Study first
Review the ideas behind the questions
Check the evidence behind a marketing plan before the team chooses tactics. Focus on market research, competitor context, customer problems, and assumptions that could change the plan.
Read The Market Before The Tactic
A beginner strategy review starts with the market context. The point is to learn whether there is real demand, who the plan is for, and what outside forces may shape the choice.
- Use market research to check customer behavior and economic trends before the team locks the plan.
- A market scan should check demand, market size, economic indicators, and location. It should also review saturation and pricing.
- A marketing strategy should guide tactics and resources toward broader business objectives.
In Practice
Treat Market Size As A Question
A large category is not enough by itself. Ask whether there is demand for this offer, who would buy it, and what conditions affect their choice.
Keep Strategy Above The Tactic
If the plan jumps straight to a channel, bring it back to the value, customer, goal, and resource choices that the channel should serve.
Common mistakes
Picking a tactic because it is familiar before checking the market context.
Check customer behavior, economic trends, demand, market size, and competitive conditions before the tactic is approved.
Q&A
What should a marketer check before choosing a tactic?
Check the market, customer demand, competitor context, and business goal the tactic is meant to serve.
Why is a strategy different from a to-do list?
A strategy guides the value, audience, goals, resources, and tactics; a to-do list only names work to run.
Use Competitor Evidence Carefully
Competitor research is useful when it explains the market, not when it only lists brand names. Look for the alternatives customers compare and the barriers that affect entry.
- Competitive analysis should help the business learn from companies competing for potential customers.
- A competitor scan should identify product or service lines and the market segments competitors serve.
- A market review should consider indirect or secondary competitors that may affect success.
In Practice
Competitors Are Not A Channel Plan
Knowing who competes is only the start. The useful work is to understand segment focus, strengths, weaknesses, barriers, and customer alternatives.
Look For The Customer Alternative
A customer might compare the offer with a different service, a manual workaround, or doing nothing. That alternative can still affect the plan.
Common mistakes
Treating a competitor list as a complete competitive analysis.
Add the segments, strengths, weaknesses, entry barriers, and indirect alternatives that affect the plan.
Q&A
What makes competitor research useful for planning?
It explains how competitors serve the market, where they are strong or weak, and what barriers or alternatives may affect the plan.
Check Assumptions Before Commitment
A plan is stronger when the team names the assumptions it is making and tests them against current evidence. Old lessons, audience insight and local context can change the best choice.
- Evaluation inputs include the planning and research that inform a campaign, including previous learnings and assumptions.
- Good communications should start with a deep understanding of audience and local context from trusted sources.
- Strategy should stay flexible enough to adjust when performance and customer evidence change.
In Practice
Name The Risky Assumption
If the whole plan depends on one belief about customers, competitors, or timing, write it down and check it before the budget or launch date is fixed.
Use Current Context
Old performance or broad national data may not be enough when the target market has a specific local, cultural, economic, or timing context.
Common mistakes
Assuming last year's lesson still applies without checking the current audience or market.
Review previous learning with current audience, market, and competitor evidence before using it in the new plan.
Q&A
When should assumptions be checked?
Check them before the plan is committed, and again when new evidence shows the audience or market has changed.