The ‘mystique’ of modern marketing is now a thing of the past, now that everything is measurable and quantifiable and everyone in a business likes to think they know how to do your job for you, or better than you. Do you ever feel like screaming “JUST LET ME GET ON WITH MY JOB” at the top of your voice whenever your MD bounds across from their office and attempts to impart their creative ‘advice’ on you? Well here at ResponseTap we’ve been in jobs in our time where this was definitely the case, so we know exactly how you feel. So we’ve compiled a little list of stuff your MD says, to relieve your angst. Recognize any? 1. “TURN ON THE PPC TAP, FULL. NOW!” We hear this one a lot. People often think that economies of scale apply in the world of PPC: the more you buy the more the cost per unit goes down. Well sorry to disappoint, but no, that’s not the case. PPC is an auction. If you want a higher position, you offer a higher bid. Yes you’ll get more clicks, but the cost per click can then skyrocket, and fast. ‘Turning on the tap’ consists of broadening keyword reach, locations and day parts. But this will usually lead to an increase in cost per conversion, and conversion rates will likely fall as you cast the net wider. So turning on the tap might seem like a silver bullet, but it’s far more complicated than that. 2. “WE NEED A VIRAL VIDEO” Hmmm. If only there was a magic formula for going viral…. Who really knows what will be the next Dollar Shave Club or even Fenton the Dog? Video is of course a massively powerful tool, but it’s tough to get it right. It also costs a helluva lot and takes some serious effort. The LADbible might make it look easy, but it’s not. Start off thinking about what the video is there to do and who it’s for, and take things from there. 3. “WE NEED AN APP” Build it and they will come, right? Well no. Apps need full marketing campaigns behind them to make them successful, requiring budget and resource. There are literally thousands of apps that go unused. So why is it you really want one? Is your website so complex that having the pre-built functionality an app can offer would improve and streamline it? Or is it that you have repeat customers you want to make even stickier? Determining its purpose first should give you answers as to how valuable it would be. There’s a theme emerging here… 4. “CAN’T YOU JUST PUT FLYERS THROUGH PEOPLES’ DOORS? Again, a nice idea. Let’s just flyer drop and everything will be OK. This could potentially work if we were selling takeaway pizza… 5. “JUST PUT A SHED LOAD OF CONTENT ON THE WEBSITE. FOR SEO, YEAH?” It’s not the Noughties. Content marketing has moved on, and so has Google. Google’s algorithms will spot spam content a mile off, so you could be penalized for this. But secondly, even if the Black Hat techniques did temporarily work and the page ranked, a ranking site doesn’t necessarily mean success. Your visitors still have to engage with a page sufficiently to convert, and we all know how much effort we put into great looking, well optimized pages. We need to move on from the thinking that spammy, copy-heavy pages written for spiders will generate a sale. They won’t. 6. “SHOULD I JUST WRITE IT FOR YOU?” Everyone likes to think they’re a copywriter now, without necessarily understanding best practices. Often those at the top want every single benefit of the business to be hammered home in every piece of copy, without understanding that storytelling is about style, as well as message. From subject lines to headlines, subheads to social, engaging copy with a killer tone of voice can get you the cut-through you’re looking for, but you know that. 7. “WHY AREN’T WE ON SNAPCHAT??” Not every new platform and channel will work for every brand; not every bandwagon is worth jumping on. There are of course great opportunities with some, but equally the red herrings are there. Again, research and plan. Think who you are targeting and where they hang out online. But also think about the type of content you want to promote on the channel and if it’s suitable. Promoting white papers on Instagram, for example, probably won’t see huge rewards. 8. “WE JUST NEED MORE DIRECT TRAFFIC?” Direct traffic: free traffic that converts higher than other channels. What’s not to love? It’s all well and good daydreaming about direct, but customers have to hear about you first, before they find you. You can’t expect to reap big rewards without putting in the groundwork first, and understanding its value. Which is where multi-touch attribution comes in… Anything you want to get off your chest? Join in the conversation on Twitter using #StuffYourBossSays. Remember we’re all in this together… Oh and one last thing, if all that smiling and nodding has got you questioning your sanity, download our Martech Toolkit below. Being able to back up all of your assumptions about what new tech you should be buying (and then ram it in the face of those who dare to question you) will give you an added boost of confidence.
