Strategic Marketing Planning: The 6 Steps to Business Success

What is strategic marketing planning?

Have you ever wondered why every new iPhone sells so well? Or why every new Red Bull flavour becomes so popular so quickly? Planning is largely to blame. Strategic marketing planning focuses on fulfilling a company’s long-term vision, actively aligning marketing activities with it. And since it is planning, we work with the most specific inputs possible (market analysis results, specifically set company goals, KPI development, etc.)

Marketing strategy (see WIKI) is part of the overall brand strategy and its DNA. It determines what the brand wants to achieve and why. Strategic marketing planning is a subsequent process that tells how we can turn this strategy into a specific measurable plan. Unlike strategy, we already use SMART business goals, we address specific tools such as content marketing but also the entire marketing mix.

What is the purpose of strategic marketing planning?

Take, for example, the brand Dove and their “Dove’s real beauty”. The brand knows its potential customers so well that they have identified a sensitive emotional topic – low self-esteem in women caused by unrealistic “beauty standards”. They have based their communication on real women, started with a strong idea and communicated it over the long term – not just as a single campaign.

At the same time, they also sponsor research that matches their idea. This means they are present wherever their customers are, and through communication, they give them a sense of self-confidence.

They ensured the following 👇

• communication is not based on just one product
• thanks to the theme, they enabled women to identify with the company’s value
• they created a long-term sustainable communication concept
• they communicate this theme across all channels

Thanks to this 👇

• from 2004 to 2014, they increased sales by 1.5 billion USD thanks to the campaign (from 2.5 billion to 4 billion)
• the brand value grew from 2.5 billion USD to 6.5 billion USD at that time
• they created an extremely strong bond between customers and the brand
• thanks to the communication of values, they have a timeless theme – the brand communicates this theme even today and it is still very relevant (more than 20 years since its launch!)
• they won numerous awards (which gave them additional campaign reach for free)
• more than 60 countries were involved in the research campaign

Does it sound like magic? This is just one of many examples. Companies that use strategic marketing planning include Apple, Red Bull, Zara, Starbucks, Ikea and many others. The good news is that planning can be done on a smaller scale – without billion-dollar budgets and on a local market.

Steps to create a strategic marketing plan

Now we know that marketing planning is important. It can improve brand results by hundreds of percent, improve ROI by 60%, and create a communication theme that will be relevant for decades to come, with an emphasis on the long-term direction and goals of the brand. But how do you create a strategic plan when you’re not a billion-dollar corporation?

Let’s say we have a smaller company that sells affordable furniture. Its strategic goals are to be the number 1 choice in the market for young families. Our UVP could be, for example, “We make it easier to start living together– quality furniture at fair prices, designed for young couples.”  Let’s create a strategic marketing plan for our company for the near future.

Step 1️⃣: Define your marketing goals

Define measurable goals. The more specific, the better. Using SMART business goals is always a certainty.

Example ╰┈➤

In our case, according to the strategy (we want to be number 1 for young families), in numbers this may mean that we need to increase the number of shoppers aged 25-35 by 30% through social media in the next 15 months.

Step 2️⃣: Conduct market research

Once we have our goals, we identify customer needs, concerns and current trends and review our competition. This data will help us achieve our goals.

Example ╰┈➤

If we want to activate the target group of 25-35 years olds using social media, we need to know what questions these people are solving, why they should buy from us and what we can do to interest them. So we can look at what our target group buys most often from us, what topics they react to the most. At the same time, we need to take into account the general social events and adapt our communication to their lives.

Step 3️⃣: Identify your target audience

Identifying your audience is key. In order to activate a specific group of customers, you need to know as much as possible about them. Find out as much as possible about your target group.

The basic division is into four groups:

• Demographic data – age, gender, income group
• Psychological factors – lifestyle, values
• Customer behaviour – shopping habits and loyalty factor
• Location – essential for local services and operations

Example ╰┈➤

If we want to activate a group of young people who live together, we need to look at the average income of these couples and answer the following questions.

• Who in the couple usually decides on the purchase of furniture?
• Do we want to reach more conservative couples or design enthusiasts?
• Do we have the right price for them?
• Is it important for them to buy quickly or will they consult an AI assistant before buying?
• Do they need to see the goods in the store before buying or do they prefer fast delivery?

Step 4️⃣: Develop a unique value proposition

Define very clearly what you are better at for this group of people – what problem do you solve for them? There is no room for modesty here. Say it clearly, and you will make the choice easier for your customers.

Develop your unique value proposition (UVP), which explains why a customer should choose to buy from you.

• clearly name the benefit
• show what makes you different
• make it easy and memorable

🚨 Warning – do not confuse it with USP!

	USP	UVP
Focus	Specific difference from the competition	fundamental value for the customer
Width	Narrow (1 feature, advantage)	Wider context
Context	Often used in advertising	Used in strategy and positioning
Example question	“What makes us different?”	“Why should a customer buy from us in the first place?”

Example ╰┈➤

As a seller of affordable furniture, you can, for example, link the activation of young adult couples on social media to the ever-current topic of living together for the first time. So our UVP is, as I mentioned above: “We make it easier to start living together– quality furniture at fair prices, designed for young couples.” 

This can also create a long-term line for our campaigns: “After love, the first choice for the home.”

Step 5️⃣: Choose the right marketing channels and tactics

Accept that not every channel is right for every brand. It’s also important to note that every channel needs to have an adequate budget.

A simple example of a poorly chosen channel is a top stockbroker showing fund growth charts on TikTok or a professional dance performance in a print magazine. So how do you avoid a similar problem?

Principled use of individual channels

• Social media: Brand awareness, community building
• Email: Retention, remarketing
• PPC: Performance marketing, remarketing
• SEO: Long-term visibility
• Influencers: Credibility, fame, market penetration
• PR and events: Building reputation in the community

Example ╰┈➤

• As a furniture brand, we can use social media to showcase our products in videos and post sthat introduce thems to young couples.
• With email marketing, we can remind customers of products they’ve viewed or send them new inspiration for decorating their rooms.
• We’ll use PPC campaigns to capture relevant queries like “cheap living room” or “couch for a young couple.”
• We’ll build our SEO content around topics that our customers address most frequently, such as “How to furnish a small apartment” or “First time living together – checklist.” If we want to focus on product categories, we’ll focus on “Cheap double bed.”
• We will select influencers so that they are relevant – that is, young couples who, for example, will demonstrate simple furniture assembly in pairs.
• We will use the events to demonstrate our living room wall at a music festival, for which we can also directly purchase media space in the form of a reportage.

Step 6️⃣: Create a marketing budget

The marketing budget determines how much money we have for specific activities. It is therefore important to take into account not only ambitions but also the real situation and possibilities. When creating a budget, we must take into account goals and tools for their implementation, the sales cycle in recent years, time for testing, optimisation and a reserve budget. The unwritten rule is that for smaller businesses, depending on their goals and focus, it is appropriate to invest 5% to 15% of revenue in marketing.

💡 For example: as our test furniture retailer, we will allocate 13% for our e-shop based on last year’s sales. We will then divide this as follows: 30% of the budget for the brand (influencers, videos), 50% for performance marketing (PPC), and 20% for remarketing. For each of the above, we will also keep a reserve of 10% for testing or experimenting with content creative.

When we go through all 6 steps in this way, we will have clear strategic goals for the next year. Business goals are defined, correspond to the brand values, have a precisely defined target group, a suitable communication format has been selected for it, and have a precisely allocated budget. Our strategic marketing plan is therefore in place – it is based on strategic goals and determines specific steps to achieve them in the near future.

Marketing Strategy vs. Marketing Plan

The marketing strategy answers “What do we do and why we do it”. The strategy focusses on the company’s long-term direction, allowing for some flexibility. It contains the target group, UVP, brand positioning. For example, our furniture company has a strategic goal “To become the number one in selling furniture for young couples.”

The marketing plan talks about a specific path to this goal at a given time; that is, it answers the questions of how to do it and when we will start. It is focused on short-term to medium-term goals and its content mainly includes a budget, specific KPIs and a timetable. For our example company, such a document would contain: “During Q3 of 2025, we will launch a campaign on TikTok in cooperation with influencers.”

Why is a marketing strategy important?

If you want to achieve good results in the long term, a marketing strategy is essential. It helps determine the values ​​and direction of the entire brand. Thus, it directly affects marketing activities; it improves communication efficiency, speeds up decision-making, increases consistency and helps track performance and goals.

How much does strategy affect business?

• Businesses with a balanced strategy achieve up to 90% higher ROI: A study published in The Australian in 2025 showed that companies that combine brand marketing with performance marketing can increase their ROI by an average of 90%.
• Marketing strategy increases the likelihood of success by 377%: According to a 2022 CoSchedule report, marketers who actively set goals are almost four times more successful than those who don’t.
• Optimising the marketing mix increases profitability: According to the PIMS (Profit Impact of Market Strategy) program, factors such as relative market share, product quality, and investment intensity significantly affect ROI and ROS (Return on Sales). WIKI

You can only achieve such results if you have a clear vision to which you can adapt specific steps.

Examples of Successful Marketing Strategies

A perfect example of a successful marketing strategy is Red Bull. Their strategy literally includes everything. The brand not only communicates a product but also a lifestyle; it has become a symbol of the energy of freedom, courage, and adrenaline. They do not sell a drink but “give people wings”. Thanks to this, they are now a completely natural part of the world of sports – with their own team in F1, the biggest music festivals and setting world records.

There are many interesting brands, but those that have a strategy are successful in the long term, regardless of whether they are multinational companies or local businesses.

How to develop an e-commerce marketing strategy

We’ve shown a common example with furniture, and we’ve gone through Dove and Red Bull, which are great examples of real-world strategic planning. Now it’s your turn. Create an e-commerce marketing strategy (strategic marketing plan) based on simple points.

1. Outline your goals.

Start by defining your goals. If you have a main brand goal, supplement it with specific, measurable SMART business goals.

2. Identify your target market.

Choose a market that is appropriate for your brand goals. It will form/already forms the core of your brand. Draw information from those who are already actively paying you. According to them, you will figure out where you can be effective and what you are strong in. Clearly describe the demographics, psychological factors, behavior and location of your customers.

3. Research your competitors.

Research your competition. Good competition research will allow you to uncover weaknesses in your business segment. Define your unique value proposition for your clients and determine where you want to fit in.

4. Determine pricing and positioning.

Set a price that matches your goals. If your segment lacks a fast-moving retailer, you could be it thanks to a lower price. If you feel that there is no luxury tailor-made company among the competition, you can become exactly that. Your strategy will determine the price and positioning of your services or products.

5. Outline your plan and track the results.

Once you have a strategy in place, it’s just a step to start developing a plan. In the opening paragraphs of this article, we went over an example of how to create a strategic marketing plan. Once you add SMART goals to your strategy, choose the right platforms, and have a good budget, all you have to do is track the results and you can responsibly manage your company’s marketing with a plan.

Final Thoughts

A marketing strategy is not a static document that is created once and never changed. It is the living foundation of the brand, influencing every marketing decision in the company. Whether you are a large retailer or a local brand, a strategy will help you grow in the long term. Because if you know the why (Marketing Strategy), you can handle every how (Marketing Plan).

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