DIGS is the premiere luxury real estate lifestyle magazine serving the most affluent neighborhoods in the South Bay and Westside of Los Angeles, California.
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28 DIGS.NET | 3.20.2020 If marketing is all about the consumer, then the "click" is all about the marketer, right? Before you do anything, don't. Stop. Slow down. Think about the interaction from the audience's perspective first and foremost. If you're asking for their time, give them something of value in return. And don't treat everyone the same! Any marketing message or sales offer should follow a flow and sequence. The mistake most marketers make is they make the wrong offer at the wrong time. In their haste, they fail to acknowledge and/or lack the patience to take the customer through a multi-step journey to build a relationship and earn trust. For instance, the people that are unfamiliar with your brand won't be receptive to a "marriage proposal" type offer on the first date. Manage your expectations, create a sequence and flow for your marketing and don't forget to start with an exchange of value. Over time, you'll know when the time is right to ask for a "date." Effort & Yield. Is it worth the effort? It's an important question to ask. If you're looking for simple, fast, easy problems to solve, prepare for lots of "red ocean" competition and commoditization. Haste & Waste. I received some feedback recently from a real estate agent who expressed concern and wondered if sending out their monthly email newsletter was a "waste of time" because no one had clicked on the links and the overall engagement was at "industry average." It got me thinking about the human condition as it relates to the state of marketing today. With the onslaught of digital/social media, instant gratification has become the new "lens" on how we view success. Success is now defined solely in terms of likes, clicks, followers, views, comments and subscribers, which in turn has created a perpetual cycle of short-termism. Every marketing tactic and digital action we take is now judged as a singular "win-fail" event, and not part of an overarching strategic plan that includes multiple touchpoints, audience platforms, repetition, and refinement. Today, we're more interested and affected by "digital engagement" or lack thereof and thus compelled to a reactive state of mind. All of this is very troubling and exactly the opposite of the wisdom bestowed to us by our marketing godfathers of the past who, after years of experience, experimentation, testing, success, failure, learning, and refining, are largely ignored today. Sadly, it seems like the foundational principles of marketing that have been painstakingly crafted, tested and proven over decades is now largely ignored or deemed irrelevant in this new era of digital delusion. The end result – our marketing haste has created an abundance of marketing waste. What do you want from me? Before you send any marketing message into the universe for consumption, you need to first ask yourself – what do you want the audience to do with "your message" exactly? Back to the email example above, how much strategic thought went into the "link" that you expected your audience to click on? Where did the "link" go? Did it improve their lives if they went there? What was the purpose? Remember, it's not just a "click" – it's asking someone to give up their most precious asset, their time. What's in it for them? EFFORT & Y IELD P U B L I S H E R ' S M U S E Warren J Dow Publisher wdow@Southbaydigs.com 310.373.0142 If you're looking for difficult problems to solve, the ones that require grit, commitment and patience – it's probably worth the effort because very few sign-up for this kind of challenge. But these are the most rewarding and often have the highest yield. Best of all, true success is found in the journey, not the end result. It's not for everyone, which is exactly why you should do it. As they say, anything hard is worth doing. At least in my book. Patience & Perseverance. If authenticity in marketing is the closest thing to a "sure thing" in marketing, patience is a close second. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither were the most successful brands of today. Patience requires a lot of effort, but over time, delivers more yield. Take the long view with your brand and marketing, unless of course you're in a hurry like everyone else to get nowhere fast. Marketing is like bricklaying. Each brick is carefully constructed and placed with purpose, patience and contributes to the overall structure. Similar to the marketers of today, it's easy to find bricklayers – much harder to find masonry artisans. Which one are you? Until next time ~