3 ways to challenge "best practices" in your marketing
I love doing things my own way. It’s why I tend to push back on the Black Friday madness, encourage challenging the status quo in business (as long as it’s in good faith), and have spoken out about some of the most popular entrepreneurial book recommendations.
Just because a particular activity or approach is considered a “best practice” by many doesn’t mean it’s the best practice for your business.
Let’s deconstruct some common marketing narratives and explore alternatives
The traditional lead magnet
One of the first recommendations in most marketing courses is to integrate a lead magnet into your business.
This free resource is generally given in exchange for an email address or other contact details.
In the eyes of most marketing “gurus” this is an easy way for you to showcase some of your expertise (supporting your ideal client with a pain point they’re experiencing) while also growing your subscriber list with leads.
In reality, this tends to result in an email list of subscribers who may or may not be engaged moving forward.
If the subscriber only signed up for this specific free piece of information, what’s to say they won’t unsubscribe in a few emails? Or that they will simply ignore all of your future emails, negatively impacting your open rate and engagement stats?
What if the freebie didn’t hold the answers they were searching for? Maybe you’re not the right fit for them.
If they’re only looking for free resources, are they really your ideal client?
Let’s be honest. Consumers are tired of all of the non-valuable freebies – the PDFs that have the smallest bits of information hidden within what’s primarily a sales pitch, or the useless templates that hold the same information they’ve already found online.
What once was considered new and innovative is now on almost every website online, and consumers are no longer excited, they’re wary. So, it’s time to try something new.
Here’s an alternate approach. What if you gave your resources away freely without asking for an email address in return?
What if you focused your efforts on creating a high-quality freebie? One that delivers on all of its promises and supports your audience with relevant pain points.
What if, within the resource you share, you include a compelling promotion to sign up for your email list?
Or what if you simply share about your email list, indicating that you share more information, tools, and resources like the one they’re reading with your subscribers?
If you create something that is truly valuable, people will want to hear from you and connect with you further.
The growth of your list will be slower, but the quality of your list will be much higher. Your subscribers will be those who found your free resource valuable and are looking for more information or additional support.
You’ll know that these people are genuinely interested in hearing from you, and your engagement rates are likely to be much higher.
Learn your business ebbs and flows
Standardized marketing calendars look a little something like this,
Starting the year we have a lot of ‘new year, new you,’ rhetoric with content focused on setting goals and making life and business changes.
Campaigns revolving around holidays or observances (January = New Years, February = Valentine’s Day and Black History Month, March = Women’s History Month, so on and so forth).
Seasons playing a role in content – think summer slow-downs with greater marketing pushes around the winter time, coinciding with Black Friday and the entire Christmas season.
Planning content, setting goals, and recording KPIs monthly, quarterly, and annually.
Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with following a traditional calendar like this.
Maybe you like a Monday - Friday, 9-5 schedule, a monthly content calendar, or an annual goal-setting session at the beginning of each calendar year.
But let’s also be clear that these guidelines and standards are largely made up.
You don’t have to follow these to be successful. In fact, you’ll likely find more success by getting to know yourself, your audience, and your business more.
There are definitely some commonalities among industries—for example, accountants are sure to be busy in the spring during tax season.
But, if you pay more attention to your individual business without listening to external noise, you’ll start to notice when your people are looking for help (and when they’re not).
Once you’ve figured this pattern out, use the information to build your unique business and marketing calendars.
When does it make sense to run your marketing campaigns?
When are you going to block time in your calendar for rest and vacation? Yes, these things do need to be scheduled.
When does it make sense to analyze your KPIs and set new goals?
When are your slow periods? Consider promoting client openings in advance of these slow-downs.
When is your busy season? See if you can get ahead of your admin work, social media posts, or other tedious day-to-day tasks that are likely to be forgotten otherwise.
What holidays or observances are relevant to your audience? Which align with your values? Which of these are important for you to acknowledge, without overwhelming yourself, your audience, and/or your business resources? Especially for more serious and important observances or social justice issues, ensure your campaigns are sensitive and respectful. Thoughtful marketing will always resonate more than trying to speak on everything.
Every business has an ebb and flow. Take the time to figure yours out and don’t assume it’s the same as any other company.
Review your marketing data and statistics
Your business is unique and so your marketing tools, tactics, and timelines should be unique as well.
The standard “best time” to send emails is considered by many to be Tuesday mornings. And while this generally holds true when comparing email open and click-through rates, what’s to say your business doesn’t stray from this norm?
If you don’t experiment with different times and days, how will you know what’s truly the optimal time for your audience?
The same thing goes for blog post word counts, YouTube video lengths, the social media platforms you use and the consistency with which you post (to name a few more examples).
“While it may serve you occasionally to trust your instincts, most business decisions should be backed by metrics and figures related to your goals as a company.”
- from ‘Data-based decisions: The antidote to shiny object syndrome’
Testing and analyzing your own marketing initiatives and how they’re being received by your audience will help you uncover what drives results for your business, rather than following generic advice.
Get to know your specific audience and customize your marketing strategy based on the data you have available to you.
Otherwise you might end up investing a lot of time and energy into tactics that aren’t relevant or significant.
These are just a few examples of ways you can think differently about how you take action toward your business goals.
There are so many other opportunities to challenge how you operate within the accepted “best practices” in any area of business (and life).
Think about the best practices you swear by in the context below to see if you can challenge them and come up with a better way to do things.
(Yes, this may sound like productivity guru advice, but if you’re doing the wrong things in marketing, you’re not going to build the momentum you want!)
Ask yourself why a “best practice” is important
“Best practices” are just another kind of rule that someone has set for themselves and others to adhere to.
Generally, they’re created because they have worked for at least a few people. But this doesn’t mean they’ll work every time or for everyone.
I’m a fan of breaking the kind of rules that don’t get me into trouble. Or, at the very least, questioning them.
Why is this practice necessary?
Who is it serving?
What will happen if you (gasp) don’t do it this specific way?
Sometimes, I think the trendiest activities and marketing channels get talked about a little too much like best practices.
Just because something has been popularized doesn’t mean it’s good or that it will be impactful for you.
Each time you feel the pull to implement a new practice into your business, give yourself some time to assess and question the motivations behind your decision.
This is a good way to test whether something is truly aligned or if you’re succumbing to shiny object syndrome.
Don’t fall victim to the six-word habit
“That’s how we’ve always done it” means no one has taken the time to test something new that might work better.
Habitual routines that have meaning or import matter. Doing something for the sake of doing it might not. So, it’s worth a quick test.
The questions below are similar, but they’re asking you to dig a little deeper to find the significance of the practice and what it stands for if you don’t see it right away.
Is [insert best practice here] necessary? If yes, what parts and why?
Is it serving someone? If so, who? Is it serving them well?
Is there an opportunity for improvement or a different approach that works better?
None of us want to do work that’s unnecessary.
If there’s an opportunity to discard something that’s past its prime, why not save the time, energy and resources?
If there’s an opportunity to refresh something so it matters again, why not make the effort?
And, if something is working well and having the intended impact, why change how you’re doing it?
Don’t be afraid to ignore one-size-fits-all advice
If you’ve been in business for any length of time, you’ve probably met someone who’s had an opinion on your efforts or company based on what they perceive to have worked for them.
But here’s the thing: You aren’t them. Your business isn’t theirs. And even if you have an identical set of factors at play, you can’t guarantee you’ll get the same results.
There is no one-size-fits-all marketing plan.
Instead of following their suggestions (or someone else’s) blindly, ask yourself:
Does this align with my values?
Does it align with my goals?
Will this resonate with the people I want to work with?
Is it the right time?
Do I have the appropriate resources to make it happen?
Maybe the advice is actually good and makes sense for you. It still doesn’t mean you need to jump on it right away.
In fact, a giant clue for me that I’m focused on the wrong things in my own life is when I can’t seem to make progress. Often, if I set it aside, the clarity of “why” comes later. Sometimes the timing is off and I can pick it up again.
In other instances, taking some time gave me the clarity that it wasn’t the right choice in the first place and I was able to confidently let it go.
Allow yourself to slow down and make intentional decisions when it comes to your business and marketing efforts.
Don’t feel pressured to implement a strategy or practice into your business just because someone else is.
Stay connected to your core values. Acknowledge what’s already working for you and what isn’t. Reflect often on your motivations. Recognize the resources you have available to you to avoid overwhelming you or your team. And keep your audience at the forefront of your decisions.
In doing so you’ll create a much more authentic and sustainable business long-term.