We all, and in every aspect of our life, tend to invest all of ourselves in the things we love and believe in. Even the most demanding of steps become less of a burden when we believe it will benefit us.
Taking it a step further to the business world. Whether we are self-employed or represent a company, we choose a certain marketing channel and invest in it - time, money, people.
But when did we ever stop to think if this is really the right marketing channel for us? Was it an educated choice based on our familiarity with our target audience and in alignment with the brand that we are, or did we choose it because it is the hottest trend?
Doing things right leads to satisfaction that is not always genuine. After all, we invest, we do, we may even bear fruit, and after all – we did choose the trendiest platform on the market today. How could it not work? This "understanding" can sometime prevent a real examination of the chosen steps and channels, keeping us from generating real insights.
An example of doing things right would be to invest in Facebook paid campaigns, deeply thinking about their content. But what if we invested so much in Facebook, addressing Gen Z which is not even on this platform? Or working on an email campaign addressed to the same Gen Z, known for its low response rate to emails? What about using LinkedIn for commodities? The list is long, but the point is clear – all of these examples mean doing things right over doing the right thing.
So what would it be – doing things right or doing the right thing?
Accurate, research-based marketing, well-structured and tailored to suit the organization – is a combination of both. Never choosing one over the other.
The secret of holistic marketing strategy is a constant simultaneous two-channel view: high-level overview of the organization’s entire activity vs. diving deep into the details; macro- vs. micro-environment; external marketing vs. internal marketing. Holistic marketing is comprehensive, both vast and deep, based on the very basic notion that marketing is in everything we do. No less.
Holistic marketing accurately defines realistic goals and the exact means and ways that will get us there. It prevents unnecessary steps, saves money and most importantly - creates a uniform and stable brand with a positive reputation.
Holistic marketing is as far as it can be from copy-pasting: it is research, a thorough thought process, a complex and never-ending journey that perfectly combines the right choice and its meticulous execution, without compromising on any of them. This, my friends, is the only way to achieve long-term success and to transform any company into a brand.
Our choices matter
Our choices have an impact and therefore, it is important to choose what is accurate for us.
When we choose everything and hope for the best, we create confusion. Our audience struggles with understanding what our brand really is, what we represent. This cognitive dissonance is a result of contradicting channels, whilst brand unity totally loses the battle to these various languages. Confusion, eventually, leads to the exact opposite of what we are hoping to achieve – abandonment of the brand.
Calculated smart moves
Moran Faibish
Personalized Global Marketing & Biz Dev Strategist