Marketing Strategist: 6 Things That Separate Pros From Pretenders

The word “strategist” has been stretched thin. These days, anyone who has a successful run on LinkedIn or dabbles in viral content seems to adopt the title. But strategy is not about making marketing look good online. It is about using the brand’s presence to drive real and sustainable business outcomes. The gap between those who call themselves strategists and those who truly are can be seen in six areas.

Real strategists begin with business goals. Pretenders rush into ideas. They simply say “Let’s launch a TikTok campaign!” despite answering the hard question: What are we trying to achieve as a business? Professionals start with clarity on whether the priority is revenue growth, market penetration, or repositioning. For example, a Malaysian SME exporting food products doesn’t need a flashy campaign first. It needs a strategy to build distributor networks and market credibility in the first strategic country before investing in a wider push. Goals frame everything that follows.

Real strategists live on insight, not opinion. Pretenders build plans on assumptions or random trends. Professionals dig into data, market research, and customer behaviour to anchor decisions. Consider a retail skincare brand planning to expand into Malaysia. A pretender may assume “young people love online shopping, so let’s just double down on Instagram.” A real strategist studies purchasing patterns, the behaviour of the target customers, e-commerce penetration, and local cultural nuances and may instead discover that partnerships with regional marketplaces like MyTrademartStore or Shopee deliver far higher returns.

Real strategists prioritise strategy before execution. Pretenders jump to execution because it feels tangible. Professionals slow down to map positioning, define the right audience, and choose the best channels before executing. For instance, a fintech startup might be tempted to run paid ads or double down on LinkedIn play immediately. A professional strategist would first define the customer segment (SMEs, not individuals), sharpen the messaging around trust and compliance, and then decide where those SMEs actually spend time. Execution without this thinking is wasted effort.

Real strategists know when to say ‘no’. Pretenders agree to every idea on the table, hoping to please stakeholders. Professionals know that saying “no” is an act of discipline. Guarding the focus prevents dilution.

Real strategists measure what matters. Pretenders proudly present vanity metrics such as likes, followers, and impressions because they are easy to gather and look impressive. Professionals ask, Did marketing influence revenue, pipeline, or retention? For example, a B2B software firm that gains 10,000 LinkedIn followers but no leads has wasted resources. A strategist shifts focus to metrics like demo requests or any conversion-driven approach to bring them from trials to paying customers. Those numbers tie marketing directly to growth.

Real strategists build long-term value. Pretenders chase quick wins to look successful, often at the expense of sustainability. Professionals balance immediate gains with building enduring brand equity. A fast-food chain offering endless discounts may win short-term sales but risks training customers to wait for promotions. A strategist instead builds campaigns around unique brand positioning, loyalty programmes, and consistent customer experience, and investments that protect value beyond one quarter.

Businesses guided by pretenders burn through budgets, chasing every trend and every idea. Businesses guided by true strategists grow steadily, with clarity, discipline, and compounding value. And in a world where “strategist” is too easily claimed, the results will always tell you who’s the real deal.

In the end, it is all about growing the revenue, profit, cash flow, market share and brand reputation. Only the real strategists can deliver those.