When Adam and I started Sol 18 years ago, the only stack we had in our marketing mix was a paper one, a pile of physical sign offs, tear sheets and a colorful array of post-it-notes. Today, marketers have the technology marketing stack. It can be filled with so many tools that understanding their use and more importantly, the need for them, can seem daunting. Don’t fret, we are here to help.
First, we’d like to reenvision the marketing stack as a circle. Every tool you employ should work in unison to feed your entire marketing ecosystem—which is a never-ending cycle. (Plus, we are big fans of Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle.) But in order for your marketing stack to take shape, you must first map, move and measure the data you already have. So let’s dig into the three M’s and how they help inform which tools your organization needs to maximize your marketing circle.
MAP
Before we go any further, ensure that you have your marketing goals on hand. If you need help crafting those goals, check out this resource for creating S.M.A.R.T. goals.
Using your marketing goals as your guide, work backwards to determine how to achieve those results. For example, if your goal is to generate 25 percent more leads in Q2, then you would need to identify where those leads are coming from (website forms, email campaigns, etc.) Mapping your data allows you to visualize which tools are most effective and identify any gaps that need to be filled.
Moreover, implementing email list cleaning as part of the lead generation strategy fosters a culture of efficiency and effectiveness within the marketing framework. By regularly purging outdated or irrelevant contacts, marketers can ensure that their campaigns reach a receptive audience, thus maximizing the impact of their efforts. This proactive approach not only improves deliverability rates but also safeguards the reputation of the brand by minimizing the risk of spam complaints and bounces.
MOVE
With your data mapped, you are now ready to move it. Sometimes, there is crossover between tools or one tool that offers superior performance over another. In the best case scenario, tools can be integrated so that they work in unison and complement each other. For example, display ads can be tracked within Google Analytics on your website, which serves as the epicenter of your brand’s presence.
MEASURE
Once you’ve identified which tools can be streamlined, integrated, removed or added to your marketing circle based on your goals, it’s time to measure your progress. Are you hitting your goals? If not, then map, move and measure again until you find the formula that works for your organization.
Some examples of data that can be measured are:
- Sentiment
- Engagement
- Page views
- Video views
- Clicks
- Total users/frequency
- Visibility
- Sales/leads
At Sol, we are always working towards making things simpler and more relatable. We hope that using our methodology of mapping, moving and measuring data will help make the tools in your marketing circle work for you.
