If you’ve been following along with our marketing strategy series, you now have something most small business owners never take the time to build:
A clear strategy you can actually make decisions from.
But here’s the honest truth…
A strategy without a system still turns into random marketing.
That’s why we’re transitioning into the Marketing Flywheel—because it’s the “how” that keeps your strategy alive week after week.
Today’s newsletter is all about how these two frameworks fit together and how to use them as one simple structure—so you stop restarting your marketing every Monday.
Here’s our latest vlogcast on the marketing system framework:
The Big Idea: Strategy Sets the Direction. The Flywheel Builds the Momentum.
Think of it like this:
Marketing strategy answers: “What should we do—and why?”
Marketing flywheel answers: “How do we keep doing it consistently—and get better over time?”
Most business owners jump straight to tactics:
“Should I post on Facebook more?”
“Should I run ads?”
“Should I start a newsletter?”
But tactics are not a plan. They’re just tools.
Strategy tells you what tools matter.
The flywheel makes sure you actually use them consistently enough to get results.
How They Fit Together (Simple Map)
Here’s the clean way to connect the two:
1) Your Strategy Becomes Your “North Star”
From the strategy series, you should have clarity on things like:
who you’re trying to reach
what you want to be known for
what you sell and why it matters
what kind of marketing you’re realistically willing to maintain
That clarity becomes the filter you run everything through.
If something doesn’t match your strategy, it’s noise.
2) The Flywheel Becomes Your Weekly Operating System
Your flywheel is:
Audience → Messaging → Platform → Consistency → Refine
This is how you turn “we should market more” into a repeatable rhythm that doesn’t burn you out.
Here’s a short clip on our the flywheel:
Why You Need Both (And Why Most People Get Stuck)
Here’s what happens when you only use one:
If you only have strategy…
You’ll make smart decisions in your head… but you won’t build momentum.
You’ll keep saying “we need to…” and then go right back to the daily grind.
If you only have the flywheel…
You’ll post consistently… but you might be consistently unclear.
That’s how you end up working hard and still not seeing results.
Strategy prevents wasted effort.
The flywheel prevents stalled effort.
Together, they keep you from doing random marketing.
How to Use Them Together (A Simple Way to Start)
Here’s a practical way to put both into action without turning this into a “big marketing project.”
Step 1: Lock the Strategy (Once a Quarter)
Give yourself one short strategy check-in every quarter:
Has our ideal customer changed?
Are we still clear on what we offer and why it matters?
Are we trying to sell too many things at once?
Are we choosing marketing channels we can realistically keep up with?
This keeps you from drifting.
Step 2: Run the Flywheel Weekly (30–60 Minutes)
Each week, you’re just moving the wheel forward.
Here’s what that can look like in real life:
Audience: Who are we trying to reach this week? (Be specific.)
Messaging: What do they need to hear right now?
Platform: Where will we say it? (Pick one primary place.)
Consistency: Publish, repeat, show up again.
Refine: What got a response? What didn’t? What should we adjust?
That’s it. No chaos required.
A Real Example
Let’s say you run a local insurance office.
Strategy helps you decide:
We’re focused on families and small business owners locally
Our message is “we simplify the confusing stuff”
We want to grow through trust, not gimmicks
Flywheel helps you execute that every week:
pick one audience segment (new homeowners)
write one message (3 things to do before you close)
publish it to one platform (Facebook + email)
do it again next week with a new angle
refine based on what people ask you about
Now you’re not guessing. You’re building.
Prompt of the Week: Turn Strategy Into a Weekly Flywheel Plan
Copy/paste this into ChatGPT:
Prompt:
“Act like my marketing coach. Here’s my business: [describe it].
Here’s who I want to reach: [audience].
Here’s what I want to be known for: [positioning].
Here are the platforms I can realistically use: [Facebook, email, etc.].
Build me a 4-week marketing flywheel plan using Audience → Messaging → Platform → Consistency → Refine.
Keep it simple: 1 primary platform, 1 post idea per week, and one suggestion on what to track so I can refine.”
What to Do Next
If you’ve felt like marketing keeps resetting every week, this is your fix:
Use strategy to choose the right direction
Use the flywheel to build repeatable momentum
Next issue, we’ll start walking through the flywheel step-by-step—starting with Audience—because everything else gets easier when you stop trying to market to “everyone.”
Want to reply and tell me what kind of business you run and what platform you use most? I’ll tell you what your flywheel “starting point” should be.