So, how does anyone do this without losing their ever loving mind?
1. Strategize.
This is a no-brainer, but we need to look at this stage of marketing in a much more detailed sense now. Not only do we have to plan a single campaign, but we must strategize how to make that campaign’s elements effective across multiple platforms.
Yes, a single campaign can work on Facebook, Google Search and email marketing channels, but it must be planned and developed around each of those platforms individually. Remember, each marketing platform’s audience is unique and must be treated as such. But in the end if you have one goal in mind for each campaign with the right planning, it can be easily achieved.
2. Streamline Production
When we work as part of a larger external team that has been brought together to work on a project, we can identify very quickly which projects will be successful and which stand a slight chance of getting by without epic failure. Many people like to compartmentalize their marketing initiatives. There are dozens of reasons why to do this, but only one why you should never entertain the idea.
Compartmentalization prevents every member of the team from knowing what the big picture looks like. And often, every department ends up going in a different direction. We partner with a variety of other agencies and professional freelancers in order to keep our projects wide scoped and offer our clients a one-stop option that still gives them specialization in every service we deliver. If you do require the work be divided up, at least have a vision-centric project manager to keep the campaign on task.
3. Outsource As Long As You Can
Until you are a major corporation that can afford a team of 4 or more marketing professionals, outsource your marketing to a team that knows what they are doing. Each of our employees and partners are specialists in their respective fields and are continuously focusing on improving their skills. It’s a prerequisite of being on our team. When you try to keep everything under your own roof long before you are big enough, you are sacrificing results in the name of a few extra grand a year.
Yes, outsourcing can be as much if not more than a salary or two; but the ROI is often much greater due to the level of expertise that an agency or professional consultant brings to the table. You may have five different specialists working for you from an agency for about the same price as a single “Jack of all Trades” would cost you at your office. And I would guarantee that the outsourced efforts will deliver a much strong ROI.
4. Never Leave It To Chance
Too many businesses die every year because they have the “Field of Dreams” mentality to their marketing campaigns. Yes, there are some campaigns that we build that are meant to be evergreen (i.e. last till the end of time), but most marketing must match the ebb and flow of your marketplace. Leaving it stagnant will dry up your lead sources and eventually kill any chance you had at growth.
5. Success Is In The Numbers
The numbers never lie. But don’t trust an ignoramus to give you an analysis either.
Knowing how to read your monthly analytics reports and adjust your campaigns accordingly is so very critical. Getting a feeling for the natural cycles of your marketplace and how to adjust to them and when to stay put is a skill that few are able to master in only an hour or two a quarter.
If you are going to oversee or manage your marketing initiative at any level, take the time to either learn analytics or hire a professional to interpret them for you. A 200% increase in something may be amazing! But 200% of nothing is still nothing. It’s all about being able to put things in perspective.
