Strategy and Product Management

The strategies you use to market your product include:

positioning
primary marketing media (word of mouth, PR, advertising)
approach to pricing

These stategic aspects of marketing contrast with tactics, the details of executing these strategies. In general your marcom team should be handling such tactical activities as coordinating events, planting of stories in the media, and designing brochures. But who should be performing the strategic activities? Are you an executive making strategic decisions based solely on your industry experience or gut feel? If so, consider involving your product manager or a product management firm to provide a solid foundation for your decisions.

Sound strategic marketing decisions are based on:

Market research. Not any old person conducting surveys or talking to customers, but someone who is trained at facilitating one-one-interviews and authoring effective surveys.
Marketing principles. Research and experience will lead you astray unless you understand the principles of marketing, which often conflict with instincts. Marketing is not common sense.

Don't be fooled by tactical marketing companies that masquerade as marketing strategy firms.

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