View this email in your browser

Hey there,

fellow strategy enthusiasts!

Get ready to put on your thinking caps as I introduce you to our first-ever smarketer lab bulletin. Each edition will be a treasure chest of brain-tickling business scenarios, hard data, key questions, and some potential strategies to dissect. The main objective? To stimulate your strategic skills and dish out fresh, unique perspectives. So, let's unravel our very first strategy enigma.

Case #1

The Curious Case of The Sluggish Social Media

Once the talk of the digital town, Bella's Boutique, a much-loved online jewelry store, has been facing a social media slump over the past quarter:

1. Instagram's follower growth shrunk from 25% to a meagre 5%

2. Facebook reach took a 20% hit

3. Grumbles about shipping delays shot up by 15%

What's more interesting is this lull coincided with the introduction of a new social media maestro and switching from an in-house to an outsourced video content creation model. Yet, Bella's Boutique still manages to outshine its rivals on the social media battleground.

Key Questions

1. What's causing Bella's Boutique's social media to crawl?

2. What additional intel could help put the finger on the pain points?

3. How can the new social media hotshot handle the rising tide of negative comments?

4. What's your game plan to put the zing back into their social media growth?

What's your take? How would you tackle Bella's Boutique's conundrum based on the data we have? Don't be shy to share your thoughts and strategic solutions. We'll be featuring some of your exciting responses in our forthcoming bulletins.

Potential Action Points

• Craft distinct brand guidelines for outsourced content

• Look under the hood to find what's causing shipping delays

• Tackle negative comments with a sprinkle of extra compensations

• Get the glamour of influencers to highlight new product launches

• Reallocate resources to foster a robust TikTok presence

💡 What I'm Tuning Into

This week, I'm diving into the world of 'The Practice' by Seth Godin, a brilliant read (or listen, in my case) that offers a compelling approach to creative work. It's not just about the idea, but the practice behind it, the persistent effort of showing up, day after day. Whether you're in marketing, strategy, or any creative field, this book will nudge you to think differently about your work.

🔦 Strategist Spotlight

This week, we're travelling back to the 1980s to spotlight the incredible Michael E. Porter, a titan in the field of business strategy. Known for his classic frameworks, such as Porter's Five Forces and the Value Chain, Porter revolutionized how we think about competition and strategy. One of his shining moments was his work on competitive strategy, where he argued that a company's competitive advantage comes from its ability to differentiate itself, provide a unique value to its customers, or find a position in the industry where it can best defend itself against competitive forces or influence them in its favor.

🚀 Strategy Quick Tip

Strategic Pricing of Digital Products: Digital products are unique, they have near-zero marginal cost and are often highly scalable. This means the same product can be sold to 1 person or 1 million people without significant additional cost. Pricing them strategically involves considering factors like market demand, perceived value, competition, and your own cost structure. The strategy can vary from premium pricing to penetration pricing. But remember, it's crucial to strike a balance where customers perceive value, and you cover costs while also making a profit.

Copyright (C) Want to change how you receive these emails?You can update your preferences or unsubscribe