Before I get into the nitty gritty, let’s get one thing straight: Anyone and everyone can say they know how to market your brand. Especially if they have special access to a hard drive, monitor, mouse, keyboard, and a social media account. Sounds pretty legit right? If you say so.. Going into business for myself was risky – especially in the marketing and advertising spaces where plenty of amateur marketers give me a bad rap.
At the same time, I knew that once I was able to clarify the value that I bring to the table, everything would work itself out. So, let’s discuss some of the inconsistencies in marketing and why I deem them as wasteful. After I’ve highlighted some popular waste, I’ll explain what PreFocus can do with a similar budget. Deal?
This has never made any sense to me.. Are most of you aware of how this is done? It’s quite time consuming and rather tedious, but people actually spend all day soliciting users to follow their personal accounts. If you’ve received an awkwardly short comment on Instagram, this is why. Once these “marketers” sell you on their “free followers” plan, they simply promote your company to the hundreds of random followers they’ve conned into following them. It’s almost like magic.. This is also done in data form.
Websites and other forms of subscription content store email addresses and customer cookies, then attempt to sell this user information. It’s basically unethical, and for whatever reason, people buy it. In my opinion, nothing is more valuable than a customer you earn for free because you supply them with relevant and engaging content.
No matter your perspective, how can you be sure these users are even interested in your product or solution? You can’t – it’s just a numbers game that sustains engagement long enough for you to believe it’s actually working. The further you read this article, the more you’ll begin to understand that followers, likes, and shares doesn’t equate sustainability.
This is the main objective behind inexperienced and irrelevant marketers. Although it feels good to see people like your posts, it doesn’t mean their interested in investing in you. Simple demographics and numbers don’t necessarily drive a solid return even though it seems like you’re “growing”.
How we address this with a PreFocus: We help you understand the value of original and purposeful content. Instead of taking shortcuts by purchasing followers, we enhance your presentation so that it resonates with those that are already engaged. We use your “shortcut budget” to capture relevant photos of your branded value in action. This can encompasses your staff, customers, facilities, equipment, processes, quotes, or even success stories.
Users that already follow you will promote post they can relate to as they’re proud to be apart of the value you’re providing. When someone endorses you based on their own experience, others become intrigued. We call this an organic following that is genuinely interested in you – not just your posts.
Outsourcing marketing efforts has been a commonality in the last few years. Finding a freelance marketer in order to increase your productivity is a solid idea, but not when their posts lack quality and purpose. Although they can drive down your costs, amateur marketers aren’t necessarily invested in your brand or the way it’s perceived.
In fact, they’re more likely invested in volume in order to collect a check. They tend to follow the same checklists they use across other verticals for various clients. Again, you may see some improved engagement – but you’re essentially trying to drive [growth] with the e-brake on. Let me paint a picture for you.
A few things bother me about the above post. First, I doubt this is an original photo from their gym with a paid athlete or compliant member. Plagiarism anyone? Second, the message has no purpose and means nothing to the average bear. Lastly, it’s an effortless design that lacks quality. The logo isn’t transparent and the typography doesn’t stand out at all.
If you’ve taken the time to research successful marketing tactics, I’m sure you already know that consistency is crucial. But, it’s important that you read between the lines here. Consistently promoting low quality posts without a strong message is a recipe for mediocrity. Whether you want to believe it or not, consumers trust brands that establish a voice and value consistently.
Consider the second post that promotes an original shot of a member working out at the gym. The message is informational, but it provides meaningful substance behind joining a boxing class – which should be their only objective. Although the first example targets daily motivation (for already converted members), those looking for a gym may associate the low quality of the post with low quality results.
Moreover, this isn’t a real-life inspirational story they can relate to. To me, this is wasteful and a common tactic of amateur marketers hanging onto retainers. Targeting volume and general interest will keep you around a 2% conversion rate while purposeful campaigns create the most return. Do you like being average?
How we address this with a PreFocus Solution: The best part about our business model is that we photograph all imagery (for a specific number of posts) on the front end while strategically captioning each photo. From here, we help you schedule out all posts to ensure you’re capturing your audience at ideal times with certain events and holidays in mind.
In addition, all images are formatted to fit certain social media platforms in order to ensure quality resolution. Consider the value we’re providing by simply eliminating the hassle of communicating with your social media manager on a weekly basis. For the most part, we strategically showcase your value while avoiding the development low quality posts that only satisfy monthly social post requirements.
In turn, many of my clients find themselves surprised by the results of a simple testimonial or caption with superior graphics and imagery. Although our service costs more on the front end, it allows you to streamline your promotional strategy for months to come (compare this to your monthly retainer over the same time frame). You also receive exclusive rights to all photos which enables you to use PreFocus imagery in other forms of media as you please.
There’s no way you can’t see the value in this..
Let’s start off by defining the term relevancy. In this case, it refers to generalized topics a marketer assumes your perfect customer is interested in. In other words: conceptual guesswork lacking purpose with hopes of possible attraction. What really grinds my gears is that some companies pay up to $1,500/month for these randomized topics. In my opinion, spending initial capital on content that has nothing to do with your provided value is wasteful – and my experience backs it up.
Over the years, I’ve been blessed to work with some exclusive brands in Phoenix. I’ve also been forced to deal with unhappy clients that second-guess campaign effectiveness – and rightfully so. For the most part, their poor experience derives from a well written article with high bounce rates. I can only imagine the drop-off for those of you investing in a amateur marketers. For the most part, objectives are only geared to drive traffic and shares so marketers can attempt to claim attribution and monetize your results.
Some examples include: opinionated articles, guest writing, tips, top 10’s, guides, etc.. I’m sorry, but this is a waste of everyone’s time. From experience, these types of strategies mainly generate an influential relationship. If you don’t tie in your value or present a solution, users tend to only return for free advice. If you’re paying someone to develop content on your site without purpose, I beg you to throw your dollars elsewhere.
How we address this with a PreFocus Solution: To be frank, it’s really as simple as understanding which topics and ideas drive users with intent to your website or business. If you’re a landscaping company that continues to promote articles teaching homeowners how to care for their garden themselves – how can you ever expect them to request your service?
At PreFocus, I help service companies alter their message so it clearly funnels into their solutions. Instead of letting amateur marketers run the show, there are a number of ways to showcase landscape value. Why not educate homeowners on reasons why weeds keep growing throughout their grass patch? Why not reiterate how lawn care and professional treatment is one of the many things that can be addressed with maintenance packages?
Communicating actual value gives consumers an opportunity to figure out the convenience and effectiveness of your business themselves. With that being said, here are some additional ways I’ve enhanced campaigns to ensure they don’t veer away from brand objectives.
Investing capital without a vision never seems to sit well with me. Although I can understand some business owner’s mistake of paying a social media manager or content writer, I will never understand a blind investment with an advertiser. Whether you’re paying someone to manage your social media ads or pay per click (PPC), your outsourced team needs to understand your customers and vision. Some of you may say: “Well, I’ll just fire them if they’re ineffective, it’s their job to figure it out.” That’s fine, but you’re still flushing dollar bills in the meantime. Advertising is no joke, and once you decide to go all in it’s imperative you have a plan. Trust me..
I’ve literally witnessed external PPC managers use up monthly adspend on some of the most general phrases, such as “care”. Do you know if you’re paying for stuff like this? Do you even know what I’m referring to? If not, please call me and I’ll gladly explain for free. While managing overseas teams, I’ve even come across instances where we were paying for keywords with another state’s abbreviation – and we were local! This is unacceptable, but it’s the reality of hiring amateur marketers for the low.
To be honest, advertising can be one of the most wasteful expenses in your bottom line. Most companies think it’s essential so they invest in the cheapest option and it can be a huge mistake. Not only are you paying someone to manage, but you’re also paying on a CPA, CPM, or a CPC format. This can become very costly quickly and there’s nothing you can do once a user “clicks.”
A previous employer chose to ignore my concerns and their overseas team ended up spending $30,000 on advertising in a 3 month span. The worst part? They didn’t even set up their analytics properly and were unable to attribute any results. Save yourself the headache and understand the importance of an ad strategy before you start throwing money at someone to experiment with. To put this in perspective, you can pay an inexperienced advertiser $300/month and garner $600 in sales (2:1); or invest in an advertising strategist for $1000 and drive $10,000 in revenue over a 6 month span. (10:1)
How we address this with a PreFocus Solution: For starters, we follow a discovery process that helps us understand your brand, customers, goals, and competition. In order to clarify expectations, we help educate you on the media buying process so you can accurately determine focal points throughout the campaign. Instead of targeting broad search terms like “care” or “home service” – we drive intent with long tail keywords.
(Examples: Phoenix child care at home, Senior care for homebound patients, Emergency HVAC home service in Phoenix, or 24/7 certified home service.) Using phrases like these tell us the person searching is in the market. We also help you develop display ads for social and display networks. Honing in on all of these moving pieces and solidifying everything on the front end allows us to place campaigns on autopilot and select specificities when the time arises.
Disclaimer: Since the end of 2020, Google and Bing have now disallowed “exact match” bidding. This impacts small business tremendously. If you’re unsure how, I am more than happy to explain – free of charge. It’s worth knowing.
One of the hardest things about working with small business owners has been their misconception of marketing. Although I”ll never get used to being stereotyped due to someone else’s failure, it motivates me to improve my presentation and prove my tactics are effective. For those of that are content with your current performance, I challenge you to ask questions and seek answers. I’m personally tired of combatting what others believe works, and I’m committed to helping my clients return to promoting substance and value. Hopefully I was able to inspire you to be better and do better. Feel free to inbox me with any questions and best in success nonetheless..
One of the most intriguing sessions included 5 expert speakers on social selling and engagement. Not everyone held the same perspectives, but all reiterated the importance of avoiding wasteful posting on social media. Although purposeful quantity is encouraged, it’s important to eliminate posts that sway from your brand’s voice or funnels users in another direction. People follow you for specific insight and they count on you to provide them with your angles to help them make their own decisions.
This guest panel at Collaborate 2016 expanded on social selling quite a bit. After taking in their perspectives, I realized my stance on social promotion wasn’t much different. If you’re posting to gain attention, or your message doesn’t align with your objectives – then you’re more than likely wasting valuable time while hindering your potential. This panel discussion was very encouraging to listen to.
As a start up business owner, I definitely understand the headaches surrounding project management, distribution, and consumer data. The problem is, most of us are limited and attempt to manage everything on our own. We all have the vision of scaling in the future, but what are we really doing to accomplish these goals?
Allbound opened my eyes to an array of technological advances that expedite processes and improve efficiency. Although I completely understand how investing in partnerships can be just as stressful as doing things yourself, comprehending the value they provide can create a peace of mind that paves the way for sustainability. It’s important that you avoid focusing on the investment and look at the inevitable return they can drive. Not all partnerships are beneficial to your brand, but taking advantage of those that do can make a big difference in your trek towards success.
One of my favorite books is “intentional Living” by John C. Maxwell. In this book, he focuses on living for others. After visiting with a number of CEO’s and thought leaders, I realized they were attempting to live with intention as well. For example, the CEO of Allbound invited me to the event after reading into my personal story. Not only did he understand the difficulties of starting a business, but he knew how impactful the event could be for my brand – without thinking about what he’d get in return.
After chatting with Scott, I found that Allbound had only been in business for 18 months. His commitment to providing value ended up detouring him from his entrepreneurial journey in the service industry. Now, he’s established a niche that provides plenty of companies with solutions to their current problems and frustrations. If he didn’t take the time to be personable (along with many others at the event), I wouldn’t have considered the value that some of the companies could essentially provide me with. Collaborating with cognizance of everyone’s goals and aspirations can take you farther than you’d expect.
If you’ve read into my story, you’ve gotten a good feel for some of my failures and frustrations. I decided to share my story so I could resonate with others experiencing the same. I knew if I showcased my value or credibility, people would begin to invest in my perspective and trust my value. Even more, I wanted to inspire people to share my journey.
This is where partnerships can truly benefit your business. My 2nd takeaway highlighted the impact that partnerships can have on processes and customer success, but influential marketing can take this a step further. Software as a service (SAAS) is an ever growing market that focuses on partnership channels. Have you ever considered what a “Google certification” or “Hubspot partner” badge can do for your website? When you think about it, most partner opportunities include brands that are established and successful. If you’re just starting up, why not invest in this alignment so their recognition can flow into your credibility. Consumers and potential clients will definitely consider your capabilities once partnered with someone that’s known for effectiveness.
After being a part of 4 start up companies, I completely understand the pain of ineffective processes and lack of cohesion. Attending this event allowed me to double down on my stance in regards. Too often, customers and clients are lost during the sales cycle or when a simple problem arises. In these cases, retention is effected because communication isn’t effective. Collaborate 2016 gave me some solid insight on the importance of executing the entire journey of the consumer or client. Although I’ve known the importance of efficient processes, I wasn’t as educated on some of the available systems that enhance experiences and productivity.
Most of you are aware of the hit your business can take if you lose residual revenue. But, understanding how to implement a seamless message and process can eliminate this distraction inevitably. Not only should you differentiate marketing, sales, and customer success – but you have to ensure that communication is seamless throughout. If there is a kink in the chain, then you risk losing credibility and the investment won’t seem worthwhile for those investing capital. Take time to solidify this on the front end while mapping out contingencies so you can retain clients once you close them.
Here’s a video on the purpose behind Allbound’s software vision.
