Proactive vs. Reactive Strategic Planning: Best Practices for Client-Facing Initiatives

At JDM, great strategy involves knowing when to stick to a well-built roadmap and when it’s the right time to pivot.

When we build a strategy for clients, we approach it from two angles: proactive (predictable, structured, and built around long-term goals) and reactive (agile, responsive, and built for the now). Both matter, and both drive impact – when they’re used at the right time.

Here’s how we navigate that balance for our clients.

Proactive Strategy: Building a Foundation That Scales

Proactive strategy is our opportunity to zoom out, get ahead of trends, and build programs that ladder into clear goals. These efforts typically fall into two buckets:

• Evergreen plays like always-on brand campaigns, persona-based messaging frameworks, or quarterly theme calendars.
  
  
• Planned initiatives like launches, seasonal campaigns, or anticipated budget pushes.
  
  

These get mapped out in advance, usually quarterly, with clear roles and workflows. We drive alignment with clients on purpose and priorities, then build supporting assets, channel plans, and reporting structures to execute with confidence.

This also means being direct in how we present strategy. We avoid vague, open-ended proposals that push decision-making back on the client (e.g., “We could turn on old campaigns, launch display, or try PMax – let us know what works for you”). Instead, we lean into a consultative voice, making pointed recommendations backed by data and context (e.g., “Based on last year’s performance, we recommend Search and PMax, since they drove the most traffic at the lowest CPCs”). Framing matters just as much as planning.

Reactive Strategy: Capitalizing on Ad Hoc Growth Opportunities

Even with the best-laid plans, new opportunities (and curveballs) show up constantly. That’s where a reactive strategy comes in. We:

• Monitor for spikes in performance, cultural moments, competitor movements, or platform shifts.
  
  
• Surface those trends quickly in comms and brainstorms.
  
  
• Evaluate how relevant and impactful they are to the client’s current goals.
  
  
• Prioritize quick wins that are worth the pivot,  a test, a new ad set, a blog sprint, a reallocation of spend.
  
  

Reactive work has structure, too. Our strategy leads are trained to recognize signal vs. noise and make a clear case for action when it matters most. It’s about acting fast,  but not randomly.

Bringing It Together

A strong strategy cadence has both proactive and reactive layers,  a system that moves from planning to testing to refinement without breaking stride. At JDM, we bring clients in early and often, so every shift feels intentional, not chaotic.

And when it’s time to present that strategy, we don’t just drop a menu of options and hope for the best. We take a stance, we explain the rationale, and we make it easy for clients to understand why the recommendation matters. That’s how trust is built, and how strategy drives results.

Need a partner who knows when to zoom out and when to go full speed ahead? Let’s talk.