Execution: The Decisive Factor in Growth Strategies

There are many ways to make mistakes in business, as entrepreneurs or business owners, we cannot deny it. It is completely natural to recall some past mistakes, especially when trying to do things right, improve, and grow.

It is necessary to ask, "What can be improved in the business?" Your answer might be, "There are too many things to improve," but if you could improve just one thing, I strongly recommend focusing on execution.

The words "executive" and "executive decision" originate from the word "execute." Executives are responsible for executing and operating a business, executing a budget, or executing a business plan. The execution of that business plan can either be well done or poorly done. One of the most crucial aspects of proper execution in digital marketing plans is hiring the right marketing service providers. A specialized team will make fewer mistakes and help you achieve your goals with well-planned strategies, executed within the right timelines, with the right resources, and for the best results.

It is difficult to assign a grade to strategies—you cannot know for sure if a strategy is the right one until it has been tested. However, you can diagnose whether a strategy is strong or weak by assessing its coherence with the buyer persona, value proposition, competitive environment, current situation, desired outcome, objectives, methods, available technologies, workflows, messaging, and other key variables that determine its effectiveness.

Many times, a strategy can be good or even brilliant, but if you ask yourself why it didn’t work, the answer often lies in poor execution.

• Did you hire the wrong service provider?

• Did you try to do everything with your internal team?

• Were resources not allocated correctly?

• Was the talent not properly trained or certified?

  
  

All of this can hinder the growth of your company or business. Over the years, Next Level Strategy has identified three key elements that determine whether your execution will be successful or not.

Remember, your idea may be great, your plan may be outstanding, but if your execution is weak, you will never achieve the growth you desire for your business.

1. Not having a clear and well-defined digital strategy in its entirety

How do you know if you need to improve your digital strategy?

To establish an effective digital strategy, you must have a well-defined and thoroughly analyzed approach to each of the following factors:

a) Value propositionb) Buyer persona profilec) Buying journeyd) Brand touchpoints throughout the buying journeye) Content to influence the buying journeyf) Communication style and brand storytellingg) Content planh) Brand tribe or communityi) CRM or system that will integrate your digital funnelj) Mapping out your minimum viable funnelk) Your brand’s digital presencel) Demand generation through digital channels

A well-structured digital strategy will return your investment in gold, while a superficial one will only cause headaches.

2. Not having a team that is aligned, trained, certified, and with the right mindset

One of the biggest mistakes when implementing a digital presence strategy and CRM is failing to train employees. Implementing a digital strategy is a learning and adaptation process. Technological tools simplify your team's work and enhance efficiency, but that does not mean the benefits will be immediate.

Additionally, after implementing, configuring, and customizing the necessary tools, your team will encounter a completely different collaborative environment.

Resistance to change is a key factor that can cause any project to fail. If people are not properly prepared and made to feel comfortable with the transition, they are less likely to collaborate, and the project may not deliver the expected benefits.

The right personnel for executing your digital project may already be part of your internal team, or they may come from outsourcing, such as a marketing service agency. The key is to ensure that your business has the right mix of talent to help your marketing project reach its full potential. It’s also important to understand that you don’t need all specialists as full-time employees—some skills are needed in smaller proportions, but that doesn’t mean these talents can be easily found in just anyone.

Sometimes, we must accept that, as much as we’d like, the digital business landscape has become so broad that we cannot expect one person to master multiple highly specialized skills. Realistically, the same person who excels in digital design is unlikely to also be a top-tier content writer and a digital community expert at the same time.

It’s important to be realistic and understand that achieving excellent results requires a team with diverse specialties. The key is to organize and manage these talents effectively to get the best out of them and ensure outstanding outcomes.

3. Lack of awareness and clarity about the investment and cash flow that should be budgeted

These projects typically require significant time and financial investment, which may lead company directors to cut back on scope or minimize the initial investment. While this is not necessarily wrong, it is important to ensure that essential processes are not left out.

Collaboration and integration are the keys to success. Digital, analytical, and customer-focused skills pave the way for business growth and sustainability.

The three previous elements may seem like logical considerations in the execution of a marketing plan, but you’d be surprised how many business owners overlook them, trying to take shortcuts. Many believe that:

• Assigning extra tasks to existing (non-specialized) employees will yield the same results as hiring a professional agency.

• Roughly estimating the budget will prevent unexpected expenses.

• Having a "good digital strategy" simply means posting once a week on social media.

Execution is the most critical part of your company’s growth strategy. At Next Level Strategy, we are here to help you do it right.