Pumpkin spice anything, anyone?
I mean, it’s that time of year, so we better trot out our fall specials, no?
No disrespect for October’s favorite flavor. (Well, maybe a little disrespect.) It’s just an easy target this time of year and one that comes to mind as a potential example of the dangers of putting things on auto-pilot. 
This isn’t a knock on systems, processes, and automation. They should be a part of nearly everyone’s marketing workflow. But marketing is rarely a “set it and forget it” proposition. Mindlessly doing any marketing is a recipe for disaster.
In some cases, we see marketers do things because “that’s how we’ve always done it.”
In other cases, marketers follow the herd, afraid of being out of step with that day’s conventional wisdom.
And in the worst cases, we see marketers move on to their next marketing challenge, either out of boredom or because they’re overwhelmed trying to keep up with it all.
Regardless of the cause, these marketing traps are all damaging. You’ve ceded control to external forces rather than measuring the impact those external forces are having on your marketing, your sales revenue, and your profits.
Last month, we talked about ways marketing metrics could come to the rescue. With that as context, it’s worth emphasizing that metrics can have value beyond just painting a picture of your marketing’s reach or engagement.
Yes, your metrics can tell you a lot about what your marketing is doing in its own bubble, so to speak.
But if you take a step back and look and look at the bigger picture, you can find macro trends that you may or may not be responding to – and that your audience may or may not be responding to.
In other words, don’t take the media’s word for it. Just because they say it’s the next big thing, doesn’t mean it really is – or that it has any relevance to your audience.
Trust the trends you’re seeing in your own numbers and put in the effort to test what you’re doing against what’s happening in your industry or the business world more broadly.
If you’re just beginning to pay real attention to your data, this may be a pretty big leap for you, since it will likely require A/B or similar testing. You may want to get a quarter or two of data analysis under you belt before you dive into controlled tests.
It may also be a bit of a leap to make the bold calls you tests might push you toward. Do you really want to be the only shop on the block without a pumpkin-spice something to sell? Maybe, but then again, maybe not. Data can guide you, but you’ve got to listen to your audience to know for sure.
Trusting what your audience is telling you through your metrics is not only a way to learn from your marketing mistakes and successes, but also to learn which industry, business, and societal trends influence your audience.
Your metrics, some savvy testing, and good listening skills can save you from damaging mistakes and steer you toward sustainable, positive marketing improvement.
Occasional large-scale changes can re-invigorate a marketing plan that’s beginning to falter and can provide a blast of inspiration that ripples out through the rest of your marketing.
By the way, if you’re interested in hearing some of my podcast and radio appearances, you’ll find a few of them listed on the Andigo website.
Photo by Angelica Reyes on Unsplash
