Built Different: Why I Started Strategic By Design
Let’s get one thing straight: marketing doesn’t need more fluff. It needs clarity, conviction, and results.
I didn’t build Strategic By Design because I thought the world needed another marketing agency. I built it because I was tired of watching good businesses drown in noise — wasting money on bloated retainers, tone-deaf campaigns, and consultants who talked in circles.
From The Ground Up
My journey into marketing wasn’t traditional. I didn’t graduate summa cum laude from some Ivy League incubator. Much of what I now know was self-taught, street-smart, and deeply rooted in hospitality — where you either deliver or you don’t eat. Over the years, I climbed the ladder, led national campaigns, managed global teams, and earned my stripes the hard way. I’ve worked with bars, med spas, medical providers, non-profits, and entrepreneurs of every kind. And across every niche, one truth remains: People don’t care how clever your marketing is — they care whether it works.
The Strategic By Design Difference
We don’t chase trends. We build strategies that make sense for your business, your audience, and your bottom line. Every campaign is crafted with purpose. Every decision is made with intent.
Whether it’s brand positioning, creative direction, or campaign execution, I lead with empathy, resilience, and brutal honesty. I don’t believe in hiding behind jargon or presenting thirty-slide decks that say nothing.
You’re not hiring an agency. You’re partnering with someone who treats your business like their own.
What We Do:
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- Brand Strategy & Identity
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- Digital Campaigns (SEO, Paid Media, Email, the works)
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- Team Leadership & Marketing Ops
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- Brand Strategy & Identity
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- Content & Creative Direction
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- And a healthy dose of “cut-the-BS” consulting
If you’re tired of being burned, overwhelmed, or underwhelmed — let’s talk. Because you don’t need more marketing.
You need the right marketing.
— Mike Best
Founder, Strategic By Design
Written by Mike Best, April 30, 2025
Your Marketing Isn’t Broken—Your Strategy Is.
You don’t need more ads. You don’t need a new website. And you definitely don’t need another “social media guru” throwing spaghetti at the wall.
You need a strategy that actually makes sense for your business—and that’s where 99% of marketing efforts go sideways.
The Real Problem:
Most businesses don’t have a marketing problem. They have a clarity problem. A consistency problem. A “why are we doing this again?” problem. They throw money at paid ads without mapping the funnel. They publish content without knowing who it’s for.
They hire agencies who prioritize aesthetics over outcomes.
What Strategy Actually Looks Like
Real strategy connects the dots between:
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Who you’re talking to
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What you’re saying
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Where you’re showing up
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How you measure success
Without that? You’re not marketing—you’re guessing.
At Strategic By Design
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We start with your business goals.
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Build campaigns that serve a purpose.
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Track every damn dollar.
It’s not about being everywhere. It’s about being in the right place, with the right message, at the right time.
If you’re tired of doing “all the things” with nothing to show for it—let’s talk.
Because when your strategy’s dialed in, everything else gets easier.
And profitable.
–Mike Best, Founder- StrategicXDesign
Written By Mike Best-May 08,2025
