October is the month for scary things, but we think marketing has enough of its own. There is the campaign that is not performing, the idea that feels a little too risky and the report you would rather not open.
So, in the spirit of the season, here are five things we think marketers can afford to be a little less afraid of.
#1 Don’t be afraid… to change your strategy
There is nothing quite like spending weeks developing a strategy, getting everyone to agree on it and then discovering that it is not quite working. The good news is that you are allowed to change it. Your strategy was based on what you knew when you created it. Once the work is out in the world, you have new information to work with. Use it.
#2 Don’t be afraid… of the numbers you don’t like
It is much more fun to open a report when everything is going up. Unfortunately, the numbers going in the other direction are often the ones worth paying attention to. They can show you where people are losing interest, which messages are falling flat and where your budget could be working harder. Nobody likes a disappointing result, but knowing something is not working gives you the chance to do something about it.
#3 Don’t be afraid… of paid media
There is a reason we all love organic reach – it’s free! There is also a reason brands spend money on paid media. You get far more say over who sees your content, and you can use smaller campaigns to find out which messages people respond to before putting serious budget behind them. Think of it as paying for information as well as attention.
#4 Don’t be afraid… to try something new
“We’ve never done that before” comes up in marketing meetings far more often than it should. Every platform, format and campaign idea was new to a brand once. Some will work brilliantly and others will give you a very clear reason never to do them again. Both outcomes are useful. If your marketing has started to feel predictable to you, there is a good chance your audience has noticed too.
#5 Don’t be afraid… to ask for help
Being close to your brand has its advantages, but it can also make certain things surprisingly difficult to see. You know the context behind every product, service and decision. Your customer only knows what you have told them. Bringing someone else into the conversation can reveal the assumptions you did not realise you were making and the opportunities you had stopped noticing.
We happen to know a team that is quite good at that. If something in your marketing has been keeping you up at night, bring it to Calypso.