5280 Accelerator’s Post

This nice article in THEKEN made me think - Performance marketing? Organic marketing? Mix of both? Whichever side you resonate with, when it comes to creating new products, services and experiences, there is no substitute for listening to consumers and understanding what are their unmet, unarticulated needs. Or is there? :) #marketing #insights #ethnography #ConsumerBehavior

What’s the most effective recipe for a successful SME marketing campaign? 😋 This may be the million-dollar question for anyone running a small- or medium-sized enterprise, but you shouldn't have to spend a million dollars to find your perfect blend of herbs and spices. 🌿🌶️ That said, there’s no sugar-coating the fact that a winning campaign involves lots of ingredients, from meticulous planning and targeted channel selection to unbridled creativity and content expertise (#TeamDuck can help on that front). You’ll also need a generous dollop of luck! 🥘 🥄 So, if you feel like you’ve already got too much on your plate, fear not! #TeamDuck’s Head of Editorial/Head Chef Katy Edgington has you covered with five essential steps to creating a Michelin-star marketing campaign on a greasy spoon’s budget. 🧑🍳 #SMEmarketing #marketingstrategy #contentcreation

You’ll often hear me say that a marketing campaign in production is like product yet to hit the market. Even more viable, it’s produce(🍓🍒🍉🍑 )stuck in a bin waiting to be loaded off the truck. Even worse, it is produce stuck off I-94 because another tundra winter got it delayed. Until that produce is on the shelf where it can be bought, it’s not making you money - it’s costing you. You should make your campaigns effective, but the pursuit of perfection, overthinking, and overall time to market is like that rotting fruit on the side of I-94. Yet, the world is saturated with messaging and tactics, so you have to spend the time to get it “right” - make sure you got the right fruit. I’m here to tell you that somewhere between a brilliant campaign and a campaign that’s actually launched is balance. Here’s how to strike it: 👉Know your customer well but not too well. Don’t slow yourself down with months of research. At max, research should take 2-3 weeks to start and finish foundational pieces like buyer personas, benchmark audits, and channel or messaging mappings. 👉Don’t skip the benchmark piece. I often see companies head east when what they really need is west. Then, have to turn around. Formulate a simple benchmark scorecard that ensures you’ve got a compass from where you are to where you’re going. This shouldn’t be an end to end benchmark - focus on the channels and metrics you need to get moving. 👉Leverage short and long term tactics. Even campaigns that launch quickly can be slow to drive results when they overly focus on longterm wins. Strategy and execution are two peas in a pod. When both are stuck in production, your marketing results suffer. Get that produce on the shelf, making you money, and delighting your audience.

The Category Pirates have written gold again. I routinely hear from startup founders that they struggle to understand how to prioritize marketing investment. Here are the four levels as described in the article. It's an excellent framing. Some founders choose Level 1 but expect Level 4 results. Remember, you can't under resource and cut marketing investment on the way to growing market capitalization. And yet, way too many are doing this. Level 1: Marketing as a Cost Center At this stage, marketing is seen as an expense rather than a strategic investment. For startups, it's crucial to understand that undifferentiated products in crowded markets will struggle to gain traction. Prioritize identifying unique value propositions and target niche segments. Use data to avoid wasteful spending and focus on product-market fit before scaling marketing efforts. Level 2: Marketing for Brand Building and Pricing Power When your product has a strong unique selling point and some market traction, marketing should focus on building brand awareness and justifying premium pricing. Invest in understanding your Superconsumers—those who derive the most value from your product. Tailor marketing to highlight what sets your brand apart and communicate this consistently to strengthen brand equity and command higher prices. Level 3: Marketing for Product and Business Model Innovation Innovation in marketing is essential when your product has a solid customer base and you're looking to expand its applications or introduce new models. Engage deeply with your most passionate customers to co-create and test new ideas. Use their feedback to drive product improvements and develop new revenue streams. Marketing at this level should be tightly integrated with product development to stay ahead of competitors. Level 4: Marketing that Drives Market Capitalization At this highest level, marketing is a key driver of the company's overall valuation. For startups aspiring to this stage, focus on creating and dominating new categories. This involves visionary thinking and significant investment in category design. Demonstrate how your product delivers transformational outcomes, and communicate this vision to investors and the market. Your goal is to show how marketing not only drives sales but also significantly enhances the company's market cap and long-term growth potential. https://bit.ly/3Keo0vK

Creating an intentional, organic #socialmedia #marketing strategy can help your brand stand out, boost engagement, and foster #brand loyalty: https://lnkd.in/gyR9qgDW

Understand The Foundational Framework of the 4 Ps of Marketing The 4 Ps of Marketing, also known as the marketing mix, are fundamental components that businesses utilize to develop and implement marketing strategies. These four elements—product, price, place, and promotion—serve as the building blocks of any marketing plan and significantly influence the success of a product or service in the market. Understanding the 4 Ps is crucial for marketers as it enables them to recognize and address key aspects of their marketing approach, ensuring that they effectively cater to the needs of their target audience. Follow the link to read more: https://lnkd.in/dMVsqjaM

Putting some hooch into your Marketing Mix Deep down, marketing is about cocktails. A dash of product, a glug of pricing, a twist of promotion, all served up in just the right placement. This idea is no accident. The creator of the Marketing Mix metaphor, Harvard economist Neil Borden, was quite explicit in his desire to see marketers see their trade as mixologists. Different brands need different recipes: some need a long sophisticated concoction that will last the evening. Others need their shots short and sweet (though preferably not ‘on the rocks’). To each their own poison. So perhaps Borden would approve when Lumen Research and Ebiquity extend his metaphor a little further, with the concept of ‘ABV’ or ‘Attention By Volume’. Lumen Research have known for years that different media provide different levels of attention for advertisers. Cinema ads are more likely to get noticed, and noticed for longer, than TV ads, which in turn generate more attention per 1000 impressions than billboards or social media formats and so on. Each media comes with its own ‘attention by volume’ count. But we wanted to understand if this extra attention packed a punch. So we muddled together Lumen’s Attention per 1000 impressions data with Ebiquity plc Incremental Profit per 1000 impressions data, taken from the recent meta-analysis of 141 econometric models used in the Thinkbox Profit Ability 2 project. And the blend was sweet. The analysis has revealed that attention and profitability are extremely highly correlated. Changes in attention explain 98% of the changes in profitability. Any closer to 100% proof and the findings would be flammable. The link to the research is in the comments, but get in touch if you want to learn more. Travis Lusk Ruben Schreurs Nic Pietersma Tanwa Edu Donia Baddou David Bassett Mike Nicholson

Whether you're aiming to understand the needs of your audience or tell an impactful story, here are 10 key marketing lessons for an effective marketing strategy. Read more: https://hubs.li/Q02Jc4ns0 Post written by Marie O'Riordan, Forbes Councils Member

Quick campaigns spark engagement, but it's the sustained strategies that keep us relevant and thriving in the long run. Let's aim for both! #MarketingStrategy #SustainableGrowth #FutureSuccess

5 Advanced Buyer Persona Prompts: Marketing with a Veggie Twist! 🥗 In the dynamic world of marketing, understanding your buyer isn’t just important—it’s the whole vegetable thali! Let’s add some zest to this mix with advanced buyer persona strategies that are as diverse as a veggie platter. Ready to dive in and season your marketing efforts with some fresh insights? Here we go! 5 Common Marketing Mistakes: ➤ Same sabzi every day. (Serving the same dish repeatedly) Not diversifying your strategies. ➤Assuming tastes without asking. Making decisions based on assumptions, not real customer data. ➤All garnish, no essence. Creating personas that look good on paper but lack depth. ➤All serve, no listen. Ignoring what your customers are really saying. ➤Sticking to the old recipes. Relying solely on traditional marketing methods. 5 Zesty Ways to Upgrade Your Buyer Persona Game: Dive Deep into Data. ↳ Utilize analytics tools to gather insights; from these, craft a detailed profile of your buyer’s behavior. Harness the Power of Social Listening. ↳ Keep an ear out on social media for real-time customer opinions and trends. Stay current, or you’ll miss out! Embrace A/B Testing. ↳ Test different aspects of your marketing to see what truly resonates with your audience. It’s like finding the perfect spice balance! Make Friends with Interactive Content. ↳ Engage your audience with quizzes, polls, and interactive videos. It’s about making connections that stick. Add a Dash of Cultural Insights. ↳ Understand the cultural preferences that influence buying decisions. Get to know your customers' tastes to connect on a deeper level! Takeaway: Your marketing needs more than just the occasional sprinkle of coriander—it requires a rich mix of understanding and evolving strategies. Blend these advanced techniques into your marketing mix, and watch your efforts bloom! Ready to spice up your marketing strategy with these fresh insights? Let's connect! P.S. If you found these tips helpful, please share them! ♻️ Interested in crafting buyer personas that truly resonate? DM me, and I'll share the prompts with you!!!