…are only 2 things…
…strategy and tactics!
Or put another way…
…there’s a lot of poorly directed activity that ends up being nothing more than a distraction.
A suitable excuse to post this great Tom Fishburne cartoon…
“5 types of social media strategies”.
Reminds me a little of the great Claude Hopkins’ advice…
“Don’t boast, for all people resent it. Don’t try to show off.”
(From chapter 2 of “Scientific Advertising”).
As I was reviewing this, I was struck once again by how much marketing and business activity is conducted without too much sense of a clear purpose.
Some people seem to think that the simple act of furious activity will produce results.
Constant posting or tweeting or updating social media properties, for example.
Of course that’s rarely the case but it’s a trap that even smart marketers can fall into.
Ryan Healy is a marketer and copywriter that I have a very high regard for.
And yet, even he fell into the trap of unfocused activity, as he reveals in this post…
“How Some Silly Email Rules Increased Sales By 679% In 30 Days”.
Of course, the idea of regularly providing good quality information is seductive…
…and may well have longer term benefits, such as strengthening the relationship with your clients and prospects.
But on it’s own, it won’t necessarily deliver sales, as Ryan’s case study illustrates.
Producing a sale, requires a very specific strategy and sequence of steps…
…conducted in a purposeful manner.
Now, that’s not to say that every marketing message should be a hard pitch…far from it.
Even the hard-core “selling” advocates like Ben Settle and Matt Furey deliver value in their emails and other communications.
It’s just that they don’t deliver free content or training and then hope for the best that because you’ve been nice, people will buy from you.
There is a strategy and purpose to their actions.
So get clear on your own strategy and concentrate on actions that clearly help towards achieving your goals.
That way, you’ll be less likely to fall victim to the trap of unproductive marketing activity.