Marketing Strategy vs Marketing Tactics: Why You Need Both (In the Right Order)

If you feel like you’re doing all the things in marketing……but still not moving the needle?

There’s a good chance you’re confusing marketing strategy with marketing tactics.

It happens all the time – especially in B2B, SaaS, and tech companies where lean teams are under pressure to just get stuff done.

But when strategy and tactics blur together, you end up busy, not effective.

Let’s break it down properly — because when you understand the difference, everything in your marketing starts to work harder (and smarter).

Marketing Strategy vs Marketing Tactics: What's the Real Difference?

You’ve probably sat in meetings where someone says,

"Our strategy is to post more on LinkedIn and send two emails a week!"

(Hint: that’s not a strategy. Those are tactics.)

Strategy is the big picture.

Tactics are the actions you take to make that picture real.

Here’s a simple way to think about it:

Imagine you're planning a road trip.

• Strategy = the planned route, the cities you’ll visit, and the destination you want to reach.

• Tactics = the pit stops you’ll take, the podcasts you’ll queue up, the places you’ll grab coffee along the way.

Both matter. But they’re not the same thing.

And if you only focus on the pit stops? You might never reach your destination.

So What Is a Marketing Strategy?

Let’s get super clear:

• A goal is not a strategy.

• Execution is not a strategy.

• Tactics are not a strategy.

A marketing strategy is your disciplined plan.

It answers: "How are we going to reach our business objective?"

Great strategies are:

• Insight-driven: Built on real market research and customer understanding.

• Directional: They set the path but don’t dictate every step.

• Focused: They filter out distractions and keep everyone aligned.

• Enduring: They’re solid enough to guide you, flexible enough to adapt.

Without a clear strategy, you’re basically hoping luck will do the heavy lifting.

(And hope is not a business plan.)

And What Are Marketing Tactics?

Once the strategy is in place, tactics bring it to life.

Tactics are the specific moves you make:

The social posts.

The webinars.

The email campaigns.

The ad placements.

They're:

• Actionable: You can put them on a task list.

• Precise: Not vague ideas—clear, defined actions.

• Costed: They require resources — time, money, effort.

• Measurable: You can track if they’re working.

Example:

👉 Strategy: Position our SaaS platform as the most intuitive in the market.

👉 Tactic: Create a video series showing customers completing tasks in under 2 minutes.

No random acts of marketing. Everything aligns back to the strategy.

Why SaaS and Tech Companies Need Both — But in the Right Order

In the B2B, SaaS, and tech world, precision isn’t optional.

Your marketing budget isn’t endless.

Your audience isn’t forgiving.

You can’t afford to "try everything and see what sticks."

• Without strategy, your tactics feel disconnected and chaotic.

• Without tactics, your strategy remains a nice theory gathering dust.

You need both, but you need them in the right sequence.

A Smart Marketing Flow Looks Like This:

1. Define the Business Objective: What are you really trying to achieve?

2. Build the Strategy: Set the path based on research, not assumptions.

3. Design the Tactics: Choose the right tools and actions to deliver the strategy.

4. Budget Accordingly: Every tactic has a cost — know it upfront.

5. Execute and Adjust: Launch, measure, learn, refine.

Final Thought

It’s easy to get caught up in doing.

Posting, emailing, boosting, tweaking...

But action without direction is just noise.

Strategy gives your marketing meaning.

Tactics turn that meaning into movement.

When you separate the two — and then reconnect them the right way —you stop wasting effort…and start building real momentum.

Smart marketing isn’t about doing more.

It’s about doing what matters, on purpose.

Whenever you're ready, there are many ways I can help you:

At Peez & Co, we help ambitious B2B businesses build brand-to-revenue marketing strategies that connect with the right people.

Fractional Marketing Leadership: I help seven-figure and growth-stage companies turn marketing into a true business driver. All without the costs associated with a high salary, super, benefits and recruitment.

Learn more about Fractional CMO support: Contact Us

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