Checklist: What to Include in Your Annual Strategy

Most annual marketing strategies don’t make it past Q1. Not because teams aren’t smart or motivated, but because the strategy isn’t clear, focused, or connected to reality.

Too often, strategy documents become a dumping ground for disconnected KPIs, and wishful thinking. They end up looking good in a boardroom, but fail where it matters: in execution.

That’s why we’ve put together a checklist to help you build an annual strategy centred around being practical, useful, and grounded in actual business priorities.

Here’s that checklist.

1. Start With a Real Goal

Forget “grow awareness” or “get more leads.” That’s vague. Instead, ask:

• What, exactly, needs to change in the business next year?
• What behaviour are we trying to influence?
• What would success look like in real terms?

Example: Instead of “generate leads,” say “build a pipeline of 100 decision-makers in mid-sized B2B tech companies within the UK by Q4.”

If you’re not already familiar with it, use the SMART Framework – make your goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. A strategy without a clear business outcome isn’t a strategy.

2. Know Who You’re Talking To

Marketing that tries to reach everyone ends up resonating with no one.

Build customer profiles that go deeper than job titles and sectors:

• What do they care about professionally?
• What frustrates them?
• What’s at stake for them?
• How do they make buying decisions?

Don’t guess – trial and error isn’t a strategy – it’s a long process which rarely works. One of the key priorities in product marketing is actually talking to real customers. Read your own reviews to understand where your user journey is falling flat. Interview your sales team to find out where they’re spotting the pain points too.

Output: 2-3 updated personas rooted in actual insight.

3. Reassess Your Positioning

Markets change, as well as competitors. What worked last year might not work this year.

Take a hard look at how you’re positioning your product or service:

• Are you still relevant?
• Are you differentiated?
• Are you clear?

If your messaging could easily be used by your competitors, it’s not working hard enough.

Output: A positioning statement that captures what you do, for whom, and why it matters, without any clichés.

4. Align Messaging With Strategy

Marketing teams often produce good content that doesn’t support the actual business strategy.

Build a messaging framework:

• Core value propositions
• Key supporting proof points
• Common objections (and how to handle them)

This becomes your north star for content, sales enablement, and campaign work.

Output: A messaging matrix everyone on the team can use.

5. Prioritise the Right Channels

You can’t win on every platform. Choose where you’re going to focus based on:

• Where your audience actually spends time
• What kind of content performs there
• Your team’s capability to execute consistently

Don’t chase trends unless they align with the marketing strategy. There’s no prize for being on TikTok if your clients are on LinkedIn.

Output: A clear list of primary and secondary channels, with purpose attached to each.

6. Build a Calendar That Tells a Cohesive Story

Avoid reactive content. Build campaigns and themes that compound over time.

Plan around:

• Quarterly themes
• Product launches
• Industry events
• Buying cycles

Map content and campaigns to business objectives, not just dates on a calendar.

Output: A campaign-level calendar with space for execution and iteration.

7. Define Metrics That Actually Matter

Don’t let metrics dictate your strategy – let strategy dictate your metrics.

Move beyond vanity metrics:

• Website traffic is fine, but pipeline value is better
• Email opens are okay, but demo bookings are better

Use leading and lagging indicators:

• Leading: ad engagement, inbound queries, email replies
• Lagging: sales, renewals, referrals

Output: 3-5 core KPIs per quarter, reviewed monthly.

8. Get Cross-Team Alignment

Strategy isn’t just for marketing. Sales, product, and leadership need to be bought in.

Share your plan early. Get feedback. Ask hard questions. Assign ownership.

This prevents siloed efforts and makes execution smoother.

Output: A one-page summary of the plan everyone can reference.

9. Be Ready to Adapt

No matter how solid your plan is in January, or the start of the financial year in April, things will change. Build in room to learn and pivot.

• Review monthly
• Run small tests often
• Don’t be afraid to cut what isn’t working

The most successful marketers are responsive, not reactive. Be agile with your approach to get the best results.

Output: A process for reviewing and evolving the strategy.

10. Kill What Isn’t Working

This is the uncomfortable bit. There’s always something that looks good on paper but delivers little.

Be honest about:

• Channels that aren’t generating real outcomes
• Messaging that feels outdated
• Campaigns that drain energy without ROI

Clear the clutter. Create space for better work. Having a contingency plan in place will keep your annual strategy on a steady path.

Summary

An effective annual strategy isn’t complicated. But it is rigorous. It requires clarity, focus, and willingness to choose what not to do.

Use this checklist as a foundation. Review it often, but above all – connect every part of the plan to a real outcome.

Remember that the point of strategy is to drive action and to keep you on track to drive results.