Introduction
A marketing strategy session is a focused workshop that aligns leadership and execution teams around customer insight, positioning, goals, and a prioritized plan for the next 90–180 days. Done well, it reduces cross‑team friction, clarifies what to stop, start, and scale, and turns strategy into a calendar of accountable actions. This playbook shows how to design and facilitate a high‑impact marketing strategy session with clear agendas, exercises, decision criteria, and follow‑through routines.
Why run a marketing strategy session now
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Fragmented focus: New channels, AI tools, and shifting buyer behavior create noise. A deliberate session refocuses on the few moves that drive revenue and brand outcomes.
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Speed with alignment: Cross‑functional participation surfaces constraints early, reducing rework and accelerating delivery.
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Measurable outcomes: Strategy without metrics stalls. A structured session couples objectives, KPIs, and ownership, so progress becomes visible and manageable.
Session objectives (pick 3–5)
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Define/refine the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and top jobs‑to‑be‑done (JTBD).
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Clarify value proposition and differentiated positioning for 1–2 core segments.
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Set outcome‑based goals and marketing OKRs for the next quarter/half.
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Prioritize 6–10 initiatives with owners, timelines, and dependencies.
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Map the operating cadence: rituals, dashboards, and decision checkpoints.
Pre‑work packet (send 5–7 days before)
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Briefing doc: Context, goals, agenda, and roles.
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Market snapshot: Customer research highlights, win/loss themes, competitive shifts.
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Performance baseline: Pipeline, CAC payback, ROAS, channel mix, top pages, and conversion rates.
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Audience insights: ICP draft, personas, JTBD, pain points, and buying triggers.
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Constraints and dependencies: Budget ranges, resourcing, product timelines, and legal/compliance notes.
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Reading list: 2–3 succinct references (internal memos or dashboards) that anchor debate in facts.
Room composition and roles
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Attendees: Marketing lead, product/growth, sales/CS leader(s), data/ops, and a decision‑maker (GM/CEO or BU head).
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Facilitator: Neutral moderator to manage time, extract specifics, and drive decisions.
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Scribe: Captures decisions, owners, dates, and parking lot items in real time.
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Decider: Breaks ties when consensus stalls.
Three proven agendas
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90‑minute reset (rapid alignment)
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0–10: Objectives, ground rules, decision criteria.
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10–25: Performance snapshot—3 successes, 3 misses, 3 surprises.
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25–45: ICP & JTBD checkpoint—what changed, what stays.
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45–70: Prioritization—brainstorm initiatives, score with ICE/PIE, pick top 5.
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70–85: Owners, milestones, and success metrics.
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85–90: Risks, dependencies, and next steps.
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180‑minute quarterly planning (deep dive)
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0–15: Objectives, scope, and non‑goals.
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15–45: Market and customer insights—win/loss, competitive moves, channel performance.
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45–75: Positioning/value prop—segment‑specific proof (why us, why now).
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75–115: Initiative sprint—idea generation by funnel stage (acquisition, activation, retention, expansion).
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115–145: Scoring and trade‑offs—ICE/PIE + guardrails (brand, compliance, margin).
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145–165: Roadmap—owners, timelines, budget ranges, content/creative dependencies.
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165–180: Cadence—rituals, dashboards, decision checkpoints, risks.
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240‑minute offsite (strategy to execution)
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0–20: Success definition—what outcomes prove this session worked.
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20–60: Audience truths—ICP, JTBD, key buying moments; gaps in knowledge.
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60–100: Messaging and offers—category narrative, proof density, and offers by segment.
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100–140: Channel strategy—role of each channel (Search, Paid Social, Email, Events, Partners, Community), overlap rules.
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140–180: Experiments and bets—2–3 bold bets and 6–8 incremental tests; hypothesis templates.
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180–210: Plan and resourcing—timeline, owners, sprint plan, budget envelopes, enablement needs.
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210–240: Operating system—OKRs, dashboards, rituals, risks, “stop doing” list.
Exercises and templates
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ICP & JTBD canvas
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ICP: industry, firmographics, roles, tech stack, triggers.
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JTBD: primary job, pains, desired outcomes, alternatives.
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Value prop statement
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For [ICP], who struggle with [pain], our [product/service] delivers [outcome] by [how], unlike [alternative], because [proof].
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Offer architecture
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Awareness: POV content, checklists, benchmarks.
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Consideration: webinars, comparison pages, ROI tools.
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Decision: demos, trials, case snapshots, guarantees.
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Prioritization matrix (ICE or PIE)
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Impact, Confidence, Effort (or Potential, Importance, Ease).
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Score 1–5; sort top 10; cut the bottom third.
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Experiment brief
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Hypothesis, audience, channel, message, metric, guardrails, run dates, owner, next action if win/loss.
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90‑day roadmap
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Weeks 1–2: enablement (data, creative, pages), launch 2–3 tests.
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Weeks 3–6: expand winning variants, launch 2 more tests.
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Weeks 7–10: scale winners, kill losers, ship 1 bigger bet.
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Weeks 11–13: consolidate learnings, update OKRs, plan next quarter.
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Decision frameworks
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“Onlyness” check
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What can we credibly claim that matters to buyers and rivals cannot? If weak, boost proof density (numbers, logos, certifications, outcomes).
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Guardrail metrics
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Margin‑adjusted CAC and ROAS, CAC payback, LTV/CAC, brand/search share, complaint rate, unsubscribe rate.
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Resource sanity
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If everything is priority, nothing is. Limit to 3–5 major initiatives plus 4–6 tests for a 90‑day cycle.
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Facilitation tips
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Time‑box relentlessly; pin tangents to a parking lot.
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Convert opinions to hypotheses and tests; pick owners on the spot.
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Ask for numbers: “What metric moves and by how much?”
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Close on “who does what by when,” not abstracts.
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End with a written “stop doing” list to free capacity.
Operating cadence after the session
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Weekly standup (30–45 min): pipeline, blockers, next launches, red/green status by initiative.
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Biweekly experiment review: wins, losses, rollouts, new hypotheses.
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Monthly business review: OKRs, channel mix, cohort performance, budget shifts.
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Quarterly strategy refresh: big bets, resourcing, capability gaps, updated risks.
Measurement and dashboards
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Outcomes: pipeline, revenue, CAC payback, LTV/CAC, net new SQLs/PQLs.
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Leading indicators: CTR, CVR, cost per qualified action, demo/trial starts, activation rate.
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Quality: SQL acceptance, win rates, sales cycle time, retention signals.
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Brand: search share, branded queries, direct traffic, social mentions, PR hits.
Common pitfalls—and fixes
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Pitfall: Endless ideation with no owners. Fix: Assign names and dates in room; publish immediately.
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Pitfall: Vanity metrics. Fix: Tie every initiative to pipeline, revenue, or retention.
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Pitfall: Overstuffed roadmaps. Fix: Cap initiatives; create a waitlist.
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Pitfall: No post‑session cadence. Fix: Lock weekly/biweekly/monthly rituals in calendars before leaving.
Sample 180‑minute session agenda (copy/paste)
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Goals: Lift qualified pipeline 25% in 90 days while maintaining CAC payback < 10 months.
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Agenda:
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0–15: Objectives, decision rules, non‑goals
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15–45: Insights—win/loss, ICP shifts, channel performance
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45–75: Positioning—segment value props, proof density gaps
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75–115: Funnel initiatives—2 per stage with hypotheses
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115–145: Score and select top 8; assign owners
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145–165: Timeline, budget envelopes, creative/data dependencies
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165–180: Cadence, dashboards, risks, “stop doing” list
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Deliverables: 1‑page strategy, 90‑day roadmap, experiment backlog, metrics sheet, meeting cadences.
FAQs
What is a marketing strategy session?
A structured workshop that aligns teams on ICP, positioning, goals, and a prioritized 90‑day plan with owners, timelines, and metrics.
Who should attend?
Marketing lead, product/growth, sales/CS leads, data/ops, and a decision‑maker. Include a neutral facilitator and a scribe.
How long should it be?
Common formats are 90, 180, or 240 minutes. Choose based on scope: quick reset, quarterly plan, or strategy‑to‑execution offsite.
What do we produce by the end?
A 1‑page strategy, a 90‑day roadmap, an experiment backlog with hypotheses, owners, timelines, and a meeting cadence with dashboards.
How do we ensure follow‑through?
Calendar the weekly/biweekly/monthly rituals before leaving, publish the decisions within 24 hours, and report progress against OKRs each month.
