Half of all small businesses close their doors within five years, and two-thirds don’t make it to ten, often because their marketing strategies fall flat and fail to drive real results. That’s why understanding what separates a forgettable plan from a strategy that becomes a marketing example is more important than ever.
This staggering statistic should alarm business leaders, but the real shock lies in understanding when these strategies actually collapse. Looking at failed marketing strategies, even those once considered promising marketing examples, shows a consistent pattern. Contrary to conventional wisdom, most marketing strategies don’t fail during execution, they’re already doomed before they begin.
In a recent episode of the Marketing Demystified podcast, marketing advisor Tracy Borreson shared a paradigm-shifting insight: marketing strategy itself is an output, not an input. This single realization flips traditional marketing thinking on its head and explains why so many businesses struggle to create effective marketing strategies.
The fatal misconception
This struggle begins with a fundamental error in thinking. Most organizations treat marketing strategy as the starting point of their efforts – the blueprint from which all tactics flow. This approach seems logical on the surface, but it fundamentally misunderstands what strategy actually is.
“Strategy is also an output,” Tracy explains. “It’s something you create from something. The inputs are the things that you create from, and the outputs are the things you create.”
When businesses rush to develop a strategic marketing framework without first establishing their foundational inputs, they build castles on sand. The collapse becomes inevitable, not because the strategy itself was inherently flawed, but because it lacked authentic connection to the organization’s true nature.
Why every great marketing strategy example starts with inputs
To create a marketing strategy that becomes an example of success, you must first identify what makes your organization uniquely capable of delivering value:
- Organizational Culture and Values: Your company’s lived values, not just the ones on your wall, shape how your marketing resonates. Borreson notes, “We put values on the wall and things like that, but we haven’t really had to look at our lived values because they weren’t really relevant, except now they are relevant.”
- Team Energy and Authentic Capabilities: Consider what naturally energizes your team. “Every single human has a different thing that allows them to generate energy,” Tracy observes. Some thrive creating conversations, others through visual expression or data analysis. When marketing aligns with these energies, implementation feels natural rather than forced.
- Business Purpose and Way of Being: An example of a marketing strategy that works must reflect your organization’s authentic purpose. Borreson illustrates this by asking, ‘What would it look like from a business perspective if 22% of our employees were engaged and everybody else had 21% of their employees engaged?’ Beginning with your unique organizational purpose creates distinctive marketing approaches that stand out from competitors.
- Existing Strengths, Not Perceived Gaps: Focus on “what you have” rather than “what you need.” Tracy emphasizes, “Your inputs are what you have. It’s not what you need.” This shift eliminates the constant chase for external solutions and grounds your strategy in reality.
These foundational elements create rich examples of marketing strategies that truly stand apart. When properly identified and leveraged, they form the bedrock of marketing that feels genuine to both your team and your audience. Yet many businesses ignore these internal strengths entirely, falling instead into a dangerous pattern of imitation.
The template trap
One widespread marketing failure occurs when businesses adopt templates rather than developing authentic approaches. Many marketing consultants offer standardized strategies across different clients, ignoring their unique characteristics.
“There is a danger in the marketing industry of people who have templated a strategy and then go and serve that strategy to every single client,” Borreson warns. “Even if you’re in the same industry as another business, the reason why you created your business is different, the team that you have is different, the energy you approach or work with is different.”
This explains why following another company’s successful marketing playbook often fails. What worked for them emerged from their inputs, which inevitably differ from yours. A successful marketing strategy requires you to acknowledge these differences rather than trying to replicate others’ success.
The belonging imperative
Another crucial element: belonging. This operates at two levels – internal belonging within your organization and external belonging within your broader market community.
“If they’re all feeling very disconnected from each other, you can bet your marketing’s gonna feel disconnected as well,” Borreson explains.
The marketing strategies that become industry examples are often rooted in a strong sense of internal belonging and team alignment. This internal alignment creates coherence in your external communications, forming authentic connections with customers and even competitors.
Borreson defines belonging as feeling “owned and cared for in our successes, dreams, and failures.” When your strategic marketing framework emerges from this foundation, it creates natural resonance with your audience.
Ready to build a marketing strategy that works?
A marketing strategy isn’t about finding magical external solutions – it’s about building from your organization’s authentic core. When your strategy emerges naturally from your unique inputs, it creates distinctive positioning that competitors can’t easily replicate.
Tired of marketing strategies that collapse before they begin? Growgetter specializes in developing authentic marketing approaches built on your organization’s true inputs. Connect with our team to discover how your unique organizational DNA can drive powerful marketing strategy examples that deliver real results and set industry standards.