
Businesses love “best practices”. That's because best practices promise successful outcomes. They're a system or technique that’s shown to yield statistically measurable better results. In the best case, the use of best practices can keep an organization sharp — leading to constant measurement and improvement. In the worst case, it can boil down to stagnation - establishing a standard way of doing things and then not changing for years.
How about marketing? Are there “best practices” that apply? I think there are. Here's my list.
1. A PLAN Marketing needs a plan behind it. A plan that supports the company’s business plan. Objectives, audience, budget, tactics, and timing all need to be documented. Not that the plan should be chiseled in stone. The business world can change quickly. Plans need to adapt.
2. MEASUREMENT OF RESULTS There should be measurement so you can see how well your various tactics are working. That measurement can feed back into your plan and inform changes.
3. FREEDOM TO EXPERIMENT Marketing needs freedom in order to deliver the best results. There needs to be room for experimentation and even failure. Often the only way to find the best approach is to try a bunch, some of which might not work.
Great marketing allows room for creativity. No amount of market research, customer retention management, or results measurement can take the place of the spark of human intuition or the power of a new idea. Some folks want certainty, and I'm advocating a certain amount of uncertainty. The universe teaches us that uncertainty is part of life. It keeps things exciting and opens up the potential for great leaps forward.
That’s my take on best practices in marketing. What’s yours?
How about marketing? Are there “best practices” that apply? I think there are. Here's my list.
1. A PLAN Marketing needs a plan behind it. A plan that supports the company’s business plan. Objectives, audience, budget, tactics, and timing all need to be documented. Not that the plan should be chiseled in stone. The business world can change quickly. Plans need to adapt.
2. MEASUREMENT OF RESULTS There should be measurement so you can see how well your various tactics are working. That measurement can feed back into your plan and inform changes.
3. FREEDOM TO EXPERIMENT Marketing needs freedom in order to deliver the best results. There needs to be room for experimentation and even failure. Often the only way to find the best approach is to try a bunch, some of which might not work.
Great marketing allows room for creativity. No amount of market research, customer retention management, or results measurement can take the place of the spark of human intuition or the power of a new idea. Some folks want certainty, and I'm advocating a certain amount of uncertainty. The universe teaches us that uncertainty is part of life. It keeps things exciting and opens up the potential for great leaps forward.
That’s my take on best practices in marketing. What’s yours?