Creating a marketing strategy from scratch can feel overwhelming.
There are so many things you could do, but how do you know where to begin?
The truth is, marketing is always changing. New tools, new channels, new buyer expectations; it’s a lot. And when you’re starting fresh, the choices you make early on can shape your success for months or even years.
That’s why, in a recent interview, Janelle Amos, Founder & Chief Strategist at Elevate Growth, posed a simple but powerful question:
“If you were building a marketing strategy from scratch today, what are the top 3 things you’d prioritize?”
We took that question and brought it to a group of experienced marketers to hear their unique perspectives on how they would approach the challenge.
Their answers were full of real-world insights, learned through trial, error, and success. In this blog, we’ll explore their different perspectives, highlight common themes, and share practical tips that you can use to build a strategy that works.
Important note: Every expert you’ll hear from has their own background, audience, and experiences. That means there’s no single “right” way to build a strategy. Each response is valuable in its own way, and taken together, they give us a clear powerful view of what matters most in marketing today.
Section 1: The Experts Weigh In
Let’s meet the marketers and see what their top priorities are when building a new strategy.
Steve Armenti – CEO & Founder of Twelfth
Steve brings a structured, four-layer approach to every strategy:
Priority #1: Data
“Data, data, data, data, data,” Steve emphasized.
Start with a clean, usable data set, even if it’s small. He explained that many companies have messy data but even just cleaning a small portion can help you move forward. You don’t have to fix everything at once.
Priority #2: Targeting
Once you have some clean data, you can figure out who to focus on. Steve recommends building clear account lists, using segmentation and prioritization to target smaller “marketable segments.”
Priority #3: Orchestration & Messaging
“If you take the same message and just blast it out across everything, it won’t work.” Steve stresses the importance of personalizing your messaging and coordinating your outreach across channels. Each micro-segment should feel like you’re speaking directly to them.
Dan Smith – Head of Programmatic & Paid Digital at Lynchpin Media
Dan focuses on building a solid foundation that ties everything together.
Priority #1: Clear Targeting & ICP Definition
“Who are we targeting? Why? What do they care about? And where do we find them?”
Dan uses this “who, why, what, where” framework to define a clear Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). Once you know your audience well, you can tailor everything else.
Priority #2: Strong Content via Market Research
Dan recommends starting with original market research. It helps create valuable content that speaks to real challenges and it’s useful for months to come in emails, events, social, and more.
Priority #3: Measurement Framework
“You need to understand what success looks like and work backwards from there.” Defining success early and knowing your goals upfront lets you plan smarter. For example, if you want more sales appointments, you can calculate how many leads you’ll need and what tactics will get you there.
Cassandra Gulia – ABM Marketing Leader at Entrust
Cassandra believes in blending hard data with real conversations.
Priority #1: Use Both Data and Human Insights
“Data alone is not enough,” she says of relying only on platforms like 6sense or Bombora. Cassandra pairs data with insights from her sales and marketing teammates to get the full picture of what’s happening in the market.
Priority #2: Strategic Collaboration with Sales
Before launching a strategy, vet it with the people in the field. She builds her plans based on research but always checks with sales leaders before launching anything. They often know things that data doesn’t show, like if a company is about to go through a merger.
Priority #3: Intelligence Sharing
“There are things we won’t know unless someone else brings it to the table.”
For Cassandra, it’s critical that everyone shares information. Sales knows what buyers are saying. Marketing knows who downloaded a whitepaper. Together, it’s a much clearer picture.
Avoid silos. Create a two-way feedback loop between marketing and sales to make the strategy responsive and adaptive.
Shalev Sabag – ABM Manager at Atera
Shalev focuses on creating standout experiences for buyers.
Priority #1: Alignment Across Teams
“ABM will require changes. You need to align people before you begin.” Shalev says internal alignment especially with sales, leadership, and finance is the first step. Everyone must be clear on goals, measurements, and messaging.
Align internal stakeholders across functions. Without it, ABM or any tailored strategy will fail. Discuss how metrics, communication, and goals need to evolve.
Priority #2: Data Infrastructure
Ensure your CRM or data platform can integrate all types of data (intent, usage, enrichment) in a meaningful way. Without this, execution will suffer.
He stresses the need for a system that can bring together data from many places like product usage, intent signals, and offline activities. That’s the only way to act on the data meaningfully.
Priority #3: Deep Customer Understanding
“I want to be the Louis Vuitton of buying experiences.” Shalev believes you should know your buyer beyond work; understand what they care about, what their life looks like, and how they like to buy.
That’s how you create premium, personalized experiences; “Louis Vuitton” level buying experiences.
Jillian Kondamudi – ABM Specialist at Akamai Technologies
Jillian zeroes in on practical execution once ICP is already defined.
Priority #1: Choose the Right Channels
“It’s so important to be where they’re at.” Jillian warns that spending on the wrong channels is wasteful. Focus only on where your audience is active.
Spend only where your audience lives. Avoid dead channels and invest where there’s proven traction.
Priority #2: Content That Solves Real Problems
“If your content isn’t right, all your other work is for nothing.” She believes your content should immediately show that you understand your audience’s problems and have the solution.
Priority #3: Voice and Messaging
“Messaging is the gate to your content.” Messaging is often undervalued. Jillian highlights how important it is to speak the same language as your buyers. That’s how you earn their attention in a crowded world.
Sophie Lewis – Marketing Executive at Moneypenny
Sophie brings a balanced, flexible approach.
Priority #1: Understand Your ICP
“You need to understand their pain points... so you can tailor your campaigns.” Sophie says knowing your customer well is the key to making the rest of the strategy work. Understanding their pain points, motivations, and behaviors. This forms the foundation for every other decision.
Priority #2: Focus on Effective Channels
“You can’t do everything.” With limited budgets, you need to pick what works best like paid social, email campaigns, or events and stick with it.
Don’t try to do everything. Focus on channels that have proven ROI or show early promise.
Priority #3: Test and Learn
“Just try new things. If it doesn’t work, that’s fine you can learn from it.” Sophie encourages marketers to take small risks. Some of the most successful campaigns start as experiments.
Section 2: Key Themes Across Responses
Common Priorities
Even though every marketer had their own way of thinking, several common themes came up again and again:
Most Agreed-On Priorities
Know Your Audience Deeply
Almost every expert emphasized the importance of clearly knowing who you're marketing to. Whether it’s through data, sales collaboration, or buyer interviews, understanding who you’re speaking to is the foundation of everything.
Data Matters but it Must Be Useful
Clean, reliable data was a non-negotiable since it helps you target better, measure smarter, and personalize more. But as Steve and Shalev said, you don’t need all the data; you just need the right data.
Content and Messaging Are Critical
Great content connects. And the right messaging is what grabs attention and opens the door. Jillian and Dan especially noted how content can make or break a strategy. Messaging needs to cut through noise and align with buyer intent and tone.
Divergent Priorities
Measurement Framework (Dan) vs. Experimental Mindset (Sophie)
Some marketers lean on a strong KPI framework from day one, while others value a flexible test-and-learn approach. The best path may depend on company maturity and team resources.
Sales Alignment (Cassandra, Shalev)
Not all experts mentioned sales alignment explicitly, but those who did considered it non-negotiable. For B2B strategies especially, this collaboration can make the difference between theory and traction.
Different Approaches, All Valuable
Some experts start with alignment and collaboration. Others focus on channels and execution. Some value testing and learning, while others lean on long-term planning. These differences aren’t wrong; they reflect real-world needs and styles.
There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy.
What matters is starting with purpose, being clear about your goals, and building with your audience in mind.
Section 3: Practical Takeaways
Here’s how to apply these expert tips to your own business:
Start With These Steps
Define your ICP: Interview customers, talk to sales, and use platforms like Bombora or 6sense.
Pick 1–2 proven channels: Don’t spread too thin. Focus where your audience actually spends time.
Create one strong piece of content: A research-backed article or whitepaper can fuel emails, social posts, and webinars.
Write messaging that speaks their language: Avoid jargon. Be clear, real, and relevant.
Build feedback loops: Set regular syncs with sales and leadership to keep your strategy sharp.
Quick Wins to Get Started Today
Clean a small section of your CRM data
Draft simple buyer personas
Run a 3-question survey to current customers
Launch a test email campaign with personalized messaging
Set one clear success goal (e.g., number of leads or demos booked)
Conclusion
Starting a marketing strategy from scratch can feel like a big task but it doesn’t mean starting from zero; it means starting with intention. With the right priorities, it becomes much more manageable.
From understanding your audience to focusing your content and channels, each expert we heard from had a unique and valuable take.
The top experts we heard from all agreed on three things:
Knowing your audience (ICP)
Using strong data
Creating meaningful content and messaging
But as we’ve seen, there’s no perfect formula. No two strategies will look exactly alike but the best strategy is the one that fits your goals, your team, and your audience.
With these principles in place, you’re far more likely to build something that works and lasts.
Now it’s your turn: What would you prioritize if you were starting from scratch today?
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