You Know What You Do. Does Anyone Else?
A conversation starter from Combined Arms Consulting:
Points covered
1 - Most SME marketing fails because of unclear positioning, not poor execution
2 - Marketing is a whole business enterprise.
3 - How it is said, and what is said, are the two lynch pins in a successful marketing campaign
Sizzle is often preferred to the steak. Apologies to all the vegans and vegetarians out there.
There are two key elements in the marketing architecture that any leader needs to master: what is said, and how it is said.
All too often, how it is said has been the key focus. The glossy brochure, social media post, and slick ad are all essential and expensive, but do they work?
I would argue that what is said is far more important. If the message is not aligned to the needs of the consumer, be it conscious or subconscious, then the glossy presentation will be lost in translation.
To be successful, you must first build that bridge connection, the awareness of the need with the target group, with the core message of the marketer.
And as discussed in a previous post on strategy, it is not always what you do that connects, but what your product means to the end user.
Then the glossy seduction might have some degree of success.
This is best illustrated by a glossy sign on Sydney Road, I drive past it every week, never stop or even take notice. Why? The message does not ‘speak’ to me, does not connect to a pressing or even aspirational need.
Marketing is ephemeral; most SME’s have no real idea if their ‘marketing campaign’ is effective in the medium or long term, all they know is that they have to do it. I can relate to that as a lecturer, I get instant feedback via assignments, but I have no idea the longer-term impact of the knowledge transfer as the students transition from university to the corporate world.
The challenge is not the budget, the platform, the content; the challenge is twofold: do you know what you stand for, and have you created the supporting scaffold to give your marketing campaign the best chance of success?
Marketing without a clear answer to those two questions is not marketing. It is spending. And spending without purpose is noise with an invoice attached.
I have observed, especially in small operations, marketing teams that really care for their clients; however, due to a lack of focus, experience (many do not have a structured marketing background), they are working in a vacuum and come up with generic models that do not differentiate.
Generic does not mean bad. It means forgettable. And forgettable is expensive.
Think about the brands that connect with you; they stand out in your consciousness, they speak to you. And that takes planning, that takes research, and above all, that takes creative critical thinking. And above all, their message is focused and clear.
Clarity is the rarest thing in marketing. Especially creative clarity.
What problem do you solve? What’s the need you address, not a feature, not a special deal, not just a price point?
Jumping into a LinkedIn post and Google Ads before answering the one question that makes everything else work. Who is this actually for and why?
Consider these posts by Combined Arms Consultancy, it is a targeted electronic marketing letter drop to a targeted segment.
We have a little budget, as we are a startup, but the LinkedIn profile is best aligned to how we see our initial targeted audience.
The post's content intends to facilitate questioning and new perspectives, that is our marketing ‘shtick, and we hope that if 1 in 100 view generate an inquiry, then this inexpensive marketing model has worked.
We have to work within our means, and that is another important epiphany that small business leaders must appreciate.
We hope that if we get it right, the message becomes specific and creates penetration within the target group's subconscious, eventually to morph into a conscious awareness should a need or a reason become compelling for the individual.
The final thought about any marketing model and trying to cover all aspects in a post is impossible; it has to be honest, it has to be based on defined assumptions, it has to be integrated, it has to be planned, and it has to be based on verifiable data mixed with an entrepreneurial aspiration.
The final point is that it has to be verifiable, and milestones and touch points need to be determined and reviewed to determine the effectiveness of the message communicated and the money spent
So, before the next campaign, before the next post, ask yourself the question most business owners never actually answer: do we know who we are, and do the right people know it too?
Do you think this conversation is worth pursuing for your enterprise? Please reach out
Asking questions never asked — Combined Arms Consulting