It’s about to be 2015.
We expect stuff to happen at the click of a button, or even easier, from a voice command—order this now, learn more now, register for this now.
Now, now, now, now.
We’ve really evolved into a bunch of Vladimir Putin’s, haven’t we?
So when things don’t happen instantaneously, we immediately get pissed off. Cause that’s what pre-programmed authoritarians do, right?
The reality of the matter is that we need to shelf our obsession with instant gratification. And by we, I mean we the guys doing the marketing. If we don’t, we’re inevitably setting ourselves up for disappointment—more demanding, more yelling, more headaches, more foul moods, less success for everyone involved.
For 2015, I’m making the boldest, most daring, most ridiculous marketing prediction: Companies that work hard to market their products or services will have more success.
Is your mind blown?
My old man always told me—and still tells me—that finding a job is a job in itself. The more that I think about that, the more I realize its relevance to sustainable marketing practices.
As marketers, we demand results. But, let’s face it. We can get a little greedy. And consumers are savvy enough to pick up on those tendencies. Serving up irrelevant content, and considering yourself smarter than your customers made CMO’s list of 10 Ways to Annoy Your Customers. Both of which are by-products of? Yup, you guessed it. Lazy, greedy marketers.
Yes. Marketing automation is an important concept and is something that should be practiced in balance. Understand that there are pros and cons, and that there lies a serious problem today with marketing automation overload.
I recall when I was first applying for jobs—before I landed my current position. I wrote up what I thought was a surefire gem of a cover letter and blasted that baby out with my jack of all trades resume for the whole wide world to see. When I never heard back from anyone, I was like, “Well, this is crap. The economy sucks.” But in all seriousness, my approach sucked. I sold myself short.
It wasn’t until I changed my approach that I started to get the engagement, interviews and ultimately the great job that I was looking for. Instead of automating my job search, I carefully read ads, picked up on cues, and altered my cover letter and resume to fit what that particular employer was looking for. I tried different layouts, fonts, added photos. Anything and everything that would elicit a response.
The same approach can and should be replicated for premium marketing results. You want to sell more product? You want to secure more clients? You want to grow your business? You want to drive around a Porsche and smoke cigars like Tony Soprano?
Then you better hit the whiteboard. Spend more time strategizing and less time filling out your time sheet. Spend more time testing and less time automating. Spend more time working hard and less time working on cruise control. Spend more time building relationships and less time taking shortcuts. The results will show.
The more things change—the more they stay the same. Those who work hard and smart, and never give up will find true success. Those who learn and adapt from mistakes of consistent effort will find true success.