Marketers love options. But sometimes, too many options kill results.
I recently had a conversation with a prospect, and we discussed what was working and what wasn’t. It was a long list, and most of it wasn’t working too well. Emphasis on “it was a long list.”
Forever, marketers have been tempted by shiny tactics — influencer partnerships, new ad platforms or the latest AI trend. Let’s assume for a minute that these are all legitimate tactics in their own right, with an application for the right brand in the correct moment. The challenge is that this prospect doesn’t have the budget to support all of them in the manner needed to make them successful. We have all heard a marketer say that they tried tactic X and it didn’t work. Really? Thousands of brands use this tactic, but it didn’t work for you?
There are many reasons why a tactic might fail for a certain brand. Message, creative execution, targeting, conversion mechanism — I could go on and on. And on and on and on. In the instance of this particular brand, and many others that I have consulted with, is that the marketing funds were divided among TOO MANY tactics. Not necessarily the wrong tactics.
The fundamentals of reach and frequency have not become irrelevant just because we have so many more tactics to choose from (I’ll write about multimedia reach and frequency in the coming months). Rather, using a tactic for its strength in the mix and giving it the budget that it needs to succeed is paramount to any marketing plan. If you’re going to invest in paid search, then give it enough budget to succeed — you have the analytics to tell you where the point of diminishing returns is. The same is true for traditional media — do it right or don’t do it at all (my father is in my head). Years ago, I ended a professional relationship because I wouldn’t put a client on television because they didn’t have the funds to do it well. And I was going to be held accountable for the success or lack thereof of the marketing campaign. I stand by that decision today.
Here's a reminder to go all in on your chosen tactics and allow them to succeed. No well-established tactic sucks. It might not be right for your brand, of course. But if you go for it, give it a fair budget and resist the temptation to try too many. Keep it simple, keep it smart.
