Patchwork Marketing

Many businesses that I work with face a similar marketing dilemma. Over time, they have created a patchwork series of marketing solutions that are loosely threaded together. By this I mean that organizations develop one marketing package for a product/service, another package for the other. After a time, these patches can begin to come apart and tug at the core of the overall messaging.

Here are some tips on how to avoid this "loosely threaded" phenomena. Obviously, the concepts will scale based on the size and nature of the company, but all can benefit form these simple tips.

1. Inform 
Large and small companies face the same struggles with keeping all of their employees informed - especially with regards to marketing efforts. Maintaining business objectives is of utmost importance, and sometimes marketing is pushed easily pushed aside. I've been in the marketing seat at large and small companies, and I've seen first hand my "very informative" email blasts go largely unread. To avoid this, be sure to schedule a meeting to discuss any new and upcoming marketing initiative with all managers and key players, and have them disseminate the information.  Don't be afraid to inform frequently on progress and planning. I've seen product launches and rebranding efforts unravel quickly when just one team member isn't as informed as they should be, and portray incorrect information to clients. 

2. Reflect
One mindset that companies often have is that once something is branded or launched, "out there" so to speak, that it is carved in stone. To this, I say hogwash.  By no means am I saying to change or tweak your campaigns frequently just for the sake of "new", but what I am saying is to make sure that your efforts piece together nicely with your other offerings and future efforts. After all, a bad branding launch is just as harmful as not doing one at all, so make sure it is as effective as can be. Small tweaks will largely go unnoticed, so feel free to improve as necessary. It is your business, make it the best it can be. 

3. Simplify 
If you've grown too big for your breaches, get new ones. What I mean by that is if your product or service line has grown so much that you have difficulty threading it together, most likely your clients and customers are having difficulty as well.  This is time to simplify your overall messaging.  By no means do I mean "dumb down", rather, make sure your overall messaging speaks to all parts in a concise manner. Many of my clients waddle through this process. This is because different internal managers "own" the messaging, other times because quite simply, no one wants to revise the messaging.  Overtime the messaging becomes too complex and murky.  When this happens, it makes sense to take a step back, even speak with a new industry outsider, and have them tell you what your organization and products/services do. If they are wrong, it's time to simplify.  

Hope Guyer 
www.HopeGuyer.com