If there’s one thing marketing professionals are good at, it’s marketing. This means that when it’s time to pull you in as a client, they know exactly what to say, how to present their case, how to onboard you, and how to keep you satisfied. But the truth is that while talking up a good game and promising the world will help you retain a client, keeping them is quite another story.
Maybe you’ve been told by various SEO’s that all you need to do is X, Y, and Z and you’ll be at the top page of Google within a week. Maybe you’ve been convinced that actually, print materials aren’t even read anymore, and if you’re not laser-focused on TikTok you’re missing a trick. Maybe you’re just tired of publishing YouTube videos that seem to have limited relevance to your brand but have been sold to you as “the way things are done” in 2024.
If you’re a little tired of marketing hucksters promising you the world, sometimes it’s best to get back to basics. In this post, we’ll discuss what those are:
Use Data Solutions
It’s easy to have a million ideas about how marketing should run, but sometimes, the best thing you can do is focus on the numbers and gently grow them. That’s why data-driven marketing approaches are often the most reliable, they provide actionable data as opposed to grand sweeping visions from the very start. From this baseline, you can implement a more competent outcome.
Keep Your Approach Simple
SEO, for example, is often spoken of as an arcane practice that only those “in the know” get. But the truth is, if you focus on publishing good, authoritative content and links, nine times out of ten it will help your search engine presence grow. By getting the fundamentals right and veering away from cheap fixes, you not only feel a little cleaner and more understanding of your strategy, but each brick you lay will be better applied.
Don’t Chase Content Fads
You may have seen some success from the social media teams of other companies that replicate meme formats or try to chase virality. This can be good for some brands, but if isn’t for yours, don’t try and chase eyes in that way. Always consider your brand positioning and voice, because sometimes an outrageous meme can chip away at a professional image if you’re not careful.
Be Proud & Communicate Who You Are
The one golden truth in marketing is that whatever you market, you need to do so from your perspective. You cannot pretend your company is another. It’s why Google and Apple use differing marketing efforts, one a little more comfortable, the other a little more sleek. It’s why a small business doesn’t have to pretend to be as all-seeing as a staple industry name. If you can be proud of who you are and what you have, now, you’ll be able to curate a better approach.
With this advice, you’ll be certain to avoid those annoying marketing hucksters that seem to promise you the world, and instead focus on good, rational, simple advertising.
