Decide the direction before you buy the channel
Growth planning, funnel direction and channel priorities — the layer that decides what to fix first, what to spend on, and how the other eight layers connect. Not a document. A working order of operations.
Strategy is the order of work. It decides which layer to fix first and what every other layer is for.
Which is why our strategy work produces a sequence and a set of decisions, not a deck that sits in a drawer.
Why marketing without direction gets expensive
Activity is easy to buy. Sequence is what makes it pay.
Channels chosen by habit
Ads because a competitor runs them; SEO because someone said so. No reason tied to the buyer.
Everything at once
Six initiatives half-started, none finished enough to judge.
No definition of the customer
Who you serve, what they compare you to and why they choose — assumed, never written down.
Funnel with missing stages
Traffic with no conversion path, or a great page with no traffic and no follow-up.
Budget without a target
Spend agreed by comfort level, not by what a customer is worth.
Reporting without a decision
Numbers reviewed monthly; nothing changes as a result.
Strategy is layer 01 of nine
Highlighted below. Every other layer takes its priorities, targets and sequence from this one.
Strategy connects to everything: it sets what ads, SEO, the website, tracking, CRM, email and creative are each meant to achieve, and in which order.
The work inside a strategy engagement
Four kinds of decision, made in order.
Growth planning
Where growth will come from and what it costs to get.
- Customer value and acquisition targets
- Market and alternative analysis
- Growth model by channel
- 12-month order of work
Funnel direction
What happens at each stage, and where it breaks.
- Stage-by-stage funnel map
- Conversion path definition
- Leak identification by layer
- Fix sequence
Channel priorities
Which channels, in which order, and why.
- Demand capture vs demand creation
- Channel fit to offer and buyer
- Budget allocation logic
- Test and scale criteria
Offer and positioning input
The commercial foundation the message rests on.
- Offer clarity review
- Segment prioritisation
- Proof and objection map
- Brief to creative direction
Measurement definitions
A strategy nobody can measure is a hope.
- Conversion definitions and values
- Targets per layer
- Reporting cadence and owners
Quarterly direction review
The plan changes when the evidence does.
- Layer-by-layer progress
- Constraint reassessment
- Next-quarter priorities
- Budget reallocation
A sequence your team can act on Monday
Every engagement produces artefacts you keep — the growth model, the funnel map and a prioritised order of work with targets attached.
Not a 60-page deck
Strategy is delivered as decisions and a sequence. Short enough to be read; specific enough to be acted on.
Growth model
Customer value, targets and where growth is expected to come from.
Funnel map
Every stage, what converts, what leaks and which layer is responsible.
Channel priorities
Which channels to use, in what order, with the reasoning.
Order of work
What to fix first, second and third — the plan the other layers follow.
Measurement definitions
What counts, what it is worth and who reports it.
Quarterly review
Direction reassessed against evidence, not opinion.
Before we recommend a direction
Commercial checks at the start of every strategy engagement.
What a customer is worth, how long they stay and what you can afford to acquire one.
What you sell, what buyers compare it to, and why they would choose you.
Where visitors, leads and customers come from and where they drop.
What has been tried, what was measured and what was concluded.
What your team can execute, and how fast.
Whether the current data can support any of the decisions above.
Strategy work is most useful when…
And we will say so plainly if it is the wrong first move for you.
Good fit
You are about to spend and want it in the right order.
- Several channels running with unclear return
- A new offer, market or growth target
- Leadership disagrees on priorities
- Budget is increasing
Fix something first
A strategy would be built on sand.
- No tracking to judge any current channel
- The offer itself is unclear — start with creative direction
- Follow-up is failing on existing leads
Probably not yet
A lighter step will do.
- One channel, small budget, clear constraint
- The free growth plan already answers the sequencing question
- You need execution, not another plan
How a strategy engagement runs
Four stages, from evidence to a sequence.
Evidence review
Customer economics, offer, funnel, channel history and measurement examined honestly.
Output: findings and constraint list
Direction
Growth model, channel priorities and funnel direction agreed with you.
Output: growth model and funnel map
Order of work
What to fix first and why, with targets and owners per layer.
Output: prioritised 12-month sequence
Review cadence
Quarterly reassessment as evidence arrives; the sequence changes when it should.
Output: quarterly direction review
Relevant strategy work
What was disconnected and what we joined up. Verified detail only.
Emma & Tom’s
Turning existing brand equity and new customer discovery into measurable ecommerce revenue.
The Artisans Bottega
Connecting ecommerce, advertising, SEO, email and tracking to build a complete digital growth system.
What strategy directs
Follow the layer that concerns you most.
Strategy FAQ
How is this different from the free growth plan?
The free growth plan is a diagnostic: what is working, what is disconnected, what to fix first. Strategy goes further — the growth model, channel priorities and the full order of work.
Do we need strategy before buying ads?
You need to know what a customer is worth and where the funnel leaks. Sometimes that is a short conversation; sometimes it is this engagement.
Is it a one-off?
The initial work is. Most clients keep a quarterly review so the sequence changes as evidence arrives.
Will you execute it too?
Yes, where it makes sense. The plan is written so your team or another partner could act on it as well.
Not sure what to fix first? Start with the diagnostic
The free growth plan shows what is working, what is disconnected and what to fix next — the first step of any direction.
If you want a read before we speak, the free Marketing Health Check scans your site and scores what can actually be assessed, and the AI Marketing Plan Generator drafts a 90-day plan from your own context.