marketing

---
name: marketing
description: Marketing strategy expertise for brand strategy, market research, customer segmentation, digital marketing, content strategy, marketing analytics, campaign management, and PR/communications. Use when planning campaigns, analyzing brand health, building personas, or optimizing marketing performance.
license: MIT
---

# Marketing Strategy Expert

Comprehensive marketing frameworks for brand building, customer acquisition, and campaign optimization.

## Brand Strategy

### Brand Architecture

```
BRAND ARCHITECTURE MODELS:

BRANDED HOUSE:
- Single master brand
- All products under one umbrella
- Example: Google (Google Maps, Gmail, etc.)
- Pro: Brand equity transfer
- Con: Risk concentration

HOUSE OF BRANDS:
- Independent brand identities
- Parent company invisible
- Example: P&G (Tide, Pampers, Crest)
- Pro: Risk isolation
- Con: No equity leverage

ENDORSED BRANDS:
- Sub-brands with parent endorsement
- Example: Marriott (Courtyard by Marriott)
- Pro: Balance of independence and credibility

SUB-BRANDS:
- Parent-driven with modifiers
- Example: Apple iPhone, iPad, iMac
- Pro: Clear hierarchy, shared equity
```

### Brand Positioning Framework

```
POSITIONING STATEMENT:
For [target audience]
Who [need/want]
[Brand] is the [category]
That [key benefit]
Because [reason to believe]
Unlike [competitive alternative]

BRAND PYRAMID:
           PURPOSE
          /       \
       VALUES      \
      /             \
   PERSONALITY       \
  /                   \
EMOTIONAL BENEFITS     \
/                       \
FUNCTIONAL BENEFITS      \
/                         \
ATTRIBUTES/FEATURES--------
```

### Brand Health Metrics

| Metric             | Measurement                    | Frequency |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------ | --------- |
| **Awareness**      | Aided/unaided recall           | Quarterly |
| **Consideration**  | Would consider purchasing      | Quarterly |
| **Preference**     | Preferred over competitors     | Quarterly |
| **NPS**            | Net Promoter Score             | Monthly   |
| **Brand Equity**   | Dollar value of brand          | Annually  |
| **Share of Voice** | Media mentions vs. competitors | Monthly   |

## Market Research

### Research Methodology Selection

| Method                  | When to Use                   | Sample Size       | Timeline  |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------------- | ----------------- | --------- |
| **Surveys**             | Quantify attitudes, behaviors | 400-1000+         | 2-4 weeks |
| **Focus Groups**        | Explore opinions, reactions   | 6-10 per group    | 2-3 weeks |
| **In-depth Interviews** | Deep understanding            | 15-30             | 3-4 weeks |
| **Ethnography**         | Observe real behavior         | 10-20             | 4-8 weeks |
| **A/B Testing**         | Compare options               | 1000+ per variant | 2-4 weeks |
| **Social Listening**    | Track conversations           | N/A               | Ongoing   |

### Customer Journey Mapping

```
JOURNEY STAGES:

AWARENESS
- Channels: Advertising, PR, social, content
- Touchpoints: Ads, articles, reviews, WOM
- Emotions: Curiosity, interest
- Metrics: Reach, impressions, awareness

CONSIDERATION
- Channels: Website, search, comparisons
- Touchpoints: Product pages, demos, trials
- Emotions: Evaluation, uncertainty
- Metrics: Traffic, engagement, leads

PURCHASE
- Channels: E-commerce, retail, sales
- Touchpoints: Cart, checkout, contract
- Emotions: Anxiety, excitement
- Metrics: Conversion, AOV, close rate

RETENTION
- Channels: Email, support, community
- Touchpoints: Onboarding, support, updates
- Emotions: Satisfaction, frustration
- Metrics: Retention, NPS, CSAT

ADVOCACY
- Channels: Social, reviews, referrals
- Touchpoints: Sharing, reviews, referrals
- Emotions: Loyalty, enthusiasm
- Metrics: Referral rate, reviews, UGC
```

## Customer Segmentation

### Segmentation Approaches

| Type              | Basis              | Examples                        |
| ----------------- | ------------------ | ------------------------------- |
| **Demographic**   | Who they are       | Age, income, education          |
| **Geographic**    | Where they are     | Region, urban/rural, climate    |
| **Psychographic** | What they value    | Lifestyle, attitudes, interests |
| **Behavioral**    | What they do       | Usage, loyalty, occasions       |
| **Needs-based**   | What they need     | Jobs to be done, pain points    |
| **Value-based**   | What they're worth | CLV, profitability              |

### Segmentation Framework

```
EFFECTIVE SEGMENTS ARE:
- Measurable: Size and characteristics quantifiable
- Substantial: Large enough to be profitable
- Accessible: Can be reached effectively
- Differentiable: Respond differently to marketing
- Actionable: Can design programs for them

SEGMENT PRIORITIZATION:
| Segment | Size | Growth | Profitability | Fit | Priority |
|---------|------|--------|---------------|-----|----------|
| A | | | | | |
| B | | | | | |
| C | | | | | |
```

### Persona Development

```
PERSONA TEMPLATE:

NAME: [Representative name]
PHOTO: [Stock image]

DEMOGRAPHICS:
- Age, gender, location
- Income, education
- Family status, occupation

PSYCHOGRAPHICS:
- Values and beliefs
- Interests and hobbies
- Media consumption

GOALS & CHALLENGES:
- What they're trying to achieve
- Pain points and frustrations
- Barriers to success

BUYING BEHAVIOR:
- Decision criteria
- Information sources
- Objections and concerns

QUOTE:
"A representative statement that captures their perspective"
```

## Digital Marketing

### Channel Strategy

| Channel          | Best For                     | Key Metrics                   |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| **SEO**          | Long-term traffic, authority | Organic traffic, rankings, DA |
| **SEM/PPC**      | Immediate visibility, intent | CTR, CPC, ROAS                |
| **Social Media** | Awareness, engagement        | Reach, engagement, followers  |
| **Email**        | Retention, conversion        | Open rate, CTR, conversions   |
| **Content**      | Authority, SEO, nurture      | Traffic, time on page, shares |
| **Display**      | Awareness, retargeting       | Impressions, viewability, CTR |
| **Affiliate**    | Performance-based reach      | Conversions, revenue, CAC     |

### Marketing Funnel Metrics

```
AWARENESS → INTEREST → CONSIDERATION → PURCHASE → LOYALTY

TOFU (Top of Funnel):
- Impressions
- Reach
- Website visitors
- Social followers

MOFU (Middle of Funnel):
- Leads generated
- MQLs
- Content downloads
- Email subscribers

BOFU (Bottom of Funnel):
- SQLs
- Opportunities
- Conversion rate
- Revenue

POST-PURCHASE:
- Retention rate
- NPS
- Repeat purchase rate
- Referrals
```

### Marketing Technology Stack

```
CORE SYSTEMS:

CRM: Customer data management
- Salesforce, HubSpot, Dynamics

MAP: Marketing automation
- Marketo, Pardot, HubSpot

CMS: Content management
- WordPress, Adobe Experience Manager

ANALYTICS: Performance measurement
- Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics

CDP: Customer data platform
- Segment, Tealium, Adobe CDP

ADDITIONAL TOOLS:
- Social management (Sprout, Hootsuite)
- SEO tools (SEMrush, Ahrefs)
- Email (Mailchimp, Klaviyo)
- Advertising (Google Ads, Meta)
- Personalization (Optimizely, Dynamic Yield)
```

## Content Strategy

### Content Pillars Framework

```
CONTENT PILLARS:
Strategic themes that align content with brand positioning

PILLAR STRUCTURE:
| Pillar | Audience Need | Business Goal | Content Types |
|--------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
| 1 | | | |
| 2 | | | |
| 3 | | | |

CONTENT MATRIX:
| Stage | Educational | Entertaining | Inspiring | Convincing |
|-------|-------------|--------------|-----------|------------|
| Awareness | Blog posts | Videos | Stories | |
| Consideration | Guides | Webinars | Case studies | Comparisons |
| Decision | | | Testimonials | Demos |
```

### Content Calendar

| Element         | Frequency | Owner        |
| --------------- | --------- | ------------ |
| **Blog**        | 2-4x/week | Content team |
| **Social**      | Daily     | Social team  |
| **Email**       | Weekly    | Email team   |
| **Video**       | Weekly    | Creative     |
| **Webinar**     | Monthly   | Demand gen   |
| **White Paper** | Quarterly | Content team |

## Marketing Analytics

### Marketing Metrics Framework

| Category        | Metric           | Formula                                       |
| --------------- | ---------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| **Acquisition** | CAC              | Total marketing spend / New customers         |
|                 | CPL              | Marketing spend / Leads                       |
|                 | ROAS             | Revenue / Ad spend                            |
| **Engagement**  | CTR              | Clicks / Impressions                          |
|                 | Engagement Rate  | Engagements / Reach                           |
|                 | Time on Site     | Average session duration                      |
| **Conversion**  | Conversion Rate  | Conversions / Visitors                        |
|                 | Lead-to-Customer | Customers / Leads                             |
|                 | Cart Abandonment | Abandoned / Started                           |
| **Value**       | CLV              | Average value x Purchase frequency x Lifespan |
|                 | CLV:CAC          | Customer lifetime value / CAC                 |
|                 | Marketing ROI    | (Revenue - Cost) / Cost                       |

### Attribution Models

| Model              | Description                      | Best For            |
| ------------------ | -------------------------------- | ------------------- |
| **First Touch**    | 100% credit to first interaction | Awareness campaigns |
| **Last Touch**     | 100% credit to last interaction  | Direct response     |
| **Linear**         | Equal credit across all touches  | Long sales cycles   |
| **Time Decay**     | More credit to recent touches    | Nurture campaigns   |
| **Position-Based** | 40% first, 40% last, 20% middle  | Balanced view       |
| **Data-Driven**    | Algorithmic attribution          | Large datasets      |

## Campaign Management

### Campaign Planning Template

```
CAMPAIGN BRIEF:

OBJECTIVE:
- Business goal (revenue, leads, awareness)
- SMART metrics (specific targets)

TARGET AUDIENCE:
- Primary segment
- Secondary segment
- Exclusions

KEY MESSAGE:
- Main proposition
- Supporting messages
- Call to action

CREATIVE REQUIREMENTS:
- Channels and formats
- Assets needed
- Brand guidelines

BUDGET ALLOCATION:
| Channel | Budget | Expected Results |
|---------|--------|------------------|
| | | |

TIMELINE:
- Planning: [dates]
- Creative: [dates]
- Launch: [date]
- Optimization: [dates]
- Wrap-up: [date]

SUCCESS METRICS:
- Primary KPI: [target]
- Secondary KPIs: [targets]
```

### Campaign Optimization

```
OPTIMIZATION CADENCE:

Daily:
- Budget pacing
- Bid adjustments
- Pause underperformers

Weekly:
- Creative performance
- Audience refinement
- A/B test results

Monthly:
- Channel mix optimization
- Strategy adjustments
- Forecast updates

POST-CAMPAIGN:
- Performance analysis
- ROI calculation
- Learnings documentation
- Next campaign recommendations
```

## PR & Communications

### PR Strategy Framework

```
EARNED MEDIA APPROACH:

PROACTIVE:
- News announcements
- Thought leadership
- Executive visibility
- Industry awards

REACTIVE:
- Media inquiries
- Crisis response
- Issues management
- Rapid response

MEASUREMENT:
- Media impressions
- Share of voice
- Message pull-through
- Sentiment analysis
```

### Crisis Communication

```
RESPONSE PROTOCOL:

ASSESS (0-1 hour):
- Confirm facts
- Assess severity
- Notify leadership
- Activate team

RESPOND (1-4 hours):
- Holding statement
- Internal communication
- Social monitoring
- Media inquiries

MANAGE (ongoing):
- Regular updates
- Stakeholder outreach
- Narrative control
- Documentation

RECOVER (post-crisis):
- After-action review
- Reputation repair
- Process improvement
```

## See Also

- [Sales](../sales/SKILL.md)
- [Product Management](../product-management/SKILL.md)
- [Data Science](../data-science/SKILL.md)