When you are not getting the results you want it is tempting to throw out the marketing tactic you are actioning and jumped to another.
Often this can be on “gut feel” or even an unrealistic expectation of what could be achieved.
One benefit of being in small business is that you can make quick decisions and change one marketing tactic for another. The downside is often this decision is not thought through or it is based on the flavour of the month.
Jumping from one to another actually makes your marketing more complex instead of simpler, not to mention the time and/or money it takes.
To take any confusion out of the decision here are a few questions to ask yourself before you dump what you are currently doing for another tactic:
Why did you choose the marketing tactic in the first place?
This means you need to be able to know what the basis of the decision was. Certain marketing tactics are good for getting customers, others for keeping customers and some are ideal for expanding what your customers buy from you. It could be you just chose the wrong one for the job.
What results did you expect?
This is an easy one to answer if you set some objectives which can be measured and timing for the objectives to be met. If you haven’t set the objectives it is difficult to make the decision to dump the tactic.
Did you track the results?
Tracking the results leaves out the guesswork and gut feel and makes the decision to keep or throw it out easier.
Did you implement according to plan?
Sometimes the choosing of the tactic is fine but the execution can let you down. If this is the case then it may just need a little tweaking to ensure it get results next time.
It could also be that you didn’t have the sufficient time and/or money to execute the marketing tactic as you planned.
What would you choose instead?
Would you select another tactic or just have one less in your mix. You need to be clear on the reasons for selecting another as you do not want to be in the same position again.
I should mention that the other side to this of just continue using a marketing tactic that is not getting the results. If you continue actioning the wrong tactic and not making changes or removing it and expect something better to happen it will not.
What are your thoughts on this and what other questions would you add to the list?
Great list Susan! You mentioned time as one of the factors to be considered when you’re executing a marketing tactic. I think it’s important for us to remember that the time it takes to see results varies based on the tactic. For example, I’ve always been advised that when it comes to traditional print advertising, if you’re not going to advertise a minimum of 3-times, don’t bother advertising at all. I had a product that I advertised in Entrepreneur magazine and I received calls on that ad over a year after I placed it. On the other hand, it’s so easy to modify PPC ads that don’t seem to be delivering the results that you expect.
Sherryl Perry recently posted..How Do Entrepreneurs and Sole Proprietors Juggle All Those Balls
Hi Sherryl,
You are right about time varying. It does depend on the tactic, competitor activity, frequency, the objective etc. Whenever I have been involved in print the campaign was over weeks and not days. One problem I have seen is that some people expect instant results and on all tactics and that can cause problems.
Research, research, research. That’s the trick. There are so many options out there, and only a few that are really effective, that as you note, it’s easy to get caught up in the flavor of the month.
Another good idea is to cultivate several options, and place a time limit on each and moving to the next if results aren’t forthcoming.
Hi Paul,
Research is important and you are right about putting a time limit on the tactics. That is what use to happen when I worked in marketing. If we didn’t get the resuts in the time we set we pulled them.
Thanks for commenting.
I think one line you wrote in your post is the real lesson here. “Jumping from one to another actually makes your marketing more complex instead of simpler, not to mention the time and/ or money it takes.”
Rob
Rob Berman recently posted..How Changes in Perception Impact Your Brand
Hi Rob,
Thanks for your comment and I am am all for making life and marketing simpler. Also we forget that our time spent jumping around could be spent on revenue generating activities.
5 Questions to Ask Before Dumping Your Marketing Tactics…
Jumping from one to another actually makes your marketing more complex instead of simpler, not to mention the time and/or money it takes. To take any confusion out of the decision here are a few questions to ask yourself before you dump what you are cu…
Good advice Susan. Agree with Sherryl that you have to have patience before you change tactics. You often get results long after you made a move, even though you want and prefer swift results.
Catarina Alexon recently posted..Vanity boosting prosperity and biodiversity
Hi Catarina,
Totally agree about patience which is difficult at times, especially when you hear as Dvorah said people saying you will get instant results. This unfortunately lead to unrealistic expectations.
Susan,
This was great “food for thought”. Glad that you included “tracking” as one of the strategies.
I’ve found, when employing marketing strategies, that testing a strategy over a specific period of time and tracking the results, to be extremely helpful.
Oftentimes the results weren’t achieved until 3/4 of the way through the testing period. This has also helped me when mentoring others as it keeps them focused forward so that they do not feel discouraged when something does not work immediately.
Thanks again,
D’vorah
Dvorah Lansky recently posted..Blog Challenges Are One of the Most Powerful Things You Can Do to Grow Your Business
Hi Dvorah,
Good point about tracking and keeping focus. We expect instant results today which can be misleading at the best. I bet the people you mentor have appreciated your approach.
Thanks for the brilliant suggestions. There are so many marketing experts out there that inundate our in-boxes with “must do” marketing strategies. For entrepreneurs who have have never taken a business course, navigating mareting can be a major stressor. Your suggestions are what a business coach would offer.
Hi Keyuri,
Thanks for your comment. It can get overwhelming and it seems the noise only gets louder. Hope these type of questions will help you,
You bring up many good points. It is important to do an analysis before jumping to a new program. Often there is a runway period with any marketing plan and if you don’t give it enough time, you won’t see results. I’ve had many friends “try social media” for a few days and decide it wasn’t for them.
Laura Sheman recently posted..New Haiku
Hi Laura,
Hope you are enjoying your holiday. Perhaps with marketing today like many things in our personal life we want eveything to happen now and are not prepared to wait. With your friends were there are common reasons why social media wasn’t for them?
Susan, I think that people don’t have patience which leads them to jump from one marketing tactic to another. The whole process of networking online and offline takes time. I think this is the main reason many business owners don’t want to get involved in social media. They don’t want to take the time to wait and see if the relationships they develop will eventually increase their bottom line. But alas, these things do take time and if you aren’t willing to wait, you will find yourself in an organized mess jumping from one thing to another – just like you point out.
Thanks for sharing your insights.
Julie Weishaar recently posted..Open Your Mouth and Speak!
Hi Julie,
Patience is coming up in the comments and I agree with you, although I wonder if it is based on the what they read regarding results and therefore their expectations versus just patience. What are your thoughts?
Hi Susan,
I think it is probably based on both what they read regarding results and impatience. Anything having to do with social marketing, if honest about results, is going to indicate that it takes time right? That is where the lack of patience comes in.
Julie Weishaar recently posted..The Many Hats of a Copywriter
Hi Julie,
It does and at least it seems these days that more are writing that social media is not like a direct respnse ad. Also we sometimes forget that social media is still new.
Thanks for adding this thought.
Tracking and measuring results is key. I have not always been good at tracking my results. Recently I decided to write down all of my web numbers to see if blogging every day for 31 days would be effective. I am so glad I wrote the information down because the results have been outstanding. Now I can tweek my site and see if the numbers change again.
If you dont keep track of your results you wont know where you have been or where you are going.