| A documented marketing strategy is a roadmap that takes small business owners to the destination of success. |
You must have a plan. You want to grow your business, but you feel lost.
Less than 60% of SMEs have a formal marketing strategy. And yet, a written marketing plan can multiply your success rate by 313%.
This article is the ultimate guide that shows you how to build a simple, effective marketing strategy from scratch.
GroXcelent enables business founders like you to develop a winning content strategy even with limited resources.
The “No Strategy” Problem: Why Do Most SMEs Lack a Formal Plan?
TL;DR: Many SMEs don’t have a formal marketing strategy. They operate on instinct, resulting in wasted time and money.
You’re too busy to think strategically. You don’t know where to start. As a result, marketing feels like a collection of random tasks.
Let me clear some common myths about a marketing plan:
It takes a lot of time to plan. You have too many things to attend to in your business: customers, bills, staff, and products. So, you push a marketing strategy to the back seat.
Everything about my business is in my head: Many business owners say they’re aware of their goals and methods, so they don’t have to document them.
However, a written plan provides you with clarity, direction, and a means to measure your performance.
I don’t need funding, so I don’t have to plan: A business plan is a requirement when you seek financing. This doesn’t mean you mustn’t plan. A written marketing strategy is a roadmap that helps you align your goals with your tactics.
So it isn’t surprising that about 60% of SMEs in the UK lack a formal marketing strategy. Another study found that a majority of entrepreneurs in South Africa fail to plan because of limited leadership skills.
And yet, businesses with a formal strategy are 313% more likely to succeed.
Failing to plan is planning to fail. Here’s why.
- You spend money without knowing what works.
- You chase short-term trends.
- You have no clear direction.
- You miss marketing opportunities.
- You’re unable to be profitable.
A documented marketing strategy is a roadmap that gives you direction, clarity, purpose, and success and lets you assess your marketing campaigns. Consider the marketing strategy steps below.
Step 1: Define Your Goal. What Do You Want To Achieve?
TL;DR: Start with a clear, measurable goal. This guides every marketing decision and enables you to know what’s working and what doesn’t.
A marketing strategy must have a purpose. Do you want more sales? More website traffic? More leads? More conversions?
You must be aware of the SMART technique to create marketing goals. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-framed objectives.
Here are examples of SMART marketing strategy goals:
- Sales Goal: “Increase online sales by 20% in the next 4 months.”
- Leads Goal: “Generate 40 new leads per month.“
- Traffic Goal: “Increase website traffic by 30% in the next 5 months.”
- Conversion Goal: “Increase demo requests by 15% every 3 months.”
You can use industry benchmarks to set your objectives. For example, the conversion rate is 2-6% in the B2B space, but you can increase it.
The conversion rate measures the number of users who have taken a desired action on your platform or website, like requesting a demo.
It depends on your industry, and here are examples:
- E-commerce: 3.3% (Smart Insights)
- Google Ads: 0.46% for display and 3.17% for search across all industries. (Wordstream)
- Legal services: 7.4% (Firstpagesage)
- Higher Education and College: 2.8% (Firstpagesage)
Use SMART and industry best practices to formulate your marketing strategy goals.
Step 2: Know Your Audience. Who Are You Trying To Reach?
TL;DR: You can’t market to everyone. Define your ideal customer to make your efforts more effective.
Ask yourself these questions to understand your specific target audience:
- Who is your best customer?
- What are their problems, fears, interests, and aspirations?
- What are their psychological triggers when they consider products/services?
- What position do they hold in their company? This is especially important in the B2B space since it allows you to customize your message.
- Where do they spend time online? LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and more.
- What type of content do they consume? Video, text, audio, visual, or all.
Create a simple buyer persona to help you map out your ideal customer profile. A buyer persona is a fictional representation of your potential customer.
It must have a name, a job description, income, aspirations, emotional triggers, and challenges. Use this prompt on your favorite generative AI platform to develop a buyer persona:
| Create a detailed persona for a [job title] working in [industry/company size/geography] who is responsible for [roles/skills/responsibility]. This individual is facing challenges with [specific challenge/problem/task] and is actively seeking [your product/service] to address these issues. Source: Orbit Media |
Also, use HubSpot’s buyer persona generator.
Develop a buyer persona using AI tools to understand your potential customers and personalize your content.
Step 3: Choose Your Channels. Where Will You Find Your Audience?
TL;DR: Focus on 1-2 marketing channels first. Don’t try to be everywhere at once.
You can’t master everything. Choosing a few channels and doing them well is more effective.
Here are some platforms to consider and why:
Marketing Channel Comparison Table for Small Businesses
| Channel Name | Primary Use | 3 Key Pros | 2 Key Cons |
| SEO / GEO (Search & Generative Engine Optimization) | Improve organic visibility in search engines (Google, Bing, AI tools) to attract users actively searching for solutions. | 1. Sustainable, long-term traffic 2. High-intent, quality leads 3. Builds authority & trust | 1. Slow to show results (3-6+ months) 2. Technically complex & changing most of the time |
| Social Media Marketing (LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, etc.) | Build brand community, awareness, and engage directly with your audience. | 1. Humanizes your brand 2. Excellent for engagement & feedback 3. Powerful for visual/video storytelling | 1. Algorithm-dependent (organic reach can be low) 2. Requires consistent, creative output |
| Email Marketing | Nurture leads, retain customers, and drive sales through direct communication. | 1. High ROI & conversion rates 2. Owned audience (not reliant on platforms) 3. Highly personalized & automated | 1. Requires a built list (slow start) 2. Overcrowded inboxes (must stand out) |
| Paid Advertising(Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn Ads) | Achieve short-term goals like launches, promotions, or targeted lead generation. | 1. Immediate visibility & traffic 2. Highly targetable & measurable 3. Scalable based on budget | 1. Costs stop when budget stops 2. Can be expensive (rising CPCs) |
| Channel Name | Typical Cost | Time Commitment | Best For |
| SEO / GEO(Search & Generative Engine Optimization) | Low to High (Time/Agency Fees) | High (Ongoing) | B2B & B2C businesses with a website, looking for steady growth. |
| Social Media Marketing(LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, etc.) | Low to Medium(Content Production/Ads) | Medium to High (Daily/Weekly) | B2C brands, B2B targeting professionals (LinkedIn), and visually-driven industries. |
| Email Marketing | Low (Software Costs) | Medium (Weekly Campaigns) | All businesses for customer retention, lead nurturing, and promotional offers. |
| Paid Advertising(Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn Ads) | Medium to High (Ad Spend) | Medium (Campaign Management) | Time-sensitive campaigns, product launches, and precise geographic/demographic targeting. |
How GroXcelent Empowers Startups & SMEs in Each Channel
Navigating these channels alone can overwhelm your small team.
GroXcelent integrates these strategies into a cohesive revenue engine that aligns with ambitious startups and growing SMEs.
For SEO/GEO: We optimize long-tail keywords and conversational queries. Also, our team of experts builds topic authority and human-refined AI content that aligns with how modern search engines and people discover solutions.
Our AI SEO audits and continuous optimization ensure you rank for the right terms.
For Social Media: Our team develops strategies that blend authentic community building with content that generates leads and conversions.
We handle your content calendar, engagement, and analytics.
For Email Marketing: We help you build your list strategically and design automated nurture sequences that convert subscribers into customers. This turns your email list into a reliable revenue channel.
For Paid Advertising: Our specialists manage your ad spend like it’s our own. The team focuses on efficient CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) and clear ROI. We build, test, andscale campaigns that support your sales goals.
Step 4: Plan Your Content. What Will You Say?
TL;DR: Create a content plan based on your audience’s needs and your chosen channels.
Your content must answer your audience’s questions. It should provide value. And Google explains it this way.
| People-first content means content that’s created primarily for people, and not to manipulate search engine rankings. Do you have an existing or intended audience for your business or site that would find the content useful if they came directly to you? Does your content clearly demonstrate first-hand expertise and a depth of knowledge (for example, expertise that comes from having actually used a product or service, or visiting a place)? |
Your audience must be front and center of your content strategy. Whether your content is video, text, audio, or visual, it should align with your buyer persona.
It means using language they understand and addressing their challenges and goals. For example, speak like a business expert if you’re focusing on company leaders or executives.
Use terms and expressions they’re familiar with so your content can resonate with your potential customers.
Here’s an actionable content plan:
Plan your content for a month by creating a simple calendar. It ensures your content creation and publication are predictable. You avoid guesswork and producing irrelevant content
For example: Blog post on week 1, social media posts on week 2, email newsletter on week 3.
An Example of a 3-Month Content Plan
SaaS Content Marketing Strategy (3-Month Plan): Omnichannel Platform
| Business Objectives and Goals Business Objective: Increase organic reach and attract more B2B SaaS companies to Company X, an omnichannel marketing platform. Business Goal: Achieve a 20% increase in organic traffic and generate 15% more qualified leads from B2B SaaS companies within three months. |
| Content Marketing Objective Content Marketing Objective: To establish Company X as the go-to resource for B2B SaaS companies seeking advanced omnichannel marketing solutions by creating high-value, SEO-optimized content that addresses their pain points and goals. |
| Audience Definition Primary Audience: Mid-sized to enterprise B2B SaaS companies (50-500+ employees, $1M-$50M+ annual revenue). Key Decision-Makers: CMOs, Heads of Growth, Marketing Operations Managers, and Data Analysts. Pain Points: High churn rates, fragmented customer data, low engagement, inefficient campaigns, and scalability challenges. Goals: Improve customer retention, boost engagement, optimize marketing spend, and scale efficiently. Secondary Audience: Marketing teams within SaaS companies looking for tools to streamline workflows and improve campaign performance. |
| Content Categories and Topics Content Categories: 1. Omnichannel Marketing Strategies for SaaS 2. AI-Driven Customer Retention 3. Data-Driven Personalization for B2B Growth |
| Content Types and Format Formats: Blog Articles: Long-form, SEO-optimized posts (1,500+ words). Case Studies: Real-world examples of how the Company X platform helped B2B SaaS companies achieve their goals. E-books/Guides: In-depth resources (e.g., Best Omnichannel Marketing Tools for SaaS Companies). Videos: Short explainer videos (1-2 minutes) summarizing blog topics. Webinars: Live or recorded sessions on omnichannel marketing for SaaS. |
| Distribution Channels and Frequency Blog Articles: Publish 2 blog posts every week on the company’s website. Case Studies: Release 1 case study per month showcasing successful implementations of Dengage’s platform. E-books/Guides: Release 1 comprehensive guide at the end of Month 2. Videos: Create 2 short videos (one per blog post) and share on YouTube and LinkedIn. Webinars: Host 1 live webinar in Month 3 on “Omnichannel Marketing for SaaS Growth.” Email Campaigns: Send monthly newsletters featuring blog posts, case studies, guides, and webinar invites to subscribers. |
| Connecting to Business Purpose and Measuring Success Content Marketing Goals: 1. Increase organic traffic by 20% within three months. 2. Generate 15% more qualified leads from B2B SaaS companies. 3. Grow email subscribers by 10% through gated content (e.g., e-books, webinars). |
| KPIs and Tools: Organic Traffic: Track using Google Analytics Lead Generation: Measure through HubSpot or CRM tools. Time on Page: Monitor average time spent on blog posts and case studies using Google Analytics. Conversion Rate: Track conversion rates for gated content (e.g., e-books, webinars) using Google Analytics. Email Performance: Track open rates, click-through rates, and conversions using Mailchimp or Brevo. SEO Performance: Use Ahrefs or SEMrush to monitor AI mentions, citations, visibility, and share of voice. |
A content calendar must contain the vital aspects below:
- Key topics that aim to address your audience’s needs. Use free AI or keyword tools to generate content ideas.
- Long-tail keywords are search terms your audience uses for your product/service. These are more than 3 words such as ‘social media content calendar template.’
- Search terms can also be in the form of conversational queries like ‘ What’s the best social media content template? Use AI or free keyword apps.
- Author/editor: The individual responsible for creating and editing the content.
- Purpose/Goal: States what the piece of content aims to achieve. More leads?
- Publication date: Shows when the item goes live.
- Internal links: What website pages will the content link to?
You can use HubSpot’s free content and social media templates to plan your content. Airtable also offers free content versions.
However, your content calendar isn’t set in stone. You can adjust it when you note significant changes in your industry based on data.
Plan your content by using free content calendar templates. Adjust your content strategy when you see big changes in your sector.
Step 5: Measure and Adapt. How Will You Track Success?
TL;DR: Your strategy isn’t a static document. Review your results monthly and make changes.
You develop a content strategy to achieve specific marketing goals, such as generating leads on your website.
Because of new developments in your industry or what your data says, you can fine-tune your marketing strategy.
As a result, use free analytics tools like Google Analytics (GA) and Google Search Console to see what works and what doesn’t.
Watch this 4-minute video about how to use GA.
GA is a free analytics tool that shows:
- The sources of traffic
- Impressions (users who have seen your content)
- Engagements (users who have interacted with your content)
- Conversions (users who have taken a desired action, such as buying a product)
So track these key metrics.
- Is your website traffic growing?
- Are you getting more leads?
- Are your conversions decreasing?
- What are the sources of traffic?
- Are your visitors engaged?
Adjust your strategy based on this data.
Measure your content performance using free analytic tools and adapt your marketing approach based on data.
FQAs on Marketing Strategy
| What are the 5 main components of a marketing strategy? They include your goals, audience, metrics, content, and channels. |
| What makes a good marketing plan? An effective marketing strategy should contain your audience, business goals, content formats, KPIs, and channels. |
| How do you create a successful strategy? Document your marketing plan using free content templates to boost your chances of success. |
Document Your Marketing Strategy To Boost Your Success Rate
A good marketing strategy is a simple plan. It defines your goal, audience, channels, content, and key performance indicators. And it helps you track your progress.
You don’t have to build your strategy alone. Our expert team at GroXcelent can build a winning content strategy for you.
GroXcelent is an SME growth agency for ambitious startups and growing small businesses that integrates AI SEO, content, social media, digital PR, email, and PPC strategies.
We can handle your ecommerce, NGO, fintech, SaaS, and education SEO strategies, so you can dominate your niche.
Schedule a free consultation today to increase your chances of success.
