Ian Brodie, whom I very much admire, commented on a recent post entitled "Are We Marketers Making It Too Complicated?"
To summarize the post: a friend, who is also a competitor, is part of a firm that has no internal marketing staff/support. He was telling me about his need for an e-mail newsletter. He didn't care to track metrics for the newsletter. He had better things to do - like servicing clients and making money for the firm and himself. His whole goal is "just to get my name out there on a consistent basis."
The point of the post was this question for internal and external marketers: are we making marketing too complicated for our stakeholders who are not as enthused with the possibilities as we are? Many of these stakeholders just want to get their name out there. The metric they value is how many calls are coming in with new business.
Ian, a marketing and business development consultant, commented:
My gut reaction to the "I just want to get my name out" comment was "but you need to know who's actually reading it, who's interested, who may be taking action...".
But, as you say, that may be a step too far for your friend.
Professional marketers and advisors need to be one step or two ahead of their client's thinking - gently leading them to a better place. But if we're too many steps ahead we run the risk of losing them. It's very easy for us to get excited about the latest buzz when our clients and colleagues are still struggling with the basics.
In this case, maybe it's best to focus on the simple stuff first - but provide a future proof path for the inevitable. 'cos sure as eggs is eggs, in a few months time when your friend is comfortable that his newsletter is getting out OK, he's bound to ask "how do I find out who's actually reading it?". And if the answer is "well, we didn't implement that and we'll have to start again from scratch if you want to know it" he's not going to be happy. (emphasis mine)
Ian makes a great point that all marketers (internal or external) should remember: We should stay a step or two ahead of our stakeholders "gently leading them to a better place." (I love that language.) Pay attention to the word "gently." It has been my experience (it may not be yours) that most of my stakeholders struggle with the basics of marketing. This is no surprise. It's not their primary responsibility. They are exceptionally good in their role as financial analysis. That is their area of expertise - not marketing. It's my job to gently lead them to that better place - acting as a coach, cheerleader, or sometimes as a bulldozer (I guess that doesn't qualify as gentle but it is sometimes necessary). The perceived need among fee-earners in professional services firms will likely always revolve around the desire to just "get our name out there." That's okay. Marketers need to remember that there are plenty of ways to do it and gently lead these professionals and their firms to the most effective. Thanks Ian for the comment!
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