# Marketing Strategy Essentials

Based on research from [HubSpot](https://www.hubspot.com/), [Gartner](https://www.gartner.com/en/marketing), [McKinsey](https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/growth-marketing-and-sales/).

---

## Marketing Strategy Framework

### Strategy Components
```
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│       Business Objectives       │
├─────────────────────────────────┤
│      Target Market & ICP        │
├─────────────────────────────────┤
│        Value Proposition        │
├─────────────────────────────────┤
│     Competitive Positioning     │
├─────────────────────────────────┤
│        Channel Strategy         │
├─────────────────────────────────┤
│       Budget Allocation         │
├─────────────────────────────────┤
│     Measurement Framework       │
└─────────────────────────────────┘
```

---

## Goal Setting

### SMART Goals Framework
| Element | Definition | Example |
|---------|------------|---------|
| Specific | Clear, defined | "Increase MQLs" |
| Measurable | Quantifiable | "by 25%" |
| Achievable | Realistic | Based on benchmarks |
| Relevant | Aligned to business | Supports revenue |
| Time-bound | Deadline | "by Q4 2024" |

### Marketing Goal Hierarchy
```
Business Goal: Increase ARR by $5M
↓
Marketing Goal: Generate 500 SQLs
↓
Channel Goal: 2,000 MQLs from content
↓
Tactical Goal: 10,000 blog visitors/month
```

### Common Marketing OKRs
| Objective | Key Results |
|-----------|-------------|
| Increase qualified leads | +40% MQL volume, +20% SQL conversion |
| Improve brand awareness | +50% branded search, +30% social reach |
| Accelerate pipeline | -15% sales cycle, +25% win rate |
| Expand customer base | +200 new logos, 95% retention |

---

## Target Market Definition

### ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)
| Attribute | Definition |
|-----------|------------|
| Industry | Verticals you serve best |
| Company size | Employee count, revenue |
| Geography | Regions you target |
| Technology | Tech stack indicators |
| Business model | B2B, B2C, SaaS, etc. |
| Pain points | Problems you solve |
| Buying triggers | What prompts purchase |

### Buyer Persona Template
```
## [Persona Name] - [Title]

**Demographics**
- Age: [range]
- Role: [job title]
- Reports to: [title]
- Team size: [number]

**Goals**
- [Primary goal]
- [Secondary goal]

**Challenges**
- [Challenge 1]
- [Challenge 2]
- [Challenge 3]

**How We Help**
- [Value we provide]

**Objections**
- [Common objection 1]
- [Common objection 2]

**Information Sources**
- [Where they learn]

**Buying Role**
- [Decision maker / Influencer / User]
```

### Market Sizing
| Metric | Definition | Calculation |
|--------|------------|-------------|
| TAM | Total Addressable Market | All potential customers × ACV |
| SAM | Serviceable Addressable | TAM filtered by your capability |
| SOM | Serviceable Obtainable | Realistic capture in 3-5 years |

---

## Value Proposition

### Value Prop Components
1. **Target customer** - Who it's for
2. **Problem** - Pain being solved
3. **Solution** - What you offer
4. **Benefit** - Outcome delivered
5. **Differentiation** - Why you, not others

### Value Proposition Canvas
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           CUSTOMER PROFILE                  │
├───────────────┬───────────────┬─────────────┤
│    Customer   │    Pains      │   Gains     │
│     Jobs      │               │             │
│               │               │             │
└───────────────┴───────────────┴─────────────┘
                ↕
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           VALUE MAP                         │
├───────────────┬───────────────┬─────────────┤
│   Products    │    Pain       │    Gain     │
│  & Services   │  Relievers    │  Creators   │
│               │               │             │
└───────────────┴───────────────┴─────────────┘
```

### Value Prop Formulas
| Formula | Example |
|---------|---------|
| We help [target] [solve problem] by [solution] | "We help marketing teams save time by automating campaigns" |
| For [target] who [need], [product] is a [category] that [benefit]. Unlike [alternative], we [differentiation]. | Full positioning statement |
| [Product]: The [only/first/fastest] [category] that [unique benefit] | "Notion: The all-in-one workspace for notes, docs, and tasks" |

---

## Competitive Analysis

### Competitor Types
| Type | Description | Strategy |
|------|-------------|----------|
| Direct | Same product, same market | Differentiate |
| Indirect | Different product, same problem | Educate on approach |
| Substitute | Alternative solution | Show superiority |
| Potential | Could enter market | Monitor, defend |

### Competitive Analysis Matrix
| Factor | You | Competitor A | Competitor B |
|--------|-----|--------------|--------------|
| Price | $$$ | $$ | $$$$ |
| Features | 8/10 | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Ease of use | 9/10 | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 8/10 | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 9/10 | 8/10 |

### Competitive Positioning
| Strategy | When to Use |
|----------|-------------|
| Leader | You're #1, largest market share |
| Challenger | Attack leader's weaknesses |
| Niche | Own a specific segment |
| Disruptor | New approach to problem |

---

## Channel Strategy

### Channel Mix by Stage
| Stage | Primary Channels | Secondary |
|-------|------------------|-----------|
| Awareness | Content, SEO, PR, Social | Paid awareness |
| Consideration | Email, Webinars, Case Studies | Retargeting |
| Decision | Sales, Demo, Trial | Paid conversion |
| Retention | Email, Product, Community | Success |

### Channel Evaluation Matrix
| Channel | Cost | Scale | Speed | Quality |
|---------|------|-------|-------|---------|
| SEO | Low | High | Slow | High |
| Paid Search | Medium | Medium | Fast | Medium |
| Social Organic | Low | Medium | Medium | Medium |
| Social Paid | Medium | High | Fast | Medium |
| Email | Low | Medium | Medium | High |
| Content | Medium | High | Slow | High |
| Events | High | Low | Medium | High |
| Partnerships | Medium | Medium | Medium | High |

### Channel Attribution
| Model | Description | Best For |
|-------|-------------|----------|
| First touch | Credit to first interaction | Awareness focus |
| Last touch | Credit to final interaction | Direct response |
| Linear | Equal across all touches | Long cycles |
| Time decay | More to recent touches | Medium cycles |
| Data-driven | ML-based | Best accuracy |

---

## Budget Planning

### Budget Allocation Framework
| Category | % of Budget | Purpose |
|----------|-------------|---------|
| Demand gen | 40-50% | Lead generation |
| Brand | 15-25% | Awareness, thought leadership |
| Product marketing | 10-15% | Launches, enablement |
| Marketing ops | 10-15% | Tech, tools, data |
| Team | 15-20% | People costs |

### Budget by Company Stage
| Stage | Marketing as % Revenue |
|-------|----------------------|
| Seed | 0-5% |
| Series A | 10-20% |
| Series B | 15-25% |
| Series C+ | 10-20% |
| Public | 5-15% |

### CAC Targets by Industry
| Industry | Target CAC:LTV |
|----------|---------------|
| SMB SaaS | 1:3 minimum |
| Mid-Market SaaS | 1:4 |
| Enterprise SaaS | 1:5 |
| Consumer | 1:3 |

---

## Go-to-Market Strategy

### GTM Components
1. **Target market** - Who you're selling to
2. **Value proposition** - Why they should buy
3. **Pricing strategy** - How you charge
4. **Distribution** - How they get it
5. **Marketing plan** - How they find you
6. **Sales process** - How you close

### GTM Motions
| Motion | Characteristics |
|--------|-----------------|
| Product-Led | Self-serve, freemium, PLG |
| Sales-Led | Enterprise, high-touch |
| Marketing-Led | Inbound, content-driven |
| Channel-Led | Partners, resellers |
| Community-Led | User groups, advocates |

### Launch Planning
| Phase | Timeline | Activities |
|-------|----------|------------|
| Pre-launch | 8-12 weeks | Positioning, assets, beta |
| Launch week | 1 week | Announcements, PR, events |
| Post-launch | 4-8 weeks | Momentum, optimization |

---

## Measurement Framework

### Marketing Metrics Hierarchy
```
Business Metrics
├── Revenue
├── Customer count
└── Retention rate

Marketing Metrics
├── Pipeline generated
├── Marketing-sourced revenue
└── CAC payback

Channel Metrics
├── MQLs by channel
├── Conversion rates
└── Cost per lead

Activity Metrics
├── Traffic
├── Engagement
└── Content performance
```

### Key Metrics by Funnel Stage
| Stage | Metrics |
|-------|---------|
| Awareness | Impressions, reach, traffic, branded search |
| Consideration | MQLs, engagement, content downloads |
| Decision | SQLs, opportunities, pipeline |
| Purchase | Customers, revenue, CAC |
| Retention | NPS, retention rate, expansion |

### Reporting Cadence
| Report | Frequency | Audience |
|--------|-----------|----------|
| Dashboard | Real-time | Marketing team |
| Weekly stats | Weekly | Marketing team |
| Campaign report | Per campaign | Stakeholders |
| Monthly report | Monthly | Leadership |
| QBR | Quarterly | Executives |

---

## Common Frameworks

### STP Model
| Step | Description |
|------|-------------|
| Segmentation | Divide market into groups |
| Targeting | Choose which segments to pursue |
| Positioning | Define how to win in each |

### 4Ps of Marketing
| P | Traditional | Modern Lens |
|---|-------------|-------------|
| Product | What you sell | Solution, experience |
| Price | What you charge | Value exchange |
| Place | Where you sell | Distribution, access |
| Promotion | How you market | Communication, engagement |

### AIDA Model
| Stage | Goal | Tactics |
|-------|------|---------|
| Attention | Get noticed | Headlines, hooks, disruption |
| Interest | Keep engaged | Benefits, relevance |
| Desire | Create want | Social proof, FOMO |
| Action | Drive conversion | Clear CTAs, urgency |
