Plan. Build. Dream. Repeat.
8 milkshake September 2021
on providing holistic business solutions.
Today, marketing is about having a
360-degree view of all aspects of your
client’s business. Doing so allows you to
deliver relevant and executable marketing
strategies that drive direct results to their
business.
“The traditional marketing approach
of focusing on tactic-driven deliverables
is outdated,” Sizemore says. “Tactics
without a holistic understanding of the
client’s business needs only provides
immediate, short-term results, which
are important. However, a tactic-only
approach that does not focus on the big
picture is a short-term game, when the
goal should be building long-term results
and relationships.”
the goal your client wants and why
they chose you for the job. In this case,
as crazy as the final mission was, the
Silver Frog team had conceived an
orchestrated attack plan to elevate
the person’s brand (even if it did end
up going off track). “You have to put
yourself in your customer’s shoes,” Ross
says. “When we plan any marketing
strategy, we always start by determining
who the client’s ideal customer is. Once
we know that, we can think about where
and how those people connect.”
As simple as it sounds, the easiest and
most effective way to make your plan
real is to start by sketching out. This can
be as simple as opening a Word doc and
highlighting your efforts: set attainable
goals; define your target market;
establish a clear brand identity and be
consistent. A marketing strategy is not a
collection of tactics—it is a well-thought
out, strategic plan that clarifies your
target market and audience, articulates
your core messaging, and explains how
that messaging will be integrated across
channels.
In its simplest form, the art of
marketing is about attracting and
retaining customers and their audiences.
To achieve this, you must build a
foundation that connects a brand with
its audience. Chris Sizemore, CEO of
Creative Mischief, says that means
marketing firms must stop selling the
same cookie-cutter approach and focus
If we dream it, we can build it.” That’s the motto Sizemore and his Creative Mischief team
operate under every day. By taking a business consulting approach to client partnerships, they
are better able to understand their clients’ businesses, internal abilities, processes, time, budgets,
and how their audiences want to be engaged.
“Taking this approach allows us the ability to provide marketing strategies and plans that have
a long-term, intentional approach to drive business results,” he says. “Building this trust not only
helps gain trust, but also helps create an emotional connection between the business and their
customer.”
Sizemore says that tactics can be predictable, canned and
impersonal—things that users recognize immediately. “We
want clients to know they can trust us. We are not just a
branding, marketing, and communications agency—our belief
is that true success lives in the trust others place in us. We will
do what is right for our clients, their customers, stakeholders,
employees, and their bottom line. It is about the relationships,
quality over quantity. We are in the business of building
relationships.”
To say that COVID has changed everything would be the
mother of all marketing understatements. From where Patricia
Royak sits, brands must check in with what their audiences are
doing and thinking more than ever before. The CEO of Royak
Consulting, a firm specializing in global omnichannel brand
strategies, says that researching the consumer base is one of
the most critical steps any brand can take.
“The omnichannel has challenged us all to provide a
seamless customer experience across channels, countries
and mediums,” Royak says. “Even the words used to describe
a brand and its products should be internally vetted, ensuring
we are not overpaying for them in media. A disjointed or
conflicting message about the brand in one channel may
cause confusion about the authentic nature of the brand
story. Consumers do not want to be sold today, they want
brands to educate and have their problems solved.”
The strategy, Royak says, refers to the strategy of
specifically sketching out your plan. Know your competitive
marketplace and consumer trends. Have an updated
profile of your target customer. Inspire them to join your
journey and become part of your story. Be authentic, clear
and engaging. And be prepared to pivot. “Brands that
create an emotional connection with their consumers and
surprise them with superior service will win. Taking away
the personalized human connection or opportunity to
reach out and touch consumers in a customized approach
creates bad publicity. These impressions are lasting. The
message is out there for everyone to see.”
One of the most critical pieces of advice is to focus
your time and energy on performing at 100 percent, 100
percent of the time. Every brand has multiple opportunities