If there were a magic formula for devising marketing campaigns that always drive lots of new leads and sales, the inventor would be rich and famous. I don't have that formula, but most of us have been bloodied enough by campaigns that failed to know a thing or two. Let's put together a list of some of the most important factors and talk about which things click and which things fizzle.
Click - Ads, emails, blog posts, and social updates that "speak" to me through emotion or nostalgia work really well. I love dogs, especially Labs and Goldens. You put a big fluffy Golden on an ad for Levi's jeans, and I'm watching (again and again). I also happen to be a Brett Favre fan, but you had me at the Golden.
Fizzle - I get the funny ads, like the Geico Gecko, but they get old after a while. Why? Because I don't connect with them (or your brand). I hate car insurance payments, and I hate your little Gecko, too. So what if they're 15 percent cheaper than Allstate? I got that message 10 years ago.
Click - Yes, it's my birthday coming up (not really), and somehow you know I'm a golfer looking for a new set of rescue hybrids. Your email was well timed. I not only bought one club, I bought three. Nice work on the timing and relevance.
Fizzle - Yes, I'm in marketing, but do you have to send me ads for your upcoming world-beating webinars every week? It's getting to be a bad habit, and I'm one click away from sending you to the spam box. Couldn't you just do that once in a while when I express some interest in your topic on Twitter or maybe click on one of your CTAs?
Click - I click on beautiful ads, websites and even emails, don't you? Maybe it's that emotion thing working again, but style conveys caring, attention to detail and, yes, money. I'm already a fan because of the work you put into getting my attention. And yes, nice work on hiring that ace designer to do your campaigns and collateral. That's still a big advantage in my book.
Fizzle - Hmmm. Your branded emails, blog posts, press releases and other content all look the same. Boring! Seems like you're just throwing stuff up on the wall to see what sticks. Nothing will stick with that strategy. Put your heart into it.
Click - Do something clever. That always gets my attention. The Spock vs. Spock ad for Audi that ran last week blew me away. Better than the original TV series, at least for 90 seconds. I know, that's an expensive example, but all it really takes is a fresh, original idea to get people clapping—and buying.
Fizzle - Run the same old product stuff over and over. Let's see some Audi specs or customer testimonials. Snore. Show me how much better Audi is than Mercedes—yes, they do some of that, but it's clever! We should always be out of the box in marketing.
Click - Figure out what makes me tick and what I need, then send me something I haven't seen before. OK, so that's a tall order, but you can do a couple of things to help better the odds:
Fizzle - Write another 10 best practices piece and email it to your entire list. Fortunately, there are only 100 of those already out there, so you have a good chance of getting some leads. Nice try.
If you want to win at marketing, you have to strive to be the best. Winning is not about emulating the best; it's about being the best.
Photo credit: Droid Gingerbread
With over 30 years of business and marketing experience, John loves to blog about ideas and trends that challenge inbound marketers and sales and marketing executives. John has a unique way of blending truth with sarcasm and passion with wit. Connect with John via Twitter, LinkedIn or Google Plus.
