Randomness.

Randomness works when playing the kid’s game Bop-it. In fact, without randomness, the game would be pointless. 

But being random has no place in your marketing.  

When you’re chasing the latest trends, copying your competitor’s marketing or marketing ‘when you’re motivated’, there can be detrimental effects on your business.  

 

Consequences of Random Acts of Marketing:

Random acts of marketing may seem harmless. Doing something different may even be encouraged at your organization in order to spark creativity, build momentum or attempt to be relevant. 

But the reality, being random is a risky strategy that can have detrimental effects on your business today and down the road. 

Loss of Focus

Random acts of marketing can divert attention and resources away from what’s truly important to your business and your long-term objectives. Spending time learning new marketing activities or copying a competitor can take your eye off your own goals.  

Resource Drain

Marketing takes time and considerable resources. When you’re trying new things and engaging in untested marketing activities, you can easily blow valuable time and budget on things that result in little or no return on investment. This can leave fewer resources to allocate to the initiatives that drive your business.

Confusion and Inconsistency

Seldom are random acts of marketing consistent with other marketing and messaging. Inconsistent messaging confuses your audiences and can even alienate the very people you need to reach. Inconsistent messaging can also erode the credibility of your brand.

Brand Dilution

Misaligned messaging and one-off campaigns can easily dilute your brand, As a brand dilutes, the work you’ve put into building your brand gets undone.

Mixed Messages

Related to confusion and inconsistency, random acts of marketing sends mixed messages and you could attract leads who are not in your target audience. Talking to the wrong audience can clog up your sales funnel and tie up your sales team with leads that will never convert.

More Work

Spending time and resources on random marketing can add additional work and tax your current systems and processes which can affect the performance of your other campaigns and initiatives.  

 

How To Stop Random Acts of Marketing

Stop comparing. 

Don’t follow your competitors; differentiate. Their strategy is theirs and custom for their brand. Doing what they do won’t mean you will have the same result.

Develop – And Use – A Comprehensive Strategy

Your strategy has to be more than a PowerPoint deck sitting in a computer folder. It needs to be an active roadmap that guides key players on your team on a daily basis – including your agencies, contractors, internal team members, and even your executives.

Measure and Provide Accountability

Those engaging in random acts of marketing tend not to measure their marketing. When you don’t know how you’re marketing is doing, you tend to seek out something new and the next big thing. Measuring what you are doing and keeping everyone accountable is key to avoiding random acts of marketing. 

 

The Bottom Line

While occasional experimentation and adaptation are essential for staying agile in today’s dynamic landscape, the core of your marketing strategy has to remain strategic and aligned with your brand and strategic goals.

Book a complimentary 30-minute advisory session with our team today.

We’ll talk about your business and how we can help your team achieve your strategic and business goals.