For a long time, my approach to marketing was kind of a mess.
I would jump straight into execution. Writing emails. Publishing content. Launching ads. No real strategy, just movement. I told myself it was agile. In reality, I was mostly winging it.
Sometimes it worked. But more often, I would hit a wall. Conversions were low. Engagement was flat. Or worse, I had no idea if anything was working at all. I poured hours into campaigns that felt productive, only to realize later they hadn’t moved the needle.
Eventually, I realized I needed to be more strategic. But instead of finding balance, I swung too far in the other direction.
Suddenly everything needed a plan. Detailed roadmaps, cross-functional meetings, long reviews. By the time we were ready to execute, the moment had already passed. Priorities shifted. Some of the original ideas didn’t even make sense anymore.
That’s when it hit me. I didn’t need no plan. I didn’t need a 50-slide strategy either. I just needed a foundation that gave me direction without slowing me down.
Start by Fixing the Foundation
Looking back, one of the biggest mistakes I made was skipping over the basics. I would dive into execution and assume I could figure things out as I went.
That didn’t always go well.
Once, I led an SEO campaign for a lead gen company. We created dozens of blog posts, secured backlinks, drove some solid traffic. But when my boss asked how many leads came from that effort, I had no answer.
Tracking wasn’t properly set up. People clicked our CTAs, visited our forms, and then… nothing. No way to connect the dots.
That moment stuck with me.
Now, before I launch anything, I ask myself a few key questions:
- Do I have the right data? If I don’t understand what my audience needs, I’m just guessing.
- Is tracking in place? If I can’t measure it, I can’t improve it.
- What does success look like? If I can’t define it, how will I know if I’ve achieved it?
Once I committed to building a stronger foundation, everything became clearer. I stopped running in circles. Every effort had a reason behind it and a way to evaluate its impact.
The Minimum Viable Strategy
After learning the hard way that no strategy was a bad idea, I made a different mistake. I started overplanning. I wouldn’t launch anything until every detail was mapped out.
And then I’d wait. And wait. And by the time we were ready, something had changed. The market. The business needs. The budget. Suddenly the work wasn’t relevant anymore.
So I changed my approach.
Now I start smaller. I test quickly. I learn as I go.
When we first wanted to explore video marketing, we didn’t map out a year-long calendar. We didn’t hire a production team. We made one quick video. We shared it with a small audience, gathered feedback, and adjusted from there.
That one low-risk test told us more than any planning document could have.
This is what I now call a minimum viable strategy:
- Set one clear goal. For example, generating qualified leads.
- Try a small number of tactics. Run three lightweight experiments.
- Measure real results. Not just likes or impressions, but conversions.
- Adjust based on what works. Double down on the wins, cut the rest.
This approach has saved me time, budget, and a lot of frustration.
A Framework That Actually Works: OGSM
Eventually, I landed on a framework that gives structure without overcomplicating things. It’s called OGSM, which stands for Objectives, Goals, Strategies, and Measures.
I’ve worked without a framework before. Every time, I’ve regretted it.
Without structure, marketing efforts get messy. People chase their own priorities. Projects pile up with no real connection to business outcomes. And no one agrees on what success even means.
OGSM fixes that:
- Objective: The broader business goal. For example, improve lead quality to support revenue.
- Goals: The key milestones needed to support the objective. Like understanding customer behavior more deeply.
- Strategies: The actions we’ll take. For example, launching a new targeting campaign or improving analytics.
- Measures: The metrics we’ll use to evaluate success. Like conversion rate changes across channels.
What I like most about OGSM is that it keeps me focused on outcomes, not just activities. It forces me to think about why something matters before jumping into how to do it.
Why This Works
The best marketing teams understand how their daily work connects to the bigger company goals. When that connection is clear, people are more motivated, more strategic, and mStrong marketing teams know how their work ties into bigger company goals. When that connection is clear, it becomes easier to stay aligned, make better decisions, and adapt when needed.
But when that connection is missing, you get:
- Campaigns that feel random
- Teams constantly shifting priorities
- A bunch of busy work that doesn’t move the business forward
I’ve seen it happen. One quarter, we decided to skip the OGSM process. Everyone did their own thing. We stayed busy. We launched projects. But at the end of the quarter, none of it added up to anything meaningful.
That was the last time I let strategy slide.
Execution Over Perfection
The biggest thing I’ve learned?
You don’t need a flawless strategy. You need one that’s grounded, flexible, and focused.
Here’s what’s worked for me:
- Build a solid foundation. Get your data and tracking right.
- Start small with a minimum viable strategy. Don’t wait for perfect.
- Use OGSM to create structure and alignment.
- Execute. Measure. Iterate. The answers come from doing, not just planning.
Marketing should not be an endless strategy session. At some point, you have to get into the real work.
So if you feel like things are overcomplicated, or your efforts feel disconnected, take a step back. Simplify. Get your foundation in place. Launch something real. Learn from it.
That’s how I stopped overthinking it, and finally made my strategy work.
