Focus on the Marketing Elements That Convert
I was part of a strategizing meeting for a new online marketing initiative years ago. The owner of the company who was looking to start the new campaign interrupted the project manager on seeing a sample landing page layout and said “I’m not sure about that shade of blue in the background.” The blue in question was pulled from their logo but the designer on hand asked what kind of blue the owner had in mind. “Crisper,” the owner said. A half hour conversation ensued about what type of blue would be “crisper”.
My reason for being at the meeting was to nail down the ideal audience and agree on an email schedule. At the end of the hour meeting, the designer had a long description of what blue might work but none of the high level topics had been addressed.
I’m not trying to downplay the importance of a professional design, it makes a difference. But once “professional” looking is achieved, small tweaks will make little or no difference. Instead it becomes a conversation with no clear purpose or correct answer.
That campaign never launched because none of the critical elements were covered. Instead small design and branding issues were debated. So it ended up being a complete waste of time and money.
Most consultants, trainers, and professional coaches don’t have a lot of spare time to dedicate to online marketing. So when time is set aside to strategize a campaign, make sure to focus on marketing elements that convert. Things like design can often side track critical elements because it’s more fun to talk about personal preferences. Unless something is glaringly wrong with a layout or design couch it until high level strategy is set. Then make specific changes.
So what are important elements? A few examples that will critically affect online marketing is:
- Identifying target audience
- Calls to Action
- Communication channels
- Communication schedule
If any of these items are missing or out of sync, it’s likely to sink the entire campaign. If you find that you’ve covered all of the critical items, feel free to debate finer details, but never before.