Hi Reader,

Everybody wants to talk about tactics.

Should I start a podcast?

Do I need a YouTube channel?

What about Instagram? Paid ads? A landing page?

Maybe.

But before we talk about any of that, I have a question:

Where are you leading people?

Years ago, a client hired me to write a series of direct mail letters.

He owned a trades business, and direct mail had been successful for him. The letters would thank customers for their business and include a gentle request for referrals.

Then he mentioned that he wanted to point readers to his Instagram page.

"Great," I thought. "Let's see what's there."

So I looked it up.

Nothing, and by “nothing,” I mean: no posts, no photos, no content.

Just an Instagram account waiting for a reason to exist.

When I asked about it, he assured me he would start creating content.

He never did.

And I never wrote the letters.

Because the more I thought about it, the more I realized we had skipped over the most important question.

If someone receives the letter and follows the trail to Instagram, what are they supposed to find when they get there?

What do we want them to think?

What do we want them to do?

How does that support the goal of generating referrals?

Those are strategy questions.

Too often, people start with the tactic.

A podcast.

A YouTube channel.

Instagram.

A newsletter.

Paid ads.

But the tactic isn't the strategy.

The tactic is simply the vehicle.

Strategy decides where you're taking people.

Before you add another marketing activity to your plate, ask yourself:

Where am I leading my audience?

Because if you can't answer that question, the tactic probably isn't the solution.

Sometimes people hire me to rewrite a website, refresh a LinkedIn profile, or develop a newsletter strategy.

More often than not, they hire me because something feels off and they can't quite put their finger on it.

The conversation usually starts with writing.

It almost always leads to strategy.

If that's where you are, hit reply.

Best,