In business, marketing, and even everyday life, people talk about tactics and strategy. The problem is that some use them as synonyms—which is a mistake.

In simple terms, strategy is the “what” and the “why” behind what you want to achieve. Tactics, on the other hand, are the “how”—the concrete steps you take each day to move in that direction.

If these terms still confuse you, don’t worry—this article explains everything you need to know. Beyond what each one means, you’ll understand how they differ and how to work at both levels with clarity.

Tactics and Strategy: What They Are, How They Differ, and How to Align Them

What Are Tactics and Strategy?

When we talk about tactics and strategy, we’re describing two levels of action that work together. Therefore, to use them well, you first need to understand what each one is:

What is a strategy?

A strategy is a high-level plan that defines what you want to achieve and the general approach to getting there.

Classic business-strategy authors like Henry Mintzberg describe it as “a pattern in a stream of decisions.”

In practice, a good strategy includes a long-term vision, your most important objectives, and the type of customer you’re targeting. From there, you define your value proposition and the priorities that will guide your tactical actions.

What is a tactic?

A tactic is an action or set of specific actions you execute to advance an objective defined in your strategy. It focuses on how and when to do something specific and usually has an impact in the short or medium term. It also defines specific timelines and criteria you can schedule, measure, and adjust.

Difference Between Strategy and Tactics

Although tactics and strategy go hand in hand, they don’t address the same thing. Let’s see how they differ.

Strategy vs. tactics:

Focus and scope:

• Strategy: looks at the big picture—defines where you’re going, what you want to achieve, and the direction your business or project will follow.

• Tactics: deal with the ground level—what actions you’ll take, in what order, and with what available resources.

Timeframe:

• Strategy: typically spans several months or even years of decisions.

• Tactics: can be executed in days, weeks, or targeted campaigns with clear start and end points.

Stability:

• Strategy: changing it implies revisiting objectives, priorities, and often the business model.

• Tactics: are inherently flexible, since they can be adjusted quickly based on results, context, or team learning.

Questions they answer:

• Strategy: answers the “what” and the “why”: what we want to achieve, whom we serve, and what makes us different.

• Tactics: answer the “how” and the “when”: what we’ll do today, in which channel, and with what resources.

What’s the relationship between them?

Strategy decides the destination; tactics are the route. Without a clear direction, actions scatter and their impact ends up being much smaller.

Examples of Tactics and Strategy in Business and Marketing

In a clear business strategy, you define long-term objectives, while tactics focus on short-term goals and daily actions.

Below are some examples of how they work:

1. Online Business / E-commerce

Strategy: become the go-to online store for eco-friendly products in Mexico within two years.

Tactics:

• Launch segmented campaigns in Google Ads and Meta Ads for eco-friendly products in Mexico.

• Publish one educational SEO article per week on sustainable living and caring for the planet that links to the store.

• Collaborate with Instagram and TikTok creators for reviews and exclusive discount codes.

2. Freelance Digital Marketer

Strategy: become a go-to for small B2B companies managing content and LinkedIn campaigns to succeed as a freelance digital marketer.

Tactics:

• Post three times a week on LinkedIn with cases, learnings, and project results.

• Send five personalized freelance proposals per week to B2B companies aligned with the niche.

• Update the online portfolio and collect client testimonials to reinforce credibility.

3. Content Strategy

Strategy: increase organic traffic and leads within 12 months through content marketing texts focused on key business searches.

Tactics:

• Research industry keywords and create two SEO articles per month aligned with those queries.

• Optimize old content by improving headlines, structure, internal links, and calls to action to forms or sales pages.

• Distribute each piece via newsletter and social media to expand reach, measuring clicks and conversions to decide which topics to repeat or deepen.

How to Align Your Tactics With Your Strategy

This alignment is part of strategic planning: it requires strategic thinking and solid market research.

The good news is you can work on it in simple steps:

1. Define clear, measurable objectives. Start at the top, at the strategic level. Decide what you want to achieve—for example, increase revenue or position yourself in a specific niche.

2. Turn each objective into concrete metrics. These can be, for example, website traffic, leads, conversion rate, or sales. Also review them through the lens of your marketing mix to ensure you’re measuring what truly matters.

3. Choose tactics that truly drive those metrics. Think of specific actions: campaigns, content, automations, or other initiatives. Select only those that directly connect to your metrics and your differentiation strategy.

4. Plan in short periods and review results. Organize your work in cycles of weeks or a few months, with clear tactics and numeric goals for each phase.

5. Review the strategy regularly. If you see your tactics working but the objective has lost relevance or the environment has changed, it may be time to adjust the strategy.

The key is not to change course every week, but to review calmly based on data and accumulated learnings.

Suggestions:

• If you want to dig deeper into the competition, use Porter’s Five Forces model to better understand the environment you’ll be competing in.

• If necessary, rely on a decision tree diagram to visualize options and prioritize what to test first.

With this approach, your tactics stay connected to the strategy, and you avoid improvised decisions.

Common mistakes when confusing tactics and strategy

When a company, freelancer, entrepreneur or solopreneur mixes tactics and strategy, they usually lose clarity on priorities. Generally, the result is constant effort without significant progress.

En la práctica, esto se traduce en errores como:

• Confusing objectives with actions. Posting more or launching a campaign and thinking it’s a strategy is a mistake. We’re talking about operational tasks—and therefore tactics—that respond to a real strategic objective.

• Multiplying actions without a goal to guide them. Testing content, ads, or campaigns without a clear objective creates waste and poor results. Even when using tools for a marketing strategy, if there’s no strategic direction, each tactic remains isolated.

• Insisting on tactics that are no longer relevant. Continuing with a channel or method out of habit prevents you from seeing new opportunities. A tactic that was useful in the past can stop adding value if the market or the team’s needs have changed.

• Failing to explain the strategy to the people executing it. If the team only receives isolated tasks, it’s hard for them to prioritize or suggest improvements. When the strategy isn’t communicated, daily work becomes a list of tactical actions with no common sense.

When you avoid these pitfalls, every tactic makes sense and the strategy stops being theory and becomes a guide for action.

Conclusion

Tactics and strategy are different concepts—but they don’t compete; they complement each other.

Remember: strategy sets the general course, and tactics turn that direction into concrete, measurable actions. When you separate the two planes, you stop doing things out of inertia and start choosing actions that support your objectives.

An academic study shows that companies with strategic planning improve their financial and organizational performance compared to those that don’t apply it.

Also, leaning on solid strategic planning can help you make better use of the team’s time, budget, and energy. This is key to increasing your chances of success as a freelancer, entrepreneur, or business owner.

Your financial management also requires strategies and tactics to receive/send/convert currencies. With DolarApp, you can do it easily through a digital dollar and euro account—always with a fair exchange rate for buying and selling USDc or EURc.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between strategy and tactics?

The main difference is that strategy defines your overall objective and the direction you’ll follow. Tactics, on the other hand, are the concrete actions you execute to move along that path.

Which comes first, strategy or tactics?

Strategy comes first, because it sets the purpose and the direction you want to reach. From there, you choose tactics that make sense within that plan—not the other way around.

Can a strategy be changed?

Yes, a strategy can change, but it’s not wise to do so constantly, as it would mean rethinking the business’s course. In general, it’s adjusted when your objectives, the market, or expected results change.

Can a tactic work without a strategy?

It could, but it will only generate short-term results, like a spike in visits or sales. Without a strategy connecting it to big objectives, the impact is usually temporary rather than long-term.

How do I know if my tactics are aligned with my strategy?

Each tactic should clearly answer which strategic objective it supports. If you can’t explain it or measure its contribution, it’s likely not aligned with your strategy.

Sources:

Strategic Planning and Organizational Performance

Patterns in Strategy Formation