eMarketing is Not a Formula

I've been asked a lot of questions lately about formulaic approaches to eMarketing. People want some kind of measuring stick to compare their results to those of others. Some kind of way to prove they're succeeding in comparison to the guy down the street.

I'd like to propose that that kind of perspective is a bunch of bull puckey.

Buyers are not the same. They don't think the same ways and they don't go through their buying process in the same order of activities. Their thought processes and their situations have different nuances that won't match up with a formula.

If the guy down the street says they've increased lead generation by 25% with their email outreach program this month and you've only increased yours by 10%, are you a laggard?

Well, that depends upon who opted in.

Are they viable prospects with a high propensity to become sales opportunities or are they just contacts added to your database because they wanted whatever that specific content offer promised?

If that 10% of additional leads are truly engaged with your company, showing interest beyond the content offer that enticed them to opt in, then it's more likely you're going to see some revenue coming down the pike as a result. That doesn't say "laggard" to me.

That's what eMarketing is all about. Activities that drive future revenues by building mutually valuable relationships with prospects and customers. 

The only way to employ eMarketing strategy successfully for your company is to focus on and respond appropriately to the behavior of your buyers. Having a plan is great, but you've got to continuously refine and adjust based on what your prospects show interest in.

Three touches and a sales offer is a formula. It's a halfway-in attitude. What it says is that you'll give them a taste, but then they have to ante up. It's self-serving and not highly effective in a lengthy complex sales process.

Instead, focus your eMarketing strategies on long term generosity. Measure against your past results and set your own benchmarks. Improvement is all about your relationships with your buyers, not your numbers against what the guy down the street is doing.

Refine and improve based on how your prospects are responding to your content and communications. Tweak and tune to increase relevance. That's what counts and that's what's going to produce sales opportunities that turn into customers.

A formula offers a false sense of security. It's a recipe that dictates you follow-it, regardless of what your prospects tell you. It promises if you take steps A + B + C that you'll get a specific outcome. It's like wearing blinders and believing you're in control.

If only your prospects were that predictable.

Instead, go All-in and provide continuous value. Focus your strategy on creating pipeline progression. A strategy is a process that requires continuous adjustments parallel to your prospect's changing needs and priorities. When you approach eMarketing in a holistic manner, you'll see impressive results. 

Every client project I work on requires a unique approach. That's because every company I work for has uniquely differentiating qualities. The relationships they build with their customers are influenced by those nuances. Your company is no different.

Trust me, formulas are not the answer for implementing eMarketing strategies.

Comments

[twitter.com/fearlesscomp]

This is a great post, Ardath, but then I never see anything but great posts from you....

Too often people look for the magic bullet, but there is not. Marketing is about experimentation, testing, tuning, refining. How do you know it is working? From the feedback you get from prospects. Are they singing your praises? If so, you are doing something right.

This is the approach we use at Find New Customers http://www.findnewcustomers.net I'm happy to say it is working great. On the flip side, it takes time and patience. Unfortunately, bills come due and kids have needs. But you need to keep doing the right things all the time.

[Annie Cooley]

This post is very well put. I especially appreciate you saying "Instead, focus your eMarketing strategies on long term generosity." It is a refreshing statement and is a good reminder to seek ways to better tend to your customers wants and needs, which in turn will give birth to long term relationships with customers.

Our company provides small businesses with email and automated marketing. I can see somewhat of a formula that goes along with it but even in that there is no magic bullet or right way to do it. Though your eMarketing strategy could be automated their does still need to be an essence of value laid in it. It is all about experimentation and testing and hopefully refining to build the dedicated relationships you talk about in this post.

The hopeful part however is that their are powerful reporting tools to monitor your eMarketing strategy. When you go "All-in" you can see how it worked and what other options you have.

[Rick]

I agree formulas are not the be-all, end-all answer.

However, for someone just starting out or trying to get their website to perform profitably, a "blueprint" is often a helpful way to get into the "ballpark" initially by getting all the "knobs" set in the lead-acquisition and sales conversion processes to where sales can be generated at all.

From that point forward, I totally agree, one must test and optimize each site and business on a continuous basis.

And what worked yesterday doesn't always work moving forward. Sometimes our offers and processes "rust out" or become stale and need to be refreshed, particularly as the competitive environment around us evolves.

[Bygningsrenovering]

This cool, Thank you for posting it online. Keep up the good work.