SQUASHED!

There is a myth running rampant in our industry right now:

It's the myth that every single marketing activity must be ruthlessly analyzed for ROI, or it's not worth it.

That mindset is how you squash creativity and innovation.

If marketers were only allowed to do things that can be instantly analyzed for ROI...

Well, as Seth Godin says:

"Enough A/B testing will turn any website into a porn site."

There must be respect for risk-taking and embracing the unknown. There must be some respect for repetition and consistency.

Radio ads, billboards, email marketing, and organic social media - these channels are criticized constantly by those who live and die by the numbers because if you measure the success of these channels by just one ad in isolation, the whole thing looks like a failure.

These channels work because when you do them consistently and creatively, eventually, when someone is ready to act, you'll be the only one they think of.

But that's hard to measure, so many folks don't like it.

Sometimes when we send email campaigns for contractors, certain folks will ridicule a single email because they want to see its "ROI." My response is:

1. It didn't cost you to send one email... so anything is "ROI"
2. One email generated 3 jobs, which may not seem like a lot, but it would have been zero if we hadn't been nurturing those 3 leads with all the entertaining emails that came before it
3. The last time we ran this exact email, it generated 10 jobs - so timing is a factor too

I've sent many emails for my own businesses that didn't get an immediate response. But I've also gone to trade shows where multiple people will see me and say "Oh, Zac! I read your email about the $100 flip flops! That was so funny and such a good point. Let's chat." My emails often prime people to want to buy from me months before they do.

Consistency and creativity are powerful forces in the war for attention.

Don't let your business be ruled by the tyranny of metrics.

Talk soon,

Zac Garside