Peter Drucker famously wrote, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” But what are the “right things?”
Many companies are doing “marketing” right. They’ve got killer content. They’re active on social media. They blog. They podcast. They sponsor events. They execute their marketing tactics well.
It’s not hard to see. Companies of all sizes are posting quality content for their customers. They have talented marketers that are working hard to create and share relevant content in a constantly changing digital marketing landscape.
For example, you can see this with the exponential growth of video on social platforms in 2019.
According to Preview, 86.6% of Instagrammers posted on Instagram Stories. Brands are following suit. According to Socialinsider, 51.1% of brands posted Instagram stories in 2019. And a good chunk of that content was videos.
Companies are adopting and mastering digital marketing: video, social, email, automation, analytics. You name it, companies are doing it.
But is it the right marketing? That is the ultimate question.
When all marketers are doing the same things, the results are predictable:
- Progressively declining engagement rates
- Lower ROI on marketing and ad spend
- Less sales!
According to Moz, 50% of articles being published have no likes, shares, comments, and probably no views. Organic reach on Facebook is near zero, and Instagram and LinkedIn reach are rapidly deteriorating.
When all of our media channels are oversaturated, is pumping out one more article or posting one more video going to make a difference? The stats would say no.
Doing the same things over and over again (no matter how well you’re doing them) is not going to improve sales performance!
Does that mean your marketing team is failing? Unequivocally, no!
I am willing to bet that your marketing team is doing a good job! They are creating relevant content; keeping your channels full; sharing videos; and doing what they are expected to do.
But when we’re dealing with this level of saturation, doing digital marketing right does not necessarily mean you are doing the right marketing.
So that begs the question, “What should my marketing team work on?”
Ironically, the answer is old school: Focus on building and nurturing long term customer relationships. Keep doing digital marketing, but emphasize relationship building.
Using your marketing to create relationships is core to Sticky Branding. Sticky Brands create a “First Choice Advantage.” They build relationships so their customers know the brand, like it, and trust it — and ultimately, choose it first when they’re ready to buy.
In an oversaturated market there are three principles of Sticky Branding (the book) that rise to the top:
- Simple Clarity: Get your brand messaging razor sharp so everyone gets it, fast. Strong core messaging is the foundation of your brand, and how you will cut through the clutter in a noisy market.
- Be Everywhere: Instead of “publish and pray,” choose a few key markets to focus your marketing on so that you create the impression your brand is everywhere. That way you can focus your marketing dollars and generate clear, tangible ROI from your efforts.
- First Call Advantage: Focus on the relationships. Get your prospects, customers, and centers of influence to know your brand, like it, and trust it so they choose it first. That doesn’t mean post more, it means being strategic. Use your marketing to spark engagement and create conversations. Create exclusive content for your biggest fans, and get them to add your brand to “Close Friends” on their Instagram accounts.
The most effective way to ensure that you are doing the right marketing is to focus on your brand. Create a brand strategy that clearly articulates where you play, how you win, and how you want to be known. And then you can choose the tactics and tools that will help you do the right marketing.
