Someone asked me a hard question recently.
If I had to compress 17 years of marketing, and the millions of dollars generated, into one single idea...which one would it be?
I thought about it.
And here’s what I came up with:
Always choose strategy over shiny tactics.
That's it.
Most entrepreneurs don't do that. Neither do most business owners. Even a lot of marketers.
They chase “tactical rabbits”.
They look at the market.
They watch what competitors and friends are doing right now. Then they grab that tactic and try to force it into their business. A tactic with no strategy is built to fail though.
Let me explain...
Take one popular tactic: Instagram DMs.
You post a reel. 30 seconds. Maybe 60. You build curiosity. You tell people to comment a word. They get an automated DM. A lead magnet or some kind of free gift. Then a follow-up: A call, a webinar, a VSL or a sales page.
It's not a bad tactic.
It's actually a pretty good one.
Isolated, though? Destructive.
Here's why:
Google did the research. They call it the 7-11-4 rule. And it says: On average, people need 7 hours of engagement, over 11 touch points, on 4 different platforms, before they trust a business enough to buy.
Read that again.
7 hours. 11 touch points. 4 platforms.
Now run that reel tactic through that lens.
The reel is one minute. The comment takes 10 seconds. The lead magnet? Nobody sits with a PDF for 7 hours. They scan it. 20 seconds. Maybe a minute. Then they glance at your profile.
Realistically, that's 2 or 3 minutes.
Across 3 or 4 interactions.
Nice comments.
Busy DMs.
Almost no trust.
You never even get close to 7 hours.
So look at the same tactic through a strategy lens.
Build a marketing playground first. Make 7-11-4 possible. Let’s say YouTube is a good home for your audience. You can go deep on their problems. You have 50 videos. 1,000 subscribers. And 100 real fans. The people who watch almost everything you post. Tens of hours with you. Already.
Then you make a new video. At the end you say: I have a free gift. DM me this word on Instagram.
Now the whole thing changes.
You're talking to people who already spent 10 or 20 hours with you.
The gift adds goodwill.
And you bring them onto another platform.
YouTube.
Instagram.
A lead magnet on your site.
A phone call.
That's four platforms.
Tens of hours. Way more than 11 touch points. Now you can expect ACTUAL results. You built the conditions for trust.
If I had to compact everything I know into one thing that still works...
IT’S THIS!
Focus on strategy. Not tactics. Tactics are not the enemy. You need them. They just have to sit inside the strategy. Like one section of an orchestra. One instrument never makes the full sound.
That's the message.
How you build that marketing playground depends on your audience and your own strengths.
Every business is different.
If you want help building yours, reach out.