I’ve always been a big believer in taking a minute to understand what’s really going on before jumping straight into doing more.
In marketing, there’s always something you could be doing. Run ads. Redesign the website. Post more content. Start an email campaign. Try a new platform.
The harder question is whether that’s actually the thing you should be doing.
That’s usually where I like to start.
What are we really trying to accomplish? What’s already working? Where are people getting stuck? What might be missing?
Sometimes the answer is marketing. Sometimes it isn’t.
Maybe the offer needs work. Maybe the positioning isn’t clear enough. Maybe the ads are fine, but the website or customer journey is creating friction. Sometimes there are a lot of decent pieces in place, but they’re not really working together.
I’ve seen enough over the years to know that doing more isn’t automatically the same thing as making progress.
That’s a big reason strategy is so important to me.
At AB Strategy, we tend to look at things through a pretty simple process:
Analyze. Strategize. Implement. Optimize.
Not as some rigid formula. It’s really just a reminder to understand the situation first, make a thoughtful plan, put it into action, and then pay attention to what happens so you can keep making it better.
A lot of my work has really come down to that kind of problem solving. Looking at the bigger picture, asking questions, finding the disconnects, and figuring out what makes the most sense for the particular business, brand or project in front of me.
There isn’t one marketing playbook that works for everybody, and I don’t think there should be.
Different goals need different approaches.
To me, doing it right from the start doesn’t mean everything has to be perfect before you move.
It just means understanding what you’re trying to accomplish and making sure the things you’re doing actually have a reason behind them.
— Anton Bass
Founder, AB Strategy