The Naked Truth About Shiny Object Syndrome
How the ‘Latest and Greatest’ Can Leave Marketers Exposed
With the pace of change in the world of marketing and advertising, it’s very easy to get blown off course by a mass email solicitation or sales person flogging the latest and greatest marketing solution. You’ve seen the random pitches:
- We can deliver Likes! (even if the user has no affinity for your brand)
- QR codes are the future (even though you’ve never seen anybody use them)
- Your website is not optimized properly for your industry (even though it is)
- You need an on-site video (even if you are in waste disposal)
We can debate the merits of any particular tactic. And the prospect of impressing the C-Suite with the latest cutting edge marketing widget may seem intoxicating.
However, unless a particular tactic is central to supporting your marketing strategy, it is utterly useless and not worth a minute of consideration. Furthermore, if the shiny object presents itself mid-way through a campaign or budget cycle, the odds are even greater that it will detract from the overall marketing efforts.
The marketing strategy is the roadmap for success. It must be carefully constructed in order to address organizational goals and revenue objectives. And every tactic employed – from traditional media to leading inbound marketing techniques – must be deliberately on-strategy and be directly tied to revenue production… and ultimately measurable.
Let’s face it. If the ‘latest and greatest’ would help achieve the marketing goals, it would already be a part of the plan. If someone on the team darkens your doorway flogging the latest and greatest, perhaps the underlying reason is because the marketing strategy is not as strong as it should be. Send them back to plan.
Great tactics ought to be preconceived – not knee jerked into the marketing plan. Proactive rather than reactive always wins the day.
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