Tactics are the communication tools used to accomplish strategic objectives. Successful tactics have a clear purpose and well-defined goals that have measurable impacts.

The best way to ensure that a tactic will reach a customer when they are ready to buy is through a holistic approach that covers a variety of places where they might be. Influential messages can arrive in many forms from websites, social media, and PPC to brochures, traditional advertising, public relations, trade shows, point of sale, and more. Not every tactic will work for every goal or successfully target every potential customer. Developing accurate customer profiles will help you identify the most effective tactics for a specific customer group in consideration of your budget.

This tactical mix is never static. You will be constantly measuring results and adjusting each tactic based on those results.

Successful marketing begins with knowing and understanding your customers so well that it becomes easier to drive them to action by directing the communication of a product or service in a way that impacts a specific strategic goal. 

To create tactics that support your marketing strategies, you have to start with a profile or general description of your ideal customer. The journey from not knowing to knowing your target customer’s demographics, preferences, buying behaviors, and more will help you craft effective communications.

Most brands have more than one ideal customer segment, so the outline below offers an example of how a set of customer profiles might look:

Each customer segment is unique in its description and preferences but also unique in the way you need to communicate to them via their preferred channel (print, digital or other). Without this information, it would be difficult to define the tactics that will most effectively drive your customers to action.