The 9-Point Channel Strategy
Amidst this frenzy of marketing metamorphosis, we can now say that leaders need more than campaigns. They need systems. They need ways to leverage digital ecosystems while maintaining a hyper-vigilant approach to customer needs and overall growth. That's where the 9-Point Channel Strategy comes in.
Marketing in an Age of Complexity
Marketing is an environment defined by complexity and constant change.
For example, AI has automated and streamlined processes such as social media management and content creation. Similarly, over the past five years, the world of SEO has shifted away from simply keyword tactics to a more holistic approach involving the rigorous understanding of user intent and experience.
A recent McKinsey study found that 77% of CMOs believe their role has increased in complexity over the past five years, while other research consistently highlights the importance of integrated, customer-centric approaches for increased growth and revenue.
Amidst this frenzy of marketing metamorphosis, we can now say that leaders need more than campaigns. They need systems. They need ways to leverage digital ecosystems while maintaining a hyper-vigilant approach to customer needs and overall growth. That's where the 9-Point Channel Strategy comes in.
Delving, Developing, and Deducing
This complexity was not theoretical for me - it showed up daily during my Longboard days, when I was part of a small yet mighty team.
A few months into my role, I began to dream about creating a strategy that could answer some of the challenges our team was experiencing - a lack of organization due to poor project management skills, limited human resources to handle social media and email marketing tasks, and most importantly, misalignment and miscommunication with leadership, as well as missed opportunities to collaborate with cross-functional departments.
I wrote a business case and presented it to the CEO.
In my study, I explored all the potential projects and campaigns we could launch if only we were more organized and had more structure to our efforts. It was also the catalyst for doubling our team's size. After a quick presentation of my findings, my request was quickly approved. I finally had the go-ahead to develop the strategy that had been rattling about in my brain.
A Holistic View
The lack of a holistic view is one significant challenge that spurred the need to develop the 9-Point Channel Strategy.
In holistic marketing, departments and the strategy work together to accomplish shared goals and support an overarching purpose. A holistic stance paired with a transparent purpose is pivotal to scaling efforts and driving incremental volume and revenue.
It allows you to step back and review your work, gaining a deeper and clearer understanding of how inputs influence outcomes. With this perspective, you’ll be better prepared to make thoughtful, proactive decisions. Once you develop a holistic view, you can begin shaping content and messaging that resonates across physical, emotional, social, and even spiritual dimensions. At its core, this unification can lead to outcomes that stand out and make a lasting impact.
The 9-Point Strategy
The 9-Point Channel Strategy is an integrated approach to channel marketing where the primary goal is to understand your market segments and audience so you can deliver campaigns and projects that will produce results, all while driving your mission and vision forward.
By organizing each channel according to activity and assigning roles and responsibilities to the team (RACI chart), you can plan your delivery and create an inspiring experience that results in alignment between identity, delivery, and experience. This framework provides marketing teams with a structured, repeatable approach to align business goals, customer engagement, and brand growth across traditional and digital channels.
The 9-Point Channel Strategy model resembles a rotary phone because every channel (digit) must be dialled deliberately, in a sequence, and through a central hub (budget + analytics) to connect the organization to its customer outcomes (the call).
Why Structure Matters in Marketing
Most marketing teams suffer from one of two extremes: ad hoc creativity with little consistency, or rigid planning that fails to adapt to market shifts. Neither delivers sustainable growth.
The 9-Point Channel Strategy strikes a balance.
At its core, it emphasizes organization, planning, and resource allocation. These are not administrative details; they are the foundations of scaling. A Harvard Business Review study found that companies that link project management discipline with strategy execution are 70% more likely to outperform their peers.
By organizing around nine integrated channels - SEO/PPC, Content, Swag & Signage, Communications and Relationship Management, Tradeshows & Events, PR & Media, Website & Apps, Email Marketing, and Social Media - companies create a roadmap that both grounds their brand and gives teams the agility to respond to change.
From Brand Awareness to Measurable Revenue
Marketing is not just about visibility. Done right, it drives the business. Done wrong, it can degrade the brand and dislodge the customer journey.
So, it's vital to understand how each channel works singularly and in groups (Channel Groups). Research by Nielsen shows that brands with strong integrated campaigns achieve 31% more effectiveness than those using single-channel approaches.
The 9-Point Channel Strategy is designed to move organizations along this path. It improves:
Brand Awareness: By consistently activating channels that reinforce identity and voice.
Customer Engagement: Through storytelling, dialogue, and relationship management across touchpoints.
Sales Impact: By aligning marketing activity with measurable outcomes such as lead quality, conversion rates, and pipeline growth.
For example, when I applied this framework in past roles, companies saw up to 600% growth in engagement and $25M in new business pipeline opportunities.
It's critical to understand that this doesn't just happen out of sheer application - it's the targeted execution that matters most. It's like a causeway. You can allocate resources to support your teams, all while understanding your business needs more accurately.
Furthermore, the 9-Point Channel Strategy guides the creation of marketing and sales materials, the development of strategic regional campaigns, and the collection of valuable data using the software and tools you have in place. By investing more time into understanding the potential of your market and the journey your clients take, you can influence product development, boost brand recognition, and more.
You will also improve your breadth of knowledge and meet changing client requirements more quickly and effectively. Client satisfaction will rise, as will your future revenue and profitability. Your reputation will grow as you raise awareness for your company and industry.
The Agile Imperative
No framework survives long if it can't adapt. The 9-Point Channel Strategy incorporates principles from the Agile Marketing Manifesto, which emphasizes experimentation, cross-functional collaboration, and responsiveness to change.
Five rules serve as guiding pillars:
Focus on client value and business outcomes over activity and outputs.
Deliver value early and often, rather than waiting for perfection.
Learn through experiments and data, rather than opinions and conventions.
Collaborate across functions, not just within silos or hierarchy.
Respond to change by following a static plan.
This isn't just philosophy. According to AgileSherpas, 42% of marketers now practice some form of Agile marketing, and those teams are twice as likely to report success as their non-Agile counterparts.
To put agility into practice, leaders need guiding principles that balance flexibility with discipline.
Principles for Execution
To embed agility within structure, leaders must:
Align closely with internal and external stakeholders through transparency and trust.
Encourage diverse perspectives to fuel creativity and innovation.
Operate at a sustainable pace, balancing urgency with long-term growth.
Empower small, cross-functional teams who are motivated and trusted.
Continuously refine brand and channel fundamentals—because agility alone is not enough.
The best marketing programs are not built on one-off bursts of inspiration but on disciplined iteration. As Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder, once put it: "If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you've launched too late."
The Call to Leaders
The 9-Point Channel Strategy is more than a checklist - it is a system for growth in an unpredictable market. By combining structure with agility, organizations can achieve clarity, consistency, and measurable outcomes while staying aligned with their mission, vision, and values.
In an era when customer attention is fragmented and competition is fierce, the companies that win will not be those who do more, but those who do better. Integrated and agile marketing is no longer optional - it is a prerequisite for sustainable success. The 9-Point Channel Strategy offers a path to do just that - driving clarity, consistency, and sustainable growth.
If you’d like to explore how this strategy can work for your business, feel free to reach out to me anytime - info@chonafecanlas.com.
Thanks for reading,
Blox.