of Normandy without all this planning?
Read More: The Death of Critical Thinking Will Kill Us Long Before AI.
An Exercise of Making Sacrifices
A plan must be possible, too.
It’s popular to be hopeful now, but when you’re making your plan, don’t be too hopeful.
Good plans think about five important questions:
- What choices have you made?
- What have you given up?
- Can you explain it simply?
- Do the numbers make sense?
- Have you brought others along?
You might say: “If we don’t try for the best, we won’t achieve anything great.”
That’s true. Though your short-term strategies should be practical, your long-term objectives can be lofty. You will run afoul of the law if you are not honest with yourself.
Imagine you write a plan to make your brand much more popular in one year. It might sound good in a meeting, but experienced people can see that it’s not realistic.
If you don’t have enough money to reach many people with your ads, your goal is just a dream. You might hope that your content will become very popular. Or maybe a famous person will use your product. You might also hope that you can make enough products to meet the demand.
But hoping is not a plan.
A good plan is patient, careful, and consistent. It’s honest about your position compared to others, understands the size of the market, knows what customers want, and uses all this information to decide where you want to be in the future.
Only then can you say what you can really achieve with the money you have. If your goals or the number of customers changes, your budget should change, too.
So, strategy is about staying the same and being relevant in a changing world.
Read More: 6 Mistakes people make while setting goals
Strategy First, Tactics Second
Let’s break down the strategic process in simpler terms.
Making big decisions isn’t easy. A strategist has a tough job. They need courage, self-control, and a bit of luck. We can’t control everything, but even a little control gives us a big advantage.
First, let’s understand the market. We need to know about different groups of people, which ones are worth spending a lot on, and what image we want to give to everyone. We also need clear goals that we can measure and achieve.
Once we have this picture, we can start thinking about how to do it. This is important. If we don’t do it right, we can’t fix it later.
We should do this every year, be patient, and think carefully.
Only then can we win.
