I recently attended a CMO conference where one of the speakers pointed out a very interesting statistic. He illustrated that just a few years ago, a typical marketing executive only had to be concerned with managing maybe a half-a-dozen to a dozen marketing channels – all the traditional channels: direct mail, email, print advertising, web, radio, TV, PR, POP, etc. Then he then listed all the channels a marketing executive now juggles, including all the new social, personalized, and mobile media channels. The list contained over three-dozen possible channels! No wonder so many marketing execs have headaches these days.
It was clear that all the marketing execs in the room that day were either running off in different directions attempting to market in all these channels, or planning to – regardless of whether they could be measured for success. At a minimum, the marketing execs were witnessing a rapid expansion in the complexity of their programs.
I believe that many, if not most, of the organizations pursuing this strategy will not be able to sustain this pace (or spend) to keep up with all these new channels. Even more dire: they will become so focused on managing all the new media (often with the same resources they had before the influx of the new media) that they will eventually dilute their attention to their core (and perhaps more pedestrian) programs – the same marketing programs that have proved all the ROI to this point in time.
As we all know, there are a great number of pistons driving the marketing engine… All of which must be firing perfectly in order to produce optimal results. And now, more than ever, that engine needs a “tune up.”
Truly successful marketing programs do not succeed by constantly adding more and more channels to the mix, they start by ensuring that people, programs and process are as efficient and effective as possible. Marketing programs can only achieve their full potential – driving awareness, sales and revenue – when fully optimized and unburdened by ineffective underpinnings. Otherwise, you are simply building your marketing program on a shaky foundation.
One way to ensure that your marketing program is fully optimized is through a process called “marketing forensics.” Marketing forensics examines all critical aspects of your program, untangling and separating ineffective campaigns, media and creative; removing all associated atrophy and waste; and then unleashing a powerful, efficient results-oriented program. It removes the barriers to unsuccessful program execution, which immediately impacts your marketing and improves your results.
Marketing forensics eliminates or improves the aspects of your marketing program that do not produce desired results; and amplifies or expands on the aspects that are driving revenue and sales.
Stay tuned, more detail to come in future posts…
