In 2016, one of my goals will be establishing and communicating “purpose” with respect to our marketing initiatives.
2015 gave us a glimpse of the importance of “purpose”. The republican debate has been a very entertaining debate because certain candidates are directing the communication to specific topics. We are looking at specific topics and understanding what people are thinking and where there thoughts are going with respect to identifying issues and resolving issues.
Also, in 2015, many marketers like me are trying to find a higher purpose for achieving results with respect to running effective marketing campaigns. The focus should not be on what social media platforms you are on or what type of content you are producing. It is time to get back to the main reason(s) for running campaigns.
Some areas I am looking at with respect to purpose:
- What purpose does our company serve with respect to its clients? This is not about a mission statement. This is more about seeking to make our clients the best they can be when they purchase products or services from our company.
- Where are most of our sales coming from? Analyze sales figures and determine who your clients are and what are they buying from your company?
- Where are people going on your website? I really like HubSpot. It is helping me see what parts of our website are resonating best with our clients. Building a better website experience starts by understanding where people are going on your site.
- Developing a marketing plan that is easily communicated to everyone in the company. I have worked at several companies in different departments. Typically, only the marketing department knew what the marketing goals for the company were. Imagine if others in the company were aware of the company’s marketing initiatives and were able to add value to this process. Very few companies do this very well. Marketing is every employee’s responsibility.
- Seek more feedback from clients. Find out how your clients view your products/services. Promote an atmosphere where client suggestions are recorded and acted on.
Plan for 2016
See the marketing world differently in 2016. Too often in my past, I would read articles that talk about predictions for 2016 and make plans around those ideas. This type of thinking is very dangerous and it can lead to a lot of wasted time. The truth of the matter is all of us need to focus on those ideas or principles that will return the most value. For this reason, I am moving more toward a purpose driven spectrum in marketing and other management areas. A plan without purpose is a plan that needs numbers to justify its existence. Having purpose gives metrics a direction and a reason for taking future actions.
This is my goal for 2016! I would welcome your thoughts and comments on this topic.
Thanks for reading!