“We need a new website.” “We need SEO.” “We just need more leads.”
If you’ve ever said one of those out loud, you’re in very good company. Taylor and Kelly hear versions of them almost every week at Moxie Creative in St. Cloud. And sometimes the client is exactly right.
But there’s a big gap between knowing you have a problem and knowing what’s causing it. In this episode of Behind the Brand, our hosts dig into tactics vs. strategy, and why the most helpful thing an agency can say is sometimes, “We don’t think you should spend money on that.”
Tactics vs. Strategy, in Plain English
A tactic is the thing you can point at: a website, an SEO campaign, a round of ads, more social posts. A strategy is the plan that decides which of those things you need, in what order, and why.
Here’s the line from the episode worth taping to your monitor: “Needing more business is the goal. How you get there is the strategy.”
Tactics are great. We make them all day. They just work a whole lot better when they’re tied to a plan.
It Starts With a Conversation
So how does Team Moxie figure out what you need when you walk in asking for “more marketing”? The same way a good doctor does. We ask questions first.
What’s happening in your business? What are you doing now, and what results are you getting? What are you trying to accomplish? Some of these might feel off topic in the moment. As our hosts put it, those answers are exactly what we need to give you the best solution.
A single-service shop will happily build the website or run the ads, because that’s what they sell. A full-service team can step back, look at the bigger picture, and tell you when the website should wait until you have a brand (or a name).
The Problem With Marketing in Silos
Kelly shared a recent meeting with a business that works with several vendors. One agency handles this, another handles that, and each piece gets judged on its own.
The result? Plenty of money going into marketing activity and no clear way to see how it all works together. No overall strategy, either.
The fix Moxie proposed was simple to say and powerful in practice:
- Lay out the goals and the pain points first.
- Set metrics everyone agrees on.
- Report on them every month and ask what’s working and what isn’t.
- Mix paid efforts with organic ones, because not everything needs a budget line.
Without that, you’re left with random acts of marketing.
More Leads or Better Conversion?
“We need more leads” might be the most common request we hear. Before you buy another hundred, look at the hundred you already have. Why aren’t they moving forward?
We get so focused on attracting new customers that we forget about the people already knocking. A few signs the problem is conversion:
- Lots of traffic hits your site, but almost nobody fills out the form.
- Shoppers keep abandoning their carts (sometimes it’s simply shipping costs).
- Your website reads like an online brochure instead of guiding visitors toward a next step.
You can keep throwing money at attracting new people. If your site doesn’t get them to act, the bucket keeps leaking.
"I Need SEO" (Do You, Though?)
Trendy words are sticky. SEO is the big one right now. As our hosts said, nine times out of ten the person asking for SEO is looking for something else; they just don’t know what to call it yet. And that’s okay!
Maybe people are already finding you and leaving because your site doesn’t feel trustworthy. Maybe your brand needs a fresh look. Maybe your awareness is fine and conversion is the real bottleneck.
Our favorite example from the episode: a client called asking to update their website with their new logo. Did they have a new logo? Nope. So step one was a new logo, and the website update came a few steps later.
Six Pages or 36? Websites Are Changing Fast
Kelly met with a longtime client whose website Moxie built about 10 years ago. A lot had changed in their business, including two new partners. One of them wanted to trim the six-page site down.
Kelly’s answer: “You need 36 pages at least.”
That’s because search is shifting. Alongside SEO, we’re now planning for AEO and GEO, so your content can show up in AI answers too. The team will still write it so humans enjoy reading it. They’re just writing for the robots too. Ten years ago, websites were short and pretty. Today, the right approach looks very different.
Make Every Marketing Dollar Count
A lot of Moxie clients work with limited budgets. Nobody can do everything at once, so the job is to pinpoint where we can help you the most.
That’s why a few questions matter so much: Can you afford it today? How soon do you need results? Is your awareness already there? Just because your sister’s cousin’s brother told you that you need SEO doesn’t mean it’s the best use of your resources.
Consultants Who Meet You Where You Are
Our hosts summed it up best: “This is not McDonald’s.” Team Moxie works as marketing consultants. Sometimes you ask for a website and we cheer, “Yes, you need a website!” Other times we gently suggest a different first step.
We’ll meet you where you are, get the whole picture, and build the plan from there.
Tune In and Get Inspired
The biggest takeaway from this one? You don’t need to know what you need. Just call us, and we’ll start with a consultation.
Want the full conversation? Give this episode of Behind the Brand a listen.
