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How To Suck Less At Marketing: Blow Up The Bridge
Most companies I’ve ever worked with have no semblance of a digital marketing plan. (Many have a great digital marketing plan, but I haven’t necessarily been fortunate enough to work there as of yet.) In a way, this makes sense: a CMO would have the most theoretical ‘ownership’ over a digital marketing plan, and there’s documented research that most CMOs have no idea about digital marketing. (Probably doesn’t help the CMO cause that media darling Slack got to a $1 billion valuation in two years without a CMO.)
In the places I’ve worked and observed, there’s one major deterrent to a good digital marketing plan. Namely: the traditional marketing plays are making money. Who’s going to change an approach rooted in trade shows and publishing if that stuff is bringing in revenue? For most people, “revenue” and “growth” are the goals. Phrased differently: The Spreadsheet Mentality.
It’s hard to embrace a digital marketing plan if the ROI seems unclear, especially if your traditional stuff is working. It’s asinine that ‘digital’ is still considered ‘its own silo’ when there are more phones on Earth than people, but many things about silos don’t make much sense.
