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The Worst Marketing Strategy Framework (And How to Fix It)

  • paulhague
  • Aug 15
  • 2 min read

Marketing is hard enough without shooting yourself in the foot. Yet, many businesses—especially eager startups and overwhelmed small teams—fall into the trap of using disastrously bad strategy frameworks (or worse, no framework at all).

 

The result? Wasted budgets, frustrated teams, and campaigns that fizzle out before they even begin.

 

So, what’s the absolute worst way to build a marketing strategy? Let’s break it down—and more importantly, explore what you should do instead.

 

The "Spray and Pray" Approach: Marketing Without a Strategy

 

Picture this: A business owner throws money at Facebook ads, posts randomly on social media, sends sporadic emails, and jumps on every trend—without a plan, without tracking, and without a clear audience.

 

This isn’t a strategy. It’s marketing roulette.

 

Why "Spray and Pray" is a Disaster


  1. No Clear Goals

    • Vague objectives like “get more sales” or “go viral” lead to scattered efforts.

    • Without KPIs, you can’t measure success—or failure.

  2. No Audience Targeting

    • Blasting generic messages to everyone means resonating with no one.

    • Example: A B2B software company running TikTok dance ads to CEOs.

  3. No Data or Optimisation

    • Running ads without A/B testing? Posting without analytics? You’re flying blind.

    • Real-World Fail: A bakery spends $10K on untargeted Facebook ads—gets zero sales.

  4. Wasted Budget on Trends

    • Chasing hype without ROI analysis means burning cash.

    • Example: A local gym investing in metaverse ads instead of local SEO.

  5. Inconsistent Branding

    • Jumping on every platform with no cohesive message confuses customers.

    • Imagine Nike posting corporate LinkedIn updates one day and memes the next.

 

Other Terrible Marketing Frameworks (Avoid These!)

 

While "Spray and Pray" is the worst, there are other flawed approaches that set businesses up for failure:


1. The "Copycat Strategy" – Blindly Following Competitors

  • Why It Fails: Just because a tactic works for one brand doesn’t mean it fits yours.

  • Example: A law firm trying viral TikTok skits because a sneaker brand did it.


2. The "Build It and They Will Come" Approach

  • Why It Fails: Great products don’t sell themselves.

  • Example: A genius SaaS tool launches with no SEO, PR, or ads—then wonders why nobody signs up.


3. The "Vanity Metric Obsession" Framework

  • Why It Fails: Likes ≠ Sales. Followers ≠ Revenue.

  • Example: A fashion brand celebrates 100K Instagram followers—but their online store gets 3 sales a month.

 

What to Use Instead: Proven Marketing Frameworks


Ditch the chaos. Use structured, data-backed approaches because they actually work. For example:

 

✅ AIDA (Awareness → Interest → Desire → Action)

  • A classic but powerful funnel model for guiding customers from discovery to purchase.

✅ SWOT (Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats)

  • Often derided, this is a great framework for exploring where you are now, where you can go, and how you can get there.

✅ Brand bullseye

  • A brilliant framework for figuring out what your brand stands for and how to use it to best effect.

✅ Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD)

  • Focuses on customer needs rather than demographics—why do people really buy?

 

Final Takeaway: Strategy beats Random Acts of Marketing


The worst marketing strategy isn’t a bad idea—it’s no strategy at all. Without focus, even the biggest budgets and most creative campaigns fail.

Instead:


✔ Define clear goals.✔ Know your audience.✔ Track data & optimize.✔ Use a proven framework.

 

Marketing isn’t gambling. Don't spray and pray — strategize.

 
 
 
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