How Marketing Managers Build Actionable Strategy with the 4 Points Strategy Framework
Building actionable strategy feels like trying to perform an exorcism on a PowerPoint template that has been haunted by middle management for a decade. If your deck is 50 slides of market trends but zero actionable direction, you aren't strategizing; you're just stalling. The 4 Points Strategy Framework is the smelling salt for your brain. It forces you to stop hiding behind 'brand awareness' and actually identify the human friction you're solving, the weird truth about your customers, and the one unfair advantage that makes you more than just another line item in a budget. It’s built for the manager who needs to lead, not just 'align' with mediocrity.
The TL;DR
Stop making decks that nobody reads. Use these four boxes to kill the fluff, find the human tension, and give your team a singular, sharp direction that actually works in the real world before your budget gets slashed.
Why This Stops Your Marketing From Being Total Garbage
Most strategies fail because they're too polite or too complicated. This framework forces you to be honest, which is usually painful but always more effective than 'synergy.'
PROBLEM
Stop talking about 'low conversion rates.' That's a business problem. What is the friction, annoyance, or fear in the customer's life? If there's no human tension, you're just shouting at a brick wall.
INSIGHT
This is the Insight. It’s the 'why' behind the behavior. It’s the secret belief or irrational habit that drives their choices. If it doesn't make you feel a little bit like a creep for knowing it, it's probably just a fact, not an insight.
ADVANTAGE
Be honest. Is your product actually better, or just more expensive? This is the specific tool you have that solves the Problem. If your advantage is 'great customer service,' you're already losing.
STRATEGY
This is the Strategy. It’s the bridge. It connects the Problem, Insight, and Advantage into a single, aggressive sentence. It’s not a slogan; it’s a marching order for the whole department.
PROBLEM
Stop talking about 'low conversion rates.' That's a business problem. What is the friction, annoyance, or fear in the customer's life? If there's no human tension, you're just shouting at a brick wall.
INSIGHT
This is the Insight. It’s the 'why' behind the behavior. It’s the secret belief or irrational habit that drives their choices. If it doesn't make you feel a little bit like a creep for knowing it, it's probably just a fact, not an insight.
ADVANTAGE
Be honest. Is your product actually better, or just more expensive? This is the specific tool you have that solves the Problem. If your advantage is 'great customer service,' you're already losing.
STRATEGY
This is the Strategy. It’s the bridge. It connects the Problem, Insight, and Advantage into a single, aggressive sentence. It’s not a slogan; it’s a marching order for the whole department.
Ways You'll Probably Screw This Up
(And look like a junior analyst)
- ×Defining the 'Problem' as 'People don't know about us' (that's your problem, not theirs)
- ×Confusing an 'Insight' with a 'Data Point' (80% of people like blue is a stat, not an insight)
- ×Claiming 'Innovation' is a unique Advantage (it's a buzzword, not a weapon)
- ×Writing a 'Strategy' that is just a list of tactics like 'launch a TikTok account'
- ×Ignoring the Insight because it makes the brand look 'less premium'
- ×Making the Strategy so vague it could apply to a lemonade stand or a tech giant
- ×Failing to connect the four points (they need to flow like a logical argument, not random notes)
- ×Trying to solve five problems at once because you're afraid of being wrong
If your strategy doesn't feel a little bit risky, it's probably just a to-do list.
Real Examples
Project Management SaaS
Marketing a tool to overwhelmed middle managers.
PROBLEM
Managers feel like they are drowning in 'work about work' rather than actually producing anything.
INSIGHT
They don't want 'transparency'; they want a way to hide the chaos from their bosses until it's fixed.
ADVANTAGE
A 'Private Draft' mode that allows for messy collaboration before anything goes 'live' to the C-suite.
STRATEGY
Position the tool as the 'Safe Space for Messy Progress' rather than a rigid tracking system.
PROBLEM
Managers feel like they are drowning in 'work about work' rather than actually producing anything.
INSIGHT
They don't want 'transparency'; they want a way to hide the chaos from their bosses until it's fixed.
ADVANTAGE
A 'Private Draft' mode that allows for messy collaboration before anything goes 'live' to the C-suite.
STRATEGY
Position the tool as the 'Safe Space for Messy Progress' rather than a rigid tracking system.
Premium Pet Food
Selling high-priced kibble in a recession.
PROBLEM
Pet owners feel guilty that their busy lives mean they aren't giving their 'fur babies' enough attention.
INSIGHT
They view premium food not as nutrition, but as a 'guilt tax' they pay to feel like a better pet parent.
ADVANTAGE
A subscription model that includes personalized 'health milestone' reports for the pet.
STRATEGY
Shift the brand from 'food provider' to 'partner in pet longevity' to justify the price premium.
PROBLEM
Pet owners feel guilty that their busy lives mean they aren't giving their 'fur babies' enough attention.
INSIGHT
They view premium food not as nutrition, but as a 'guilt tax' they pay to feel like a better pet parent.
ADVANTAGE
A subscription model that includes personalized 'health milestone' reports for the pet.
STRATEGY
Shift the brand from 'food provider' to 'partner in pet longevity' to justify the price premium.
DTC Skincare
Breaking through the noise of a saturated beauty market.
PROBLEM
Consumers are exhausted by 12-step routines that cost a fortune and don't actually work.
INSIGHT
They secretly suspect most skincare is snake oil but are too afraid of 'aging' to stop buying it.
ADVANTAGE
A clinical-grade, 2-product system that outperforms competitors in blind tests.
STRATEGY
Aggressively attack the 'Skincare Industrial Complex' by promoting 'Product Minimalism' as the ultimate luxury.
PROBLEM
Consumers are exhausted by 12-step routines that cost a fortune and don't actually work.
INSIGHT
They secretly suspect most skincare is snake oil but are too afraid of 'aging' to stop buying it.
ADVANTAGE
A clinical-grade, 2-product system that outperforms competitors in blind tests.
STRATEGY
Aggressively attack the 'Skincare Industrial Complex' by promoting 'Product Minimalism' as the ultimate luxury.
Frequently Asked Questions
My boss wants a 50-slide deck. What do I do?
Give them the 50 slides of fluff they want for the 'archive,' but use these 4 points to actually run your team. One is for the ego, the other is for the results.
What if my product doesn't have a clear advantage?
Then you don't have a strategy; you have a prayer. If you can't find an advantage, you need to work with product to build one, or find a very specific niche where you're the only option.
Is the 'Strategy' (By) just the creative tagline?
No. The Strategy is the logic. The tagline is the lipstick. If you don't have the logic first, the lipstick is just going on a pig.
How do I know if my Insight is actually an Insight?
If you say it out loud and people in the room look slightly uncomfortable or say 'I thought I was the only one who felt that,' you've got a winner.
Can I have two Problems if they're both really big?
No. Pick the one that’s actually hurting your bottom line. Trying to solve two problems usually results in solving zero problems twice as slowly.
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