I hate to say it, but marketing often seems like a bottomless rabbit hole of sub-optimal choices. There are way too many tactical marketing options for any one person to decipher.
Plus, no business owner I’ve ever met has a big enough budget to tackle every one of them. Too many tactics, not enough time.
But if you want to get your name out there, you gotta pick a channel. The question is, which one?
Unfortunately, every channel has hordes of marketing “gurus” who will tell you, “This is it! Look no further! This channel is the ticket to riches. You don’t need all that other nonsense.”
I have a guy who’s trying to sell me a $20,000 coaching program so he can reveal his secret to paid advertising on LinkedIn. He lives and breathes LinkedIn.
Another social media saturator is peddling The Proven Secret to the Meta Ad Platform. (Or at least her version of it.)
One fast-talking dude is pushing outbound programs “guaranteed to produce 397 new clients every month via blind email outreach. And he’s selling the exact same thing to hundreds of my competitors.
And of course, now there’s a rush to promote Ai as the the be-all, end-all solution for all things marketing related.
It’s a lot to get your head around.
I could spend the rest of my life trying to learn the pros and cons of all those tactical marketing options, channels and technology options. So yeah, I know how hard it is to make a confident decision.
You gotta say no to a lot of stuff that could potentially work. To some degree.
So what IS the best channel for your tactical marketing these days?
Is it TicToc? YouTube? Instagram?
Should your efforts be focused on account-based marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, influencer marketing, or what?
The ONLY honest answer to that question is, “It Depends.”
It depends on your particular business and your niche within it.
It depends on your positioning, or lack thereof.
It depends on the competition – what are they doing? What are they not doing?
It depends on the products or services you offer, and the problems they solve.
It depends on the feelings and attitudes of your target audience. What are they really buying?
It depends on the noise level in your industry, as well as staffing, timing, logistics and a hundred other factors.
It’s all relevant and it’s all connected. So you have to think it through from a holistic perspective. Use common sense before you dive into any one tactical solution.
Strategy first, tactics second.
(Sometimes the lines are blurred because the terminology’s all mixed up. (Here’s a reminder about the difference between strategy and tactics.)
So if you’re looking for marketing guidance of any kind, keep this in mind… Avoid anyone who insists on one specific channel, strategy, or solution.
If you’re in a “discovery meeting” and they’re pushing hard for one particular “strategy” or channel or media buying solution, they are doing you a disservice.
Marketing is not a one channel game, or a one-size-fits-all proposition.
Every company is different, so every one deserves a custom solution. Not a solution that every other company in your category is using.
You simply can’t make a well-informed decision about tactics without discussing strategy first.
Sure, it’s a little more work up front. But ultimately, a sound strategy will save you money by streamlining your options and helping you focus on tactics that are aligned with your values, your operation and your brand.
Tactics without a strategy is like a boat with no rudder. You’ll just be sailing around in circles, whichever way the wind blows.
So let’s have a look at your current tactics and see what’s missing. Let’s just talk. The first meeting is always free.
Sometimes a quick peek at your tactical marketing choices is enough. Other times, you need to do a deep dive.
In that case, we can make tremendous progress toward more efficient marketing and a more profitable business.
Get started today. Contact me here.
