When you’re TOO organised
Is there such a thing as being TOO organised in your marketing?
I met with a partner organisation last year on behalf of a client, and their Marketing Manager told me they had already planned out ALL of their marketing content for the first quarter of 2024 - as in, social media, newsletters, web, PR, the lot - and they weren't going to do anything extra.
For context - I'm talking about a very big organisation working toward a major launch that needs a lot of public hype behind it.
And as much as I admired how planned and organised this person was, I also found it baffling… because what about all of those juicy ideas and opportunities that pop up as you work your way through a campaign?! What about responding to customer data as you go?!
Marketing and content plans are good and well (and necessary), but there's got to be an element of flexibility to them, that allows you to jump on opportunities as they arise - whether they be breaking news, viral memes, collaboration opportunities or the perfect idea that wakes you up at 2am.
And let’s not forget about keeping an ear to the ground and listening to what your audience is telling you. If you're not going to tweak your content based on the data that's coming through, you might as well be marketing to a brick wall.
All of that is the exact reason that I truly don’t believe cookie cutter packages are effective when it comes to marketing. The person responsible for your marketing has to be nimble, and ready to respond and move and change. And if every month they’re delivering X, Y and Z and nothing more - you’re probably missing out on opportunities to sell and excel.
On more than one occasion I’ve been told I’m unflappable, but let me tell you - as a launch date of a campaign I’m running comes closer, I’m nothing but flap on the inside. In fact I’m sweating bricks, optimising, ramping up content that’s working, dialling back anything that’s not, jumping on last minute openings… it’s hard work! But it’s all worth it for that final push.
So, when you're thinking about your marketing for the next few months, have a plan, but keep aside a little time and budget for those opportunistic moments. Because sometimes, those off-the-cuff, responsive moves are what make the biggest splash.
