Frontline Perspectives

Albert Einstein should have been in marketing. “The definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over, and then expecting different results.”

I think of this when I talk to marketing teams that are going to the same trade shows year after year and coming back with 40 leads, or placing print ads in the same publications that generate 0 leads, or using brochures that are five years old, or haven’t put new content on their Web sites in over a year….. Why? Why are you doing these things again and again when they obviously don’t produce tangible results?

You can’t get comfortable. Prospects are more educated. Technology is moving forward. Competitors are looking for weaknesses. There are a many, many reasons why you have to keep reviewing your metrics, looking at new options, and making improvements on what you’re producing.

I’ll bet if you review your marketing plan for this year (and yes, I know it’s smaller than last year, and the year before), you’ll see several places where you’re just doing what’s always been done. Pick one of those things and evaluate what needs to change – does it need updated copy, better photos, a better landing page, a different offer? Does it need to be dropped and substituted with something else? Have you tried telemarketing, video, direct mail, PR instead? Drop a trade show and sponsor a webinar. Drop an ad and get a feature article placed in your key trade pub.

Don’t let a smaller budget hold you back. Take advantage of this time to get your marketing plans energized. This is not the time to sit back and wait for things to happen.