Do I really loath digital marketing tools? Yes. All of them? No. I’m going to point out one fundamental flaw.
Edward De Bono and Thinking as a Skill
I do suggest looking up a couple of De Bono’s books ie Six Thinking Hats and Lateral Thinking. Before I came across this chap, I thought thinking just happens. I didn’t believe you could improve how you think. Now I think I was wrong (make of that what you will).
De Bono promotes ‘thinking tools’. One that caught my eye is ‘Plus + Minus – and Interesting’. De Bono suggests using this as a table, with three columns you fill in, when you have a decision to make and you are unsure.
Faced with a digital marketing tool I ask one question (purloined from Avinash Kaushik?, ‘Master of Analytics’, look him up). ‘What action can I take from this information?’ Most tools fail this test BUT I may find a use for it, I may combine it with some other ideas.
The Compost Heap
I’m a creative writer, my comedy/creative tips podcast is Jelly Trumpet. When you are a creative writer, you develop a ‘compost heap’ Interesting stuff that is not of use currently. That’s where anything interesting lands. When you develop this skill (something many people do naturally, it’s not a ‘hack’ or a ‘secret) you’ll gain time and useful tactics in digital marketing for example.
Knowledge of the Playing Field
But you have to know what’s out there, so you have to investigate and marking things as interesting leaves you to find the things that provide an Action.
What sort of Action? One that makes money (and this is the simple reason behind marketing). That and that alone.
What’s the Most Important Element of Marketing?
Well, you can spout about the different channels eg Owned (your website) Earned (from your content, think reviews) and Paid (social, Google, print ads). A linear approach, do you see? What inhabits the gaps, the most vital part? Word of Mouth created by PEOPLE using a brand.
How Do I Track Word of Mouth?
There are many tools that say they can do this and ‘sentiment analysis (“Baaa!”). All you need is Google Search Console installed on your website. GSC does lots of stuff but a little-known function is trapping keywords that brought visitors. How many of them are brand terms? Now you can benchmark (broadly) your ‘Word of Mouth’. Now if you do an event and brand term searches increase (along with sales) you know it was a worthwhile event (comparing with sales revenue and ROI).
The Fundamental Flaw of Digital Marketing Tools
They all make you think in a certain way. You need to take that into account and not lose sight of your thinking and experience.
What Action Can You Take from the Above?
- Well, it could be calling me a pretentious pr**k.
- Investigate Google Search Console.
- Examine a tool or service that promises you the world and understanding the action (the money it can make) or if it is just interesting?
Amen,
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