The One Marketing Shift That Could Save Your Business Thousands

Many entrepreneurs waste thousands of dollars and countless hours on marketing that doesn’t actually move the needle. They spend money on ads that don’t convert, SEO that never ranks, and social media content that gets engagement but no sales. The problem? They’re focusing on tactics instead of strategy.

This is why so many small business owners feel like marketing is a never-ending struggle. They’re stuck in a cycle of trying things, seeing little or no results, and assuming the problem is them—when in reality, the issue is the broken advice they’ve been given.

If you’ve been following one-size-fits-all marketing tactics, it’s time to make one simple but critical shift—stop chasing tactics and start building a real marketing strategy designed for your business. This one change could save you thousands in wasted marketing spend and finally get you the results you’ve been working toward.

The Difference Between Strategy and Tactics (And Why It Matters)

One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is confusing tactics with strategy—and this is exactly why so much marketing fails.

What Are Tactics?

Tactics are the individual actions you take to promote your business. These are the things most businesses jump into first:

Running Facebook or Google Ads
Posting daily on social media
Sending out email newsletters
Blogging for SEO
Hiring a web designer to improve their site

Each of these can be useful, but only if they are part of a bigger plan.

What Is Strategy?

Strategy is the blueprint that connects everything together. It’s the why, what, and how behind every marketing move you make. A strategy includes:

Understanding your audience’s real needs and buying behaviors
Positioning your offer so it naturally attracts and converts the right customers
Identifying the best marketing channels based on where your audience actually spends time
Creating a clear path that moves people from awareness to purchase
Aligning all marketing efforts to support a specific business goal

Why This Matters

Most entrepreneurs jump straight into tactics without first having a strategy—and that’s why they waste money.

Example 1: Running Ads Without a Strategy

Tactic: Running Facebook ads to get more traffic to a website.
Without Strategy: The ad drives clicks, but the website isn’t optimized for conversions, so visitors leave without buying. Money wasted.
With Strategy: Before running ads, the website is optimized to guide visitors toward an irresistible offer, leading to actual conversions.

Example 2: Posting on Social Media Without a Clear Purpose

Tactic: Posting every day on Instagram because “consistency is key.”
Without Strategy: Posts get likes, but they aren’t bringing in sales because there’s no clear call-to-action or sales funnel.
With Strategy: Posts are designed to move followers toward an email list or sales page, leading to real business growth.

This is why tactics alone don’t work. Marketing only delivers results when every piece works together under a clear strategy.

The Problem: Tactics Without Strategy = Wasted Money

Most businesses approach marketing backwards. Instead of creating a strategy first, they jump straight into tactics—running ads, posting on Instagram, or paying for SEO services—without understanding how those efforts fit into a larger plan.

The common (and costly) mistakes entrepreneurs make

Spending money on ads before knowing if their offer actually converts
Hiring an SEO service that drives traffic but doesn’t bring paying customers
Posting on social media with no clear goal other than “getting engagement”
Paying for a website redesign but not addressing the real issue—conversion

Every single one of these issues comes down to the same problem—putting tactics before strategy. It’s like pouring water into a bucket with holes and wondering why it never fills up.

The Misinformation Loop: Why Entrepreneurs Keep Getting Stuck

If you’ve been stuck in the cycle of spending money on marketing that doesn’t work, it’s not your fault—you were probably following advice that was designed to sell services (and in many cases the service they are trying to sell is you buying their own program to sell it to others), not to actually grow your business.

Most online courses you take are teaching tactics, not strategy. They show you how to run Facebook ads, grow your Instagram, or set up an email sequence—but rarely do they teach you how to connect all of it into a cohesive, results-driven plan. Even my own courses—only a couple focus on strategy, because high-level strategy takes years to develop the chops for (years like I have).

The truth is, you do best when you tap directly into the brain of someone with deep experience—someone who has spent decades refining what works and what doesn’t. Strategy isn’t something you can quickly package into an online course because it’s complex, adaptable, and tailored to each business. So you end up paying for a lot of tactic-based training, and then you wonder why it hasn’t helped as much as you hoped. It’s not because you’re doing something wrong—it’s because tactics alone don’t create long-term success. That’s where strategy comes in.

Most entrepreneurs:

Try a marketing tactic (ads, SEO, social media, etc.)
Get poor results because there’s no strategy behind it
Assume they need to “try harder” or spend more money
Jump to the next tactic, repeating the cycle

This is exactly how marketing companies profit from confusion—they sell you on the idea that you just need to “do more” rather than fixing the real problem.

The Fix: Shift from Random Tactics to a Strategy That Works

If you want to stop wasting money and start seeing real, measurable growth, you need a clear marketing strategy before touching another tactic.

Step 1: Define Your Business’s Growth Goals

Marketing should always serve your actual business goals, not just marketing for the sake of marketing. Ask yourself:

Do I need more brand awareness, or do I need more leads? (Yes, we all always need more leads, but sometimes those leads come best with more awareness).
Do I want to grow my email list, or do I need more conversions from my current traffic? (And yes, we all need more conversions, but sometimes the best way to get those conversions is by growing your list).
What revenue targets am I trying to hit in the next 6-12 months?

If you don’t have these answers, you’re spending money blindly—which is exactly why so many entrepreneurs feel like their marketing isn’t working.

Step 2: Fix the Weakest Link in Your Marketing Funnel

Before investing in any new marketing efforts, and especially before paying for any new software!, audit your existing process to see where things are breaking down.

Do you get traffic to your website but no conversions? The issue is likely your messaging, offer, or site experience. Or maybe you have no opportunity for a microconversion.
Are people engaging with your content but not buying? Your calls-to-action might be unclear or not aligned with their needs.
Are leads coming in but not turning into paying customers? Your follow-up process might need work.

Most businesses don’t need more traffic or leads—they need to fix what’s broken in their process first before scaling up.

Step 3: Choose the Right Tactics for Your Business

Once you have a clear strategy, you can choose tactics that actually move the needle instead of just following trends.

For example:

If you need more leads, focus on content marketing, SEO, and lead generation strategies.
If you need more conversions, work on developing microconversions, better sales messaging, email marketing, and retargeting campaigns.
If you need more brand awareness, use strategic social media and PR instead of just posting randomly.

This is why cookie-cutter marketing programs fail so many entrepreneurs—they try to force businesses into one approach instead of building a strategy that actually works for them.

This One Shift Will Save You Thousands

When you stop chasing random tactics and start focusing on a strategy built for your business, everything changes.

Instead of:

Wasting money on ads that don’t convert, you’ll have a system that turns traffic into paying customers.
Spinning your wheels with social media content that doesn’t generate revenue, you’ll have a plan that actually builds an audience that buys.
Throwing money at marketing services that aren’t aligned with your goals, you’ll know exactly what’s worth investing in and what’s a waste.

This shift isn’t just about saving money—it’s about finally building the kind of marketing system that supports long-term, scalable growth.

Take Action: Build a Strategy Before You Spend Another Dollar

If you’re tired of guessing, spending, and hoping—it’s time to stop the cycle and start using a strategy that actually works.

Want to stop wasting money and build a marketing plan designed for your business? Book a 360° Marketing Assessment today, and let’s fix what’s broken—before you spend another dime on marketing that won’t work.