I was talking to a friend the other day and she was laughing about not wanting to “adult” that day.

Who doesn’t feel that way sometimes?

Adulting is hard. Adulting is all about responsibilities and doing things for a reason, following through, and sometimes performing tasks you don’t want to.

Some of us adult well on our own, while others need a push from a manager, significant other, or even a force outside of someone like guilt or the idea of right and wrong.

Hard? Yes. But adulting is necessary.

That got me thinking about something I wanted to discuss with you. I spend most of my days talking to people about their marketing and their marketing needs. So you could say I have marketing on the brain.

This may be a little off-the-wall but…

If you could interview your marketing strategy, if it was a person who could talk for itself, would it be:

• an adult very aware of what it had to do that day and what it was supposed to accomplish
• a surly teenager who knows what it’s supposed to do but wants to do everything but that
• a pre-teen following directions one minute and thinking you know nothing the next
• a toddler barely out of diapers and spouting off words that don’t mean anything

What do you think?

Better yet…what do you want your marketing to be?

 

It’s Time for Your Marketing to Grow Up

Your marketing can get unwieldy just like a child testing their limits. And just like a child, you need to give it direction to ensure it’s doing what it’s supposed to be doing.

 

Step One to Marketing Adulthood: Define Expectations and Goals

Take the first baby steps.

Most of us would agree you need your marketing to do its job. But it can’t do its job if you’re not clear about what that job is. Define your goals for your marketing. Decide what it is you want to do and how you will ensure it gets there.

 

Step Two: Align Your Goals with Tactics

Now you’re in the terrible teens. There are going to be some struggles and growing pains in this part.

After all, you know what you want to accomplish. Work backward and decide how you will make it happen. What actionable steps will you take? Plot out actions and a timeline as well as who in your organization will perform the action and be accountable for it.

 

Step Three: Create an Integrated Marketing Strategy

Woohoo! Your marketing is reaching adulthood but there’s one more step before it can claim that title. It has a job to do, now you have to ensure it is performing it in the most effective way.

Components of an Integrated Marketing Strategy

Like it sounds, an integrated marketing strategy is one where all the pieces are bound tightly together like a spider’s web. No marketing piece is created (or purchased) as an island. The goals behind whatever you are using are all aligned and stitched together.

All of your marketing components should direct back to your website, even your social media marketing. You need a center for integrated marketing and it’s best if you own that center.

Remember MySpace? That’s why you don’t invest all your efforts on a social media platform that you don’t own.

 

Here are a few things you’ll want in your integrated marketing strategy:

Content marketing. Produce several of the following types to ensure that your audience has what they need.

• Video. You’ll want to have a mixture of recorded video and those you broadcasted live.
• Written content. Good quality articles are meant to be shared and serve as a strong resource for the buyer’s decision-making journey.
• Images. These are so important to get people to notice you. They could take the form of image quotes, infographics, or graphs and charts.
• Podcasts. Like video, podcasts are very engaging especially for those who hate to read. They’re portable and can be listened to anywhere. Plus, podcasting creates an intimate atmosphere and listeners often feel like the podcaster is speaking directly to them.
• Giveaways. Contests spur action and increase engagement. Ever notice how bloggers use them? It’s a great way to get people to interact with you on social media.

Promotional marketing items. Your customers aren’t always online. With promotional marketing items, you can reach them no matter where they are and stay top of mind even when they’re not plugged in.

Demos and webinars. If you sell a product that requires explanation, you’ll want these too.

Social media marketing. Join the platforms your ideal customer is on and post consistently. Look for ways to converse not just post.

A website. Yes, you need a website but you also need to keep it updated. Add offers, events, and things that change. Refresh content often and Google will notice you.

Advertising. You need to use advertising. From retargeting to targeted social media ads, advertising can help keep you on buyer’s minds.

Event marketing and/or trade shows. Event marketing gets people excited about your service or product. Trade shows depend largely on your industry but getting in front of people physically can be very successful in helping them get to know you.

Email marketing. You need to build a list and reach out to your customers and future customers on a consistent basis in order to stay top of mind.

 

Putting It All Together and Adulting

The easy part is coming up with what you need/want. The difficult part is putting it all together. You can get a good job as an adult but you must meet the goals to ensure you keep it. With marketing “adulting,” your job doesn’t end with a good framework and exciting ideas. Implementation and analysis are important to your success.

Use calls to action to deliver a consistent message. Drive traffic back to a central location that you own. Make sure everyone on your team knows the goals of your marketing and keep up with all parts of your marketing.

Remember, a true adult doesn’t just adult at times where it’s convenient or only in certain areas. An adult knows what’s required and executes accordingly. It’s not easy but it is worth it.

An adult marketing strategy pays off. An integrated marketing plan runs circles around toddler plans. It’s time you require more from your marketing. Give it some tough love.

We’re here to help.