Last month’s blog on the difference between a business plan and business strategy generated a lot of great comments and feedback. The most popular asked how exactly does one go about creating a distinctive strategy, especially in a competitive market. That’s a question that every organization – from private to public, profit to non-profit – should address. So here’s our perspective on how to move forward.

The first step is to acknowledge that nothing ever stays the same, and to actively lean into the changes. Over the course of a reasonable period of time, the market shifts, consumer preferences shift, competition shifts and then internally, your organization may have gone through some changes as well. So, as much as it seems everything is the same, assume it isn’t, and then start looking for the changes. To come up with new and relevant strategy, you need to shift your perspective. You can’t attack the problem the same way as before, otherwise you’re going to end up pretty much where you are now.

So, how do you do that? Here are three suggestions:

1.       Introduce new input. The goal is to come up with insights that are new and different, and were not factors in the previous iteration of the strategic planning process. This means either investing in research or going beyond the usual analysis. You know you are on the right track when you have “eureka moments” — when you see something that you know you can’t ignore. For example, start with an objective analysis of your ecosystem, which includes your competitors, your partners and of course your customer and client base. Take a look at new trends and what products and services your market is adopting. 

2.       Bring new people into the process. These folks don’t necessarily have to be outside of the organization, they may be folks who don’t usually sit in on these types of meetings.  There is a rule though: whomever you bring in needs to be imaginative and willing to express their opinions. This is about adding fresh thinking to the mix; bringing in people who will process the information differently. Now, if there isn’t anyone internally that fits that description, then find someone external to the organization. It could be someone who’s works in a different industry or market and has had experience coming up with strategies.

3.       Change the question. We like to start every planning session with a question we want to have answered by the end of the planning process. The question isn’t necessarily an objective, like “How do we increase market share?”  But it might be more like, “how do we make ourselves essential to our customers and clients?” Or, “how do we make sure our graduates pursue meaningful, life-fulfilling careers?” Or, “how can our services revitalize our community?” Don’t be afraid to ask a big question. As a matter of fact, the bigger the better because it will force you to reach for big answers and not be satisfied with crumbs.

Strategy and strategic thinking are terms that have lost much of their meaning because they are applied to just about any form of planning or thinking. So, don’t let yourself get fooled into thinking that because the meeting is a “strategic planning meeting” that’s what is really going to happen. Whatever it’s called, a real, successful strategy planning process is a heavy lift intended to point the whole organization toward new and different (and hopefully) more fertile shores. If you end up where you are now, you missed the opportunity.

When we ask what people are looking forward to in 2025, we are hearing that many are reconsidering their business plans. In certain instances, they are even considering re-strategizing since they expect significant changes due to new technologies, funding, and even a change in target audience sentiments. We applaud this because there is a lot that is going on that suggests the next couple of years will see shifts in the landscape. It’s important, though, to remember that planning and strategizing are two different activities. Most of you who receive our emails know this, but it might be worthwhile to clarify.

A strategy is a planned course of action for accomplishing a set of goals. It’s not the actual actions one takes, but rather the path an organization follows. It considers the competitive landscape, your organization’s position in it, your competitive advantages, and most importantly, the products that can be leveraged, and the attributes that your target audience finds most appealing.

For instance, Folger’s Coffee’s approach, as expressed in their tagline, “The best part of waking up is Folger’s in your cup,” is to be the number one coffee brand consumed in the mornings. They don’t want to compete with Starbucks and other beverages for other coffee drinking occasions. They just want to own the morning. And Folger’s has done everything it can to make the morning home cup of coffee theirs – from the choice of bean blends to the packaging, to the sensory cues, especially the aroma.

A strategy gives rise to a plan, one that lays out the steps along the strategic path. The plan is the steps, it details how to get there rather than where to go. A key component is a budget. Aside from being orderly and logical, an effective plan relies on access to reliable data and objective analysis. In a time where data seems to be sprouting from just about everywhere, it’s important to know which data sets and points are organizational drivers. I’ve seen meetings spin out of control because there was way too much time spent on numbers that in the end had very little true impact on the plan. 

I’ve also seen, and this one way too often, subjective misinterpretations of data.  I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to be objective in the planning process. And one of the signs that planning is being too heavily influenced by subjectivity is the phrase “because it’s what we’ve always done.” Like an over-stuffed closet, sometimes you need to get rid of those items that that are beloved but no longer fit or are out of fashion. This is especially true when it comes to marketing and communications.  Which is why It’s helpful to have a “closet organizer.”  Someone to help assess what to keep and what to throw out. And a qualified organizer has the breadth of experience, not to mention the objectivity, to see the clutter and have feasible options at the ready.

So, as you start the process, make sure you are clear as to whether you need to re-think your strategy or re-plot your plan. If you want to make sure, we’re happy to chat with you.

While social media has always been a bit of an unruly beast, Twitter of late, under the stewardship of Mr. Musk, has been going through its own set of unique upheavals. I’m not going to chronicle the issues, but really use them to draw attention to the importance of rebalancing your communication portfolio if you haven’t already.

I’m sure you noticed that the reach of your posts, especially on Facebook, has dipped significantly. I saw a report the other day that says 6% or less of your fans see your posts organically. So much for building “community.” Like Twitter, let’s not forget that Facebook is a commercial enterprise and that they are interested in turning a profit. Which is fine, until you begin to see dismal performance like this and begin to realize that organic posting has serious limitations. Now there are multiple ways to try to increase organic reach. For instance, you can increase posting frequency, create posts with better-quality images and videos, incorporate motion graphics in your posts, and share important news about your organizations. But truth be told, if you want to reach more of your community, you’re going to need to pay for distribution. And for those well-acquainted with Facebook, in particular, that means either boosting or paying for ads. All social media platforms make it simple to boost your posts; usually, it is no more complicated than creating the post you want to boost, picking your target, setting the duration, and then setting the budget. So, inadvertently, what was “owned” is now “paid media. And that means you have to balance your “communication portfolio” among the three tactics: “earned,” “owned”, and “paid” media. Again, the planning principles are the same as before:

1. Determine if your audience is still there. Sounds silly. Of course, your peeps are there. Or are they? Many may have migrated away from Twitter and Facebook and made LinkedIn, Instagram, or one of the lesser-known apps like BeReal, Threads, or Substack their primary, go-to social media app. As with any market, it fractures over time and more and more niche players garner a share of the market at the expense of the market leaders.

2. Know (not just understand) the relative impact of each effort as it helps you reach your goals. One of our mantras is “predictability and control.” While we all love surprise success, the truth is if you have a pulse on your market, you should be good at forecasting your yield. And that means within a 10% margin of error. Any more means you need to revisit your assumptions. For those who plan paid efforts on digital media, most, if not all platforms, will give you an estimate of how many people you’ll reach. And from there, you should be able to estimate how many positive responses you’ll get. If you aren’t planning to achieve a goal, then stop what you are doing and start.

3. Allocate appropriate resources based on results vs. simply boxing to a budget. Said another way, if you still want to use social media (or any earned media tactic), make sure you have a realistic goal in mind. Build a model, work through the assumptions, and then, when you get to the forecast you need. If you are buying adds and boosting, calculate the budget and shift that into your “paid” column. What you might find is that your campaigns were doomed from the start because they never had the critical mass to reach your goals. It is the most common explanation for missing a forecast. It is thinking that simply buying a can of paint will be sufficient to cover a wall. Unless you accurately calculate the square footage of the wall and check the amount of surface the can of paint will cover, you might find your coverage is too thin or there are going to be places you can’t cover.

4. Understand that “earned” media is getting harder and harder to generate. This is the part that hurts organizations that are working with tight budgets. There are far fewer media outlets that you can use to generate “earned” media. And the aforementioned changes in how the main social media channels operate create even more headwinds. So, in evaluating “earned,” “owned”, and “paid”, recognize that “owned” and “paid” might be worth prioritizing over “earned.” This means being open with your leadership and asking for a budget to support those two legs of the communication stool.

One caveat to all this: in a year, this will evolve. If the past has taught us anything, it is that the media landscape keeps shifting, and you need to be constantly vigilant about how these changes affect your efforts. One thing we know for sure is that carefully balancing the three components of your communications effort is critical to meeting your marketing goals. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to me at mtinati@kineticsmarcom.com.