New Marketing Channel? Ask These Five Questions First
If you’ve spent any time in #MarketingTwitter, #DTCTwitter, or other marketing circles lately, you’re probably battling FOMO with the latest invite-only app, dispo. (If you’ve got an iPhone and are still waiting on a Clubhouse invite, just comment on this post and we’ll hook you up.)
But besides FOMO, why are marketing leaders being tasked with developing marketing strategies for channels that aren’t even available to 85% of smartphone users? The entire exercise feels like it’s straight out of a Marketoonist cartoon – in part because it is. As Craig Groeschel says, the enemy of a great idea is often a good idea.
As marketing leaders we have to push back against “Shiny Object Syndrome” and ask ourselves five questions before jumping into a new channel:
1. Is my target audience on this channel?
2. Can I engage my target audience on this new platform in the platform’s unique format, ie. Clubhouse’s long-form audio or Twitter’s 160 characters?
3. Can I add value to my target audience on this channel?
4. What are my goals for this channel and how will I measure the ROI of the channel?
5. Will my leadership team give the channel enough of a leash (both creatively and financially) to be successful over the long haul?
If you can’t clearly and decisively answer these questions, you may be suffering from Shiny Object Syndrome. I’d recommend jumping head-first into the channel with a personal account to get a feel for the channel’s potential along with best practices.
Further, consider how you can extract more value for your brand out of the channels you’re already investing in. For example, if your brand is making a concerted effort on Instagram, have you integrated your paid media, organic content, UGC, and influencer marketing strategies yet? For a comparatively small investment of resources, you could generate exponential returns on an established channel before rushing to launch an expensive trial balloon for the new channel.
PS- if you need help sorting out the best channels for your marketing strategy, my team and I are happy to help.
