The wave of tech innovation has left no stone un-turned, including, and maybe even especially, marketing. The best marketers and brands have embraced the new technology, using data science and AI to understand more about their customers’ behaviours and future desires. Amazing platforms have enabled marketing to move from mere automation to best in class experiences using journey orchestration and astounding tracking and reporting.
It’s time to stop
However, somewhere in the rush, some brands have left behind the truly critical element of strategy. It’s worth stopping for a moment and considering if you and your brand have an actual strategy in place before you rush to use that great new platform.
Is a weak strategy holding you back?
Before creating content and crafting your messaging, pause for a moment. Are you sure that you have a strategy that takes your brand to the right customer? And have you tied this to the correct commercials so that you know exactly which customers will be the most profitable? Do you know when and where they are likely to purchase and why? Only when you have a sound strategy can you create content that works. The clearer and tighter your goal is, the better your content will be. And if you are working with agencies, you’ll see that clear strategy makes for tighter briefs that deliver the superior content you need.
Acquiring customers is just the first step
If you’ve got your customers aware and purchasing, you are on your way. However, many marketers focus on the short term: driving more acquisition. But you also need a strategy that gives your customers a clear path from purchase to repeat purchase and then ultimately on to becoming loyal and even advocates for your brand. If you’re a product with a long sales cycle, this is critical. You need to know how to keep them engaged during the fallow periods and even how to maximise them by getting them talking about and recommending your product.
No rest for the wicked (or the marketer)
Don’t be tempted by the pleasure of content creation. It can be the most fun part of what you do but your job won’t be done unless you are constantly evaluating your results. Measuring your success is only possible if you go into your campaigns with a clear vision and KPIs. And once your marketing is in place, you’ll need to revisit it regularly to make sure that it matches the company’s goals and future products. How will new products affect your customer mix and marketing approach? Depending on the brand’s future, you will need to make adjustments to your approach.
CX is critical
Customer experience is of course at the heart of this, but without strategy, you can easily be led into a path of CX that is too generic or too static. If you have a clear strategy for your customers, you’ll have a map to success. You’ll be able to create the perfect customer experience using those shiny new tools.
Has this got you thinking? Get in touch if you want to discuss your strategic approach.
Image credit (with thanks) : Samantha Hurley via Burst
