SOSTAC is a strategic planning and marketing model that provides a structured framework for developing and implementing marketing and business strategies. It was developed by PR Smith in the 1990s and has been widely used in the fields of marketing, business planning, and digital marketing. The acronym SOSTAC stands for:

1. Situation Analysis (S): In this first stage, you assess the current situation, both internally and externally. This involves gathering data and information about your organization, your market, your competitors, and your target audience. The goal is to understand your current position and identify any opportunities or challenges.
2. Objectives (O): Once you have a clear understanding of your situation, you can set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives. These objectives should outline what you want to achieve with your marketing or business strategy. They should align with your organization’s overall goals.
3. Strategy (S): With your objectives in place, you can develop a strategy to achieve them. This involves determining the key strategies and tactics you will use to reach your goals. Your strategy should address elements like product/service development, pricing, distribution, promotion, and positioning.
4. Tactics (T): In this stage, you outline the specific actions and tactics you will implement to execute your strategy. This might include creating a detailed marketing plan, specifying marketing channels, setting budgets, and creating a timeline for implementation.
5. Action (A): This stage involves putting your tactics into action. You and your team execute the plan, create marketing materials, launch campaigns, and monitor progress.
6. Control (C): The final stage is about measuring and controlling your strategy’s performance. You use key performance indicators (KPIs) to track progress toward your objectives. If necessary, you make adjustments to your tactics or strategy to improve results.

SOSTAC is a comprehensive framework that helps organizations systematically plan and execute their marketing and business strategies. It provides a clear roadmap for moving from analysis and goal-setting to action and evaluation. By following the SOSTAC framework, businesses can ensure that their strategies are well-structured, goal-oriented, and adaptable to changing market conditions.