An 'in plain english' version of what good strategy should do for a small and medium sized business.

1. What does good strategy do?
Strategy for SMEs All content © 2008-2009

2. ready?

3. then let’s start with what we all know

4. running a small and medium sized
business today is
tough

5. running a growing, successful
business is
even
t o ug h er

6. and as you
grow

7. more and more
issues

8. should i build on my internal marketing processes?
am i ready for new markets?
what should i do first?
where’s the new business coming from?
i don’t have the in-house skills i need!
should i push for traffic or conversion? how do I build my business in a recession?
what should i do about my online rankings, ratings, user reviews, product reviews?
where should i focus right now? how do i develop my value proposition?
how do i take my brand to the next level?
fightfor your attention how do i get my sales team the marketing support they need?
is it the right time to get a marketing team on board?
what’s the competition doing? how can i get a slice?
i know there’s something wrong with my channel strategy who is going to manage this for me
when should i implement this?
Social networks, websites, blogosphere, groups? how do we get there?
i don’t have time to develop a strategic plan
What about integrating new media into our marketing plan?
can i improve ROI in new european markets through more selective acquisition?
Should I take an Influencer marketing approach?
TV, print or online?
i dont have enough budget or staff to do what i need to do!
what’s the right mix of new and traditional media?
what steps should i take first to break into new markets?

9. decision making becomes more
complex

10. and priorities seem to shift
of their own volition

11. resources become
tighter

12. and your business becomes more
and more
reactive

13. which leaves very little time to focus on what is most important...

14. Growth.

15. If any of this sounds familiar...

16. ...it’s important to remember that...
to grow your business...

17. ...you need to let your business breathe.

18. Strategy
helps you breathe more easily

19. Strategy translates your issues into
manageable pieces of a plan
+
=

20. As you are targeting prioritised goals,
decision making becomes easier
1
.
.
2
3

21. This focuses your resources and allows you
€
to proactively manage your growth

22. .
All of which means...
.
.

23. ...you can achieve your growth potential