George Washington was, by many accounts, a poor battlefield general (lucky, but poor).
His positioning of the troops was abysmally poor.
His ability to rally and lead them in battle was okay.
He relied on a lot of factors he could not control to determine the success of the outcome.
And this post isn’t to beat up poor George. Even though George lost many major battles he led, Washington knew the strategy was to make the British bored of sending expensive Prussian mercenaries to the Colonies to suppress a rebellion.
During Vietnam, the United States won nearly every battle of any significance. We all know how well that ended up, even though, by any measure of tactics employed, the United States was clearly and decisively winning in Vietnam.
Except we lost.
This is the difference between strategies and tactics.
George Washington worked with the end goal in mind- What would it take to win the war against the most powerful nation in the world? This crafted his strategy of keeping a battlefield worthy force that rarely engaged in a battlefield fight that could result in a decisive defeat. He was delighted with small, morale boosting wins such as crossing the Delaware to attack a Trenton on a nighttime raid, days before the enlistment of nearly ½ his force was over.
Washington’s broader strategy dictated his specific battlefield tactics - keep a battlefield worthy army together.
My question to you is: are you doing your marketing with your end goal in mind? Or are you fighting hard on a losing battle (one that could be decisive to your company or career)?
If you don't yet have a marketing calendar, or know your ideal client, you are very likely fighting a losing battle.