The world of marketing is not for the faint of heart. Grit, determination and hardness of mind toward the process of trial and error are non-negotiable. The daily confrontations with impediments and obstacles threaten to overwhelm us.
Like the characters in Sergio Leone’s famous film, we have to be willing to confront the good, the bad and the ugly. It will help us reach the prize at the end of our quest. What does that mean in the marketing world? Let’s take a look:
Social Media Marketing
The Good
Search algorithms and social media marketing programs are on our side. For Google and Facebook to succeed, it cannot allow toxic marketing elements to win. To do so makes their models for monetization useless. Authentic, original content that engages followers will always win over shotgun blasts of internet white noise designed to garner clicks.
The Bad
Pay-Per-Click advertising cuts into your ROI. Combined with your cost for developing content, it makes social media marketing a nightmare. If your current content production is not capable of reaching your growth goals, then PPC is your only option.
The Ugly
There are many negative elements in marketing that make use of so-called “growth hacks” and schemes. They generate problems for legitimate marketing programs. The noise and distraction they generate robs you of potential business. Unless you have content and a strategy that they cannot compete with, you are going to have a difficult time making your voice heard.
Influencer Marketing
The Good
Thanks to the significant trust influencers maintain with their followers, influencer marketing offers tremendous ROI and can drive growth quickly. There is minimal cost depending on the deal you cut with each influencer, and you see your customer base expand to include their followers. They have another income stream and your business continues to grow.
The Bad
Finding the right influencer and making connections is a time-consuming process. There is no guarantee that your ideal influencer will promote your product. Worse still, that he does not already promote a competing brand. Establishing that influencer relationship can be difficult at best, and in the worst-case scenario you will end up with a significant budget line item for minimal returns beyond “exposure”.
The Ugly
Some influencers are only interested in what they can get from you as a source of additional income. They do not care what your product is or why you want them to promote it. If they get a better offer, they are under no obligation to stay unless it is in a contract. Exclusivity costs money, and you will end up paying more to keep them promoting your product. It is a double-edged sword at best, and a win-lose for them and you.
Contact Business Marketing Engine
Are you in a standoff against the Good, the Bad and the Ugly with your marketing channels? Business Marketing Engine can help you overcome these obstacles. We can help you build a marketing plan that offers improvements in user engagement and ROI. Contact us today for more details on finding the marketing treasure you know is buried somewhere out there.
