Thoughts on Marketing

Picking a lane is critical to marketing success

[Originally published as The Marketing Mix newsletter on Substack. Please subscribe for the latest, every 2 weeks]

One of the biggest challenges in Marketing is focus. Or rather, the lack of it. There are so many ways to reach potential customers, and it’s tempting to try a little bit of a lot of things.

The end result? It’s really hard to make an impact.🤷🏻‍♂️

So you need to make a choice: Be mediocre across a lot of channels. Or really kill it in one or two places.

Because with limited resources, there’s no way you can do a good job across five or six different marketing initiatives.

That means pick one social media channel where you’ll put most of your effort. Sure, you can post occasionally across others. But by picking a primary, you give yourself a chance to develop a style and personality appropriate for that platform; and to build a consistent presence with the audience.

The same goes for Demand Generation. If you decide you need to do better at Trade Shows…then what are you going to cut? You’ll need to free up time and money from somewhere else to optimize the ROI on these events.

Or if you think video is the key to success in your industry….what are you not going to do this year, to give you the bandwidth to get good at it?

Choosing your channels

It sounds good in theory. But how do you make the tough decisions?

For socials, take a look at the conferences and newsletters in your space. Where do they focus their posting? If you have someone on the team who is already active on Reddit or Linkedin, then that could be a good choice. (You have in-house skillset already). Posting regularly and consistently is more important than picking the ‘best’ platform.

For demand generation, the tradeoffs are tougher. You need to commit resources – over a significant time period – to see if your choice pays off. And again, that’s why focus is so important. Unless you have a deep marketing bench and a large budget, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to kick off a successful PR strategy, increase your impact at events, develop a training library, and build out a content marketing plan, all at the same time.

Pick one. Get established. Move on to the next. Demand generation, by its nature, is a long game.

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This prioritization is one of the toughest parts of Marketing. There is no ‘right’ answer. But there is a right way to execute it. If you’re struggling to work out how to have an impact with your Marketing, let’s talk!

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A Focus on Old Fashioneds

You could argue the same thing for cocktails. Pick one type of drink, and focus on perfecting it over the next few months. And if so, an Old Fashioned is a pretty good choice.

Most times, when you see one on the menu, it’s Bourbon-based. But an Old Fashioned is just “Spirit + Sugar + Bitters”. Which means there are endless variations – switch out the liquor; try different bitters. Even serve it with an unusual garnish, or in a funky glass.

Last weekend, I mixed up a Rum one for dinner out with a friend.

• 2.5 oz Tiburon Dark Rum
• 0.5 oz Demerara syrup
• 2 dashes Chocolate bitters
• Stirred over ice

Treat yourself to a set of bitters*, and work your way through some combinations. See what works for you.

Next up, I have this Pineapple Demerara Old Fashioned on my list…(before TikTok disappears again 😏)

Cheers! 🥃

Steve

P.S If you know you need to take marketing seriously, but don’t know where to start, let’s chat. I help growing B2B tech companies build their marketing muscles.

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