If you’ve ever found yourself wondering how to juggle the endless tasks of running your business while also figuring out how to market it effectively, you're definitely not alone. Let’s be honest, it can feel a lot like drinking out of a fire hose.
The good news is, creating a marketing strategy doesn’t have to be as overwhelming as it sounds. In fact, with a bit of guidance and a clear plan, you can develop a marketing strategy that not only fits your business but also your busy schedule. And because we don’t like to overcomplicate things, we’re going to break down the marketing strategy basics below!
In this article, we’re sharing:
- Why marketing is important
- Why you need a marketing strategy
- The difference between B2B marketing and B2C marketing
- What to include in a marketing strategy
- Marketing strategy basics you need to know as a small business
Why Marketing is Important
First, let’s zoom out for a minute to talk about why marketing is important in the first place. Without it, your business won’t be able to grow, and you’ll be leaving a lot of money on the table. Because as a small business owner, you can rely on your network and word-of-mouth referrals for a while, but it’s risky (and doesn’t last forever). True growth comes when you tap into your audience and show them why you’re the best at what you do. That’s what marketing is for.
Why You Need a Marketing Strategy
So now that we’re on the same page, here’s why you absolutely need a marketing strategy.
These days, social media and search algorithms change so quickly. It can feel like we’re all just throwing spaghetti, closing our eyes, and hoping that we end up going viral with the right crowd of people. That’s a strategy, right?
In a word, no. Because a marketing strategy is so much more than the tactics you’re using on social media platforms. A well-crafted marketing strategy gives you direction. It helps you define your goals, identify your audience, and choose the right channels to reach them. For a deeper dive into why this is so important, check out our detailed blog post why a marketing strategy is so important.
What's the difference between B2B and B2C marketing strategies?
When people talk about marketing, they sometimes forget there’s a big difference between selling to another business (B2B) and selling directly to consumers (B2C). Both require a clear strategy, but the approach looks different.
In B2B marketing, decisions can take longer, involve multiple stakeholders, and are often driven by logic and ROI. Think: “How will this product or service make my business run better, faster, or cheaper?” Content like whitepapers, case studies, and LinkedIn posts tend to perform well here.
In B2C marketing, you’re typically speaking to one decision-maker who’s more driven by emotion, lifestyle, and personal needs. Here, you’ll lean into storytelling, visuals, and quick-to-digest content like Instagram posts, TikToks, and emails with eye-catching offers.
Neither approach is “better,” but knowing whether your audience is B2B, B2C, or a mix of both helps you tailor your strategy so your message lands with the right people. That’s why we built in a social media strategy in Enji to help you decide where to show up!
What to Include in Your Marketing Strategy
Now that we’ve touched on the importance of having a marketing strategy (and clarified why marketing is so freaking important in the first place), let’s break down what you should include in your strategy.
1. Your Goals
Every great marketing strategy starts with clear goals. What do you want to accomplish in your marketing? Are you looking to increase brand awareness, drive more traffic to your website, or boost sales? Your goals will shape your entire strategy, so it’s worth taking the time to make sure you’re setting goals that mean something to you and your business.
How do I align my marketing strategy with my business goals?
The key to aligning your marketing strategy with your business goals is to reverse-engineer the process. Start by asking yourself: What do I want my business to look like in 6–12 months? What about in 5 years? Then map your marketing tasks directly back to those outcomes.
For example, if your goal is to increase revenue by 20%, your marketing strategy might include launching a new service package, running paid ads to promote it, and building an email funnel to nurture leads. If your goal is to grow brand awareness, your focus might shift toward PR features, consistent social media posting, and SEO to bring in new eyes.
The litmus test: every tactic in your marketing strategy should clearly tie back to a business goal. If it doesn’t, save it for later (or scrap it altogether).
2. Your Customer Personas
Next up in your marketing strategy is understanding who your customers are. Creating customer personas helps you get a clear picture of your target audience, including their demographics, interests, and pain points.
We work with a lot of small business owners, and to be honest? Most of you don’t know who your business is really for (beyond the vague stuff). Creating customer personas that are so clear you feel like you know the person is critical if you want to make sure that your marketing efforts are going to bring them into your world.
How do I choose my target audience/ideal customer for my marketing strategy?
Choosing your target audience doesn’t mean limiting yourself—it means getting specific enough that your marketing speaks directly to the right people. Start by looking at your past clients or customers. Who did you love working with? Who got the best results? Who paid you without haggling? Those are usually great starting points for defining your “ideal customer.”
Then, go deeper. Write down their demographics (age, location, income level) and psychographics (values, struggles, goals). The clearer your picture, the easier it is to create marketing that feels like you’re talking directly to them.
Your action step now: Create 2–3 customer personas you can reference as you plan content. When you’re writing an Instagram caption or building a new landing page, imagine you’re writing just for that one person. That’s how you cut through the noise.
3. Where You Are Going to Market Your Business (& How Much to Spend)
Bring out the spaghetti.
Just kidding. But seriously, once you know who your customers are, it’s time to figure out where to find them. Are they scrolling through Instagram, checking emails, or searching for solutions on Google? Are they online or offline? Making decisions through their friends or their own research?
Once you answer these questions, the next step is to choose specific marketing channels. The best marketing strategies are not dependent on one platform. Find a list of places to market your business without social media here if you’re feeling stuck on what to include (but don’t choose too many to start, you can always add more later!).
One of the biggest considerations for where you’re going to market your business is determining what kind of budget you have. Of course, there’s so much you can do organically, but your budget can also help you decide which platforms you want to advertise on.
And remember… often when you aren’t spending money you’re spending time so there needs to be a balance. Trying to spend ZERO dollars is the hardest way to do it.
How do I create a marketing budget that actually works?
A good rule of thumb is to start with a percentage of your projected revenue (often 5–10% for small businesses) and then adjust based on growth stage and industry.
Here’s how to make it work in practice:
- Start small. You don’t need thousands a month right away. Even a few hundred dollars toward ads or design tools can make a difference.
- Balance organic and paid. Organic marketing (like social media or blogging) takes time, while paid marketing (like ads or sponsored content) gets faster results. A mix of both helps you grow steadily.
- Revisit quarterly. Your budget shouldn’t be static. Review it every few months and shift dollars toward what’s actually working.
Remember: your budget isn’t just about money—it’s also about time. Decide how many hours you realistically have for marketing, and build your strategy around that.
4. Specific Tasks
The very last step in your marketing strategy is to decide on specific marketing tasks. This part is important because it makes the entire plan both manageable and actionable. Instead of saying, “I’ll work on social media marketing,” specify, “I’ll post three times a week on Instagram and engage with followers for 15 mins daily.”
This part of your marketing strategy is also the most fluid. While you likely will want to check in on your marketing strategy as a whole regularly (maybe every 90 days or twice a year), the tasks might change more frequently as social media trends come and go.
While we are talking about marketing strategy basics, here are a few more things we wish more small businesses knew.
What’s the Difference Between a Marketing Strategy and a Plan?
A lot of people use “marketing strategy” and “marketing plan” interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing. A marketing strategy is the big-picture “why” and “what”—why you’re marketing in the first place, what goals you want to achieve, and what audience you’re trying to reach. A marketing plan is the step-by-step “how”—the specific tasks, campaigns, and timelines that put that strategy into action.
Think of it this way: the strategy is the map, and the plan is your turn-by-turn directions. You need both to get where you’re going.
Don’t Overcomplicate It
Easier said than done, we know. Who isn’t great at overcomplicating their own business? But here’s the truth—a one-page marketing strategy is often more effective than a detailed 20-page document that you’ll never look at again.
As you sit down to work through your own marketing strategy, don’t be afraid to keep it short and to the point. Nobody is going to see it but you (and maybe your team) and you don’t get a prize at the end if your marketing strategy is the prettiest. If you want to dig into this idea more, we highly recommend the book The 1-page marketing plan.
Starting simple with a one-page marketing plan
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, remember: a simple, one-page marketing plan can be just as effective (if not more) than a 20-page strategy doc you’ll never touch again. A one-pager forces you to focus on what really matters: your goals, your audience, your chosen channels, and your next steps.
The beauty of this approach is that it’s easy to reference and actually use. You can stick it on your desk, revisit it monthly, and adjust as needed without wading through paragraphs of fluff.
Consider How Much Time You Have
Remember how we told you not to go overboard when deciding on the number of platforms you can commit to? One of the biggest mistakes small business owners make is biting off more than they can chew. Your marketing strategy should reflect the amount of time you realistically have to dedicate to it. If you can only spare an hour a week, that’s okay! Build a strategy around that hour and make it count.
“Creating a marketing strategy is really overwhelming for a lot of small business owners because they bite off more than they can chew—and then stress about how they are going to fit it in. Our approach to creating a small business marketing strategy flips that on its head. We think you should be building your marketing strategy around how much time you have to dedicate to marketing—because that’s how you actually have a chance at keeping up with it!” - Tayler Hollman, Enji Founder
For more on this approach, read our post on creating a marketing calendar you’ll actually use.
Marketing Strategy Sample: What It Looks Like with Enji
To give you a clearer picture, let’s look at a sample marketing strategy with Enji. After you take our 20-question quiz in our marketing strategy generator, we create a marketing strategy that includes:
- Up to 3 goals (like getting better leads, increasing sales and revenue, or building your brand)
- Up to 6 objectives (what you’re going to do to reach those goals - like start an email marketing campaign or increase your website traffic)
- A place for your customer personas (so you can reference them often!)
- The marketing channels you should focus on
Head here next to learn how we can help you create a marketing strategy in less than ten minutes.
Get Started Creating a Marketing Strategy
With these marketing strategy basics in mind, we hope that we’ve dragged your feet to the fire enough that you finally create a marketing strategy you can stick with. Take a deep breath, grab a cup of coffee, and start mapping out your marketing strategy. You've got this!
If you’re ready to get started, create a free trial with Enji and generate your marketing strategy in minutes (yeah, it’s that easy!)
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Tayler Cusick Hollman
Enji Founder and Small Business Marketing Expert
Tayler is one of the Founders of Enji (marketing tools for small business owners who need to plan, do, and review it themselves). With over a decade of marketing experience, she has helped thousands of small business owners create simple marketing plans that help them get results. When she isn't thinking about how to solve the "I do my own marketing" problem, you'll find her skiing, mountain biking, or climbing rocks somewhere.
Try Enji's marketing tools for small business owners for free at enji.co
