Content marketing, social media, marketing automation, SEO, SEM – the industry wants us to believe these modern tools have replaced the seemingly ancient strategic marketing fundamentals. Bring up positioning statements, the 4 P’s, marketing plans and branding and the near unanimous response is “obsolete,” “outdated” and “old-style.”
On the contrary, implementing content marketing, SEO and other modern tactics without first preparing an essential strategic marketing plan is like building a house with no blueprint. Sure, modern marketing technology has evolved but the basics of business remain the same. Here to separate fact from fiction is our take on four primitive marketing rules for a modern marketing world.
Rule #1: Assess the Current Situation
Market space, internal strengths and weaknesses, external opportunities and threats –analyze them all before jumping into any of the aforementioned modern marketing tactics. Just as smart marketers have always done, assess the competition and competitive environment from a social, economic, political and technological standpoint. From your available resources to critical issues, a complete and comprehensive marketing assessment belongs at the very beginning of any successful marketing campaign – modern or primitive.
Rule #2: Develop a Strategy
Back in the day, marketing strategies required objectives, goals, a mission and vision. Regardless of what the industry wants you to believe, the rules remain the same. Before you jump into content marketing, SEO and social media marketing, start with a basic description of your target market and customers. This vital information will also help you develop a unique positioning statement and value propositions, which you can then bring to content marketing, social media and the modern marketing landscape. Even in the modern world, it’s important to get the order right. Begin with the basics.
Rule #3: Craft Your Marketing Program
Once you assess the current situation and develop a strategy, next on the list is crafting a marketing program. Start with an outline of your product messaging, pricing strategies, channels you will communicate across and promotional plans. Your marketing program will be more contemporary than one crafted a decade ago – long before the explosion of content marketing, social media and SEO – but ultimately effective in drilling down the nuts and bolts of a modern marketing campaign.
Rule #4: Determine Controls, Benchmarks and Measurement
At this point, your traditional marketing strategy is fit for the modern landscape. With goals and objectives in place, you’re almost ready to pull the trigger. First, you’ll need to determine how you plan to gauge success. Start with your budgets and resources – will you be able to reach your marketing goals? Also, identify the critical success factors and key performance indicators to reinforce the success of your marketing campaign. Think of these measures as a compass leading you in the right direction. Finally, establish your preferred technology solutions and platforms. You can measure social media engagement, email subscriptions, website traffic, conversion rates – or any of the modern metrics.
Linx
Linx is a strategic marketing organization which helps you meet your business objectives and challenges by linking your marketing strategies to your business strategies. Contact us for more information on launching a successful marketing campaign in the modern world. We’re always at the corner of Marketing and Strategy.
