“Red Flag” warnings about various life topics are trending on digital media and within marketing circle conversations I’ve heard red flags that are alarming, so much so, I want to give you the top 3 Red Flags you should not ignore.
- “We’ve tried that before.”
More than anything, I find this red flag the most exhausting. Even if it has been tried before, the variables change daily, which means the results of a previously tried strategy may yield different results.
As a marketer, you always have to test and retest how your target audience responds to things. Digifora has seen, more than once, where something that never worked in the past now works because of all the changes that have happened in the world since 2019. How do we know it now works? Because we are relentless about looking at Data & Analytics trends.
A team that is unwilling to test or retest when data is showing that something is not working is a red flag.
- “We need to be on all platforms.”
For years I’ve battled this red flag in marketing. So let me settle it once and for all, you do not need to be on all platforms. Not only do you NOT need to be on all platforms, you also should be looking at how each platform performs, and consider killing off platforms sooner rather than later if they are not showing significant ROI.
I should not be surprised, but every week, I hear of or talk to another company that has no idea who its target audience is. Oh sure, they will say “anyone who has money to spend on our products.” Or “anyone looking to grow their business.”
Yeah, no, that is not a target audience.
This is why companies like those feel the need to be on every platform. And no it doesn’t depend on how you see things or your own personal experience. Also “it depends” is a line that many consultants hide behind, vs. stepping out and bringing clarity. So, how do you know if your target audience is on a platform or not? First, you have to know who they are and then you too have to be relentless with looking at your data and analytics. Otherwise, you are just doing things because someone wants you to do it. You don’t need to be on all platforms if your target audience isn’t there.
- “We don’t need a marketing team; we have a communications team.”
As an Enneagram 8, this one makes me ready to fight. Mostly because it means your company is unclear about the differentiation between marketing and communications.
This is absolutely a both, not one or the other.
At this point in history, Haley and I can walk into a meeting and know within the first few minutes of the meeting where the client sits on this conversation.
How you ask?
Tactics and results. I’m not even joking.
You could potentially not need both teams, but to have a great team both parts must be represented. If you do have a combined marketing and communications team, then marketing should take precedence based on strategy driven by data.
While there are many more Red Flags we could talk about in the future, these are the ones I’m seeing the most these days that are very dangerous for you to ignore. In the comments below, tell me what other Red Flags you are seeing, or ones you would like the digifora team to address.