As a matter of routine whenever I ask a new team for a strategy I get a plan or a list of tactics. Rarely, do these young digital marketing enthusiasts realize that a line of thought separates strategy and plan and tactics. A strategy is about seeing a bigger picture. Strategy encompasses the goals and addresses the ‘why’ message. If I have a strategy I will say, “To increase revenue by 10,000 dollars we need at least 2000 more visitors to the website.” Here, increase revenue by 10,000 dollars is the goal, while getting 2000 relevant visitors to the website is a strategy. But if I say, “let’s focus on social media instead of organic search because it’s too competitive,” that is a tactic. In digital marketing, we are fortunate to be in an era where we have tools of measurement and attribution. Strategy in digital marketing is about making informed decisions based on data and trends primarily using these tools. By overlooking strategy and jumping to tactics many individuals, agencies and businesses compromise on their ability to succeed because a great part of strategy is assessing your resources, requirements and competition. Having the right strategy helps you develop brand messaging, attitude and point of differentiation. Here are some examples of how you can train your team to think strategically.