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What’s The Right Strategy – That’s The Keystone Question

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Welcome to my open letter.

In this letter, I’m going to to share my POV on strategy with you.

If you want to share your POV back, my direct email address is enclosed at the end.

Right around today is when I started my career in marketing way back in 1999.

As I reflect, I chuckle to myself.

Because it’s been 25 years since I became slightly-obsessed with practicing the discipline of marketing, and studying the field of marketing.

But you know what, it makes sense why I became slightly-obsessed…

Because in 1999 I had just finished playing 4 years of baseball and studying computer science in college. The disciplined mindset required to practice baseball every single day, and practice marketing every single day, are essentially the same.

Suffice it to say I’ve acquired some real marketing expertise from 25 years of practice and my slight-obsession with my profession.

So when I share my POV on strategy with you, here me out.

First… I predict the keystone question business owners, executives, managers, and marketers will wrestle with in 2025 (and beyond) is:

What’s The Right Strategy?

Why do I say this?

Because AI is here.

In an AI world it’s a new race to the top in every industry.

Just imagine how much a competitor with a better AI strategy than your company could change and disrupt your business in 2025.

Strategy is serious business.

The large majority of digital & social media marketing today is either a “Shotgun” (Ready. Fire. Aim.) or a “Spray & Pray” strategy”.

Both of these strategies are aimless and the wrong strategy for most small & medium-sized businesses (SMBs). And both strategies have a high risk of message failure, audience fatigue, and diminishing returns.

SMBs are also facing the evolution and disruption of the marketing services industry as a whole.

The marketing services industry has become a flat industry.

You can find and hire freelancers on the Internet to complete a marketing task for $5 or less.

And now you can prompt AI to complete marketing tasks better, faster, and cheaper than a freelancer in some cases.

The plethora of marketing opportunities SMBs can leverage or be hindered by are immense.

SMBs who implement the right strategy, while their competitors continue to implement the wrong strategy, can generate rapid & long-term revenue growth.

Companies with the right strategy have access to worldwide marketing talent and powerful AI tools to scale business growth faster than ever thought possible.

No question about it…

Strategy is the keystone question business owners, marketers, and managers will wrestle with in 2025 and beyond.

In all industries today, the competitive playing field is becoming more fierce and formidable than yesterday.

People who discover the right strategy for their SMB in 2025 will gain a head start and decisive advantage.

I Remember A Few Years Ago…

I met the founder of Venmo at a fireside chat. And I asked him, “what was the breakthrough moment that helped Venmo become the #1 financial app in the United States?”

He answered:

“The day I hired a Chief Marketing Officer. Before our CMO joined our team, we had the wrong strategy.”

His answer was worth my price of admission to the fireside chat.

And his answer is worth you reading the rest of my open letter.

Because strategy has never been more important in business than it is right now.

The Right Strategy Is Within You.

Business is a competition.

“Strategy” is your holistic strategy to win ( and not get demolished ) on your competitive playing field.

With the right strategy, your company can experience exponential revenue growth in a year or two.

With the wrong strategy, it could take your company three or more years to recover from it – that’s if you can course-correct and figure out the complexities within the field of marketing these days.

This is my 25th year ( silver jubilee ) as a professional marketing practitioner.

During this time, I’ve helped companies earn over a hundred million dollars in revenue. And I’ve created some proud memories with lots of people along the way.

But I’ve also sadly seen companies struggle, decline, and eventually go out of business. Largely because they had the wrong strategy.

Did you know it’s a universal process to ensure that you have the right marketing strategy?

There is…

And the process is not rocket science.

In fact, it’s quite simple.

But there’s one thing…

You have to trust the universal process in order for it to work for you.

Here’s A Hard Truth About Strategy:

If a marketing strategy does not grow year-over-year revenue higher than the compounding rate of inflation, then a company is slowly dying.

That’s why knowing if you have the right or wrong marketing strategy is the keystone question.

I would like to  invite you to join me and my team for The Right Strategy™ Workshop.

Once per quarter, we teach strategic principles and the universal process to business owners, marketers, and managers at 4 day virtual workshop.

During the 4 day workshop, we’ll guide you along the universal process and help you discover your marketing strategy “eureka!” ( I found it! ) moment.

Join us for The Right Strategy™ Workshop and let’s make sure your business has the right strategy for YoY revenue growth.

All the best,

Anthony M. Ragland
Brand Strategy Consultant
BeGreat!™ Agency