Strategy & tactics - the difference explained

"Strategical" isn't a word, even if it was uttered by the current president of the United States. Perhaps he was simply another victim in a longstanding confusion between "strategic" and "tactical."

While the differences appear straightforward on the surface, many people confuse the two. This often occurs because they are so tightly connected.
 
What exactly is the difference?
 
Strategy is rooted in a plan of action that intends to accomplish a specific goal that is usually important and challenging. Tactics are the way the strategy is carried out.
 
Borrowing from the journalistic "five Ws and one H," strategy is the "who, what, and why" and tactics are the "where, when and how."
 
Strategy involves proactively determining what you want to achieve. Tactics are the things you do to achieve the strategic goal.
 
A few examples within a public relations context:
 
                      Strategic                                          Tactical 

Shift a negative public perception to positive	Go on a press tour to build understanding.
Create a new category position	Secure an influential industry analyst evangelist to promote the new category
Transform a company from an "also ran" position to a leadership position	Create powerful credibility building third-party validation and deploy it
Deposition a key competitor around the customer value ingredient	Develop customer evangelists who publicly articulate the benefits of your product
Overcome a deeply ingrained negative viewpoint about a product	Create a "show and tell" product road show; get the product reviewed by an independent review lab vs. key competitors and get published in NetworkWorld
Create more widespread demand for an established class of product	Get David Kirkpatrick of Fortune to write about the need
Create a thought leadership platform that aligns a company with a broader industry issue, trend or topic	Write a bylined contributed article based on the platform topic and place it in CNET
Transform marketing language from stilted to memorable	Interview customers to find out how they benefit from your products

 
 Doing something strategically involves the following:

1. Identify a specific outcome you want to achieve
2. Conduct research (market, competitive, attitudinal) to establish a realistic "baseline" starting point that takes into consideration internal and external realities
3. Put together a proactive plan that leverages the research findings, anticipates issues, looks at the big picture and incorporates specific strategic objectives and end-results
4. Engage in consensus building with appropriate groups and individuals; get key people on board to support the strategy
5. Ensure the tactical ideas can achieve the strategic outcomes you desire

 Doing something tactically means you:

1. Understand the strategic goals
2. Interpret the goals and isolate courses of action that will achieve the strategic goals
3. Create plans focused on specific activities mapped into specific timeframes with specific outcomes
4. Make sure the tactical activities are carried out well
5. Measure their impact and help tie tactics back to the strategic plan

Strategy includes creating a different reality via creative, smart planning. Tactics are focused actions. The two are deeply intertwined. You need both to achieve public relations success.