Author: Renée Taylor
Published: 6 September 2024
Social media has changed everything in marketing. It’s especially widened the gap between those who do it well and those who don’t.
It’s so immediate, the temptation with social media is just to keep doing it – one post after another, and people think that’s marketing taken care of.
But actually, this is something firms have been doing since before social media – starting with the next action rather than taking a longer term view and developing a marketing strategy, even a simple one. That’s what happens when people say ‘Let’s have an event’, or ‘Let’s send a newsletter’, rather than ‘Let’s think about what we want to achieve with our marketing and the best way to do that.’
The three elements to marketing success need to be executed in the right order. First, the strategy that addresses the best way to meet the marketing needs of your business. Second, the plan that sets out what will be done, how and when. Then thirdly, implementing the tactics you’ve outlined in your strategy and plan. When you jump onto a particular tactic, you risk missing the vital elements of tailoring your actions to meet the needs of both your business and your audience.
In professional services this intensifies when you have multiple leaders or practice areas acting separately. Starting with tactics and moving from one idea to the next can often result in varied or mixed messages instead of the consistent positioning an agreed strategy will deliver.
Even when marketing implementation is allocated to a single person, that person can find themselves taking direction from multiple individuals who may not have true marketing expertise and simply want to promote their own area or ideas. Sometimes the marketing function does not have the relevant experience or authority to drive strategic marketing initiatives and is employed simply to action requests by client facing staff. Over time, this inconsistent and non-strategic approach can damage the reputation of both the firm and its marketing team.
Good ideas are even better when they are part of a considered strategy. That strategy can be simple, and the tactics can still be rapid. They’ll just be more effective if they’re part of a holistic and considered strategy aimed at driving growth, not just attracting attention.
Author: Renée Taylor
Published: 6 September 2024
Social media has changed everything in marketing. It’s especially widened the gap between those who do it well and those who don’t.
It’s so immediate, the temptation with social media is just to keep doing it – one post after another, and people think that’s marketing taken care of.
But actually, this is something firms have been doing since before social media – starting with the next action rather than taking a longer term view and developing a marketing strategy, even a simple one. That’s what happens when people say ‘Let’s have an event’, or ‘Let’s send a newsletter’, rather than ‘Let’s think about what we want to achieve with our marketing and the best way to do that.’
The three elements to marketing success need to be executed in the right order. First, the strategy that addresses the best way to meet the marketing needs of your business. Second, the plan that sets out what will be done, how and when. Then thirdly, implementing the tactics you’ve outlined in your strategy and plan. When you jump onto a particular tactic, you risk missing the vital elements of tailoring your actions to meet the needs of both your business and your audience.
In professional services this intensifies when you have multiple leaders or practice areas acting separately. Starting with tactics and moving from one idea to the next can often result in varied or mixed messages instead of the consistent positioning an agreed strategy will deliver.
Even when marketing implementation is allocated to a single person, that person can find themselves taking direction from multiple individuals who may not have true marketing expertise and simply want to promote their own area or ideas. Sometimes the marketing function does not have the relevant experience or authority to drive strategic marketing initiatives and is employed simply to action requests by client facing staff. Over time, this inconsistent and non-strategic approach can damage the reputation of both the firm and its marketing team.
Good ideas are even better when they are part of a considered strategy. That strategy can be simple, and the tactics can still be rapid. They’ll just be more effective if they’re part of a holistic and considered strategy aimed at driving growth, not just attracting attention.
