(Here’s a hint: Possibly. But you’re really banking on luck if you try.)
Marketing should be intentional. Even though you can’t control outcomes, you can control your strategy, planning, preparation and execution. When a client brings in a marketing partner, they often start with a creative brief—an invaluable tool to get things rolling. However, to truly drive ROI, there are six more critical tools that need to be in place. The more the marketing partner understands the target audience, their behaviors, and what the client is trying to achieve, the better the chances for success.
1. Brand and Style Guides:
Consistency matters. This tool lays out guidelines for everything from logo usage and color palettes to tone of voice and writing standards. It ensures that all marketing materials align with the brand’s identity, keeping everything looking and sounding right.
2. Personas
Who’s your audience? Personas provide insight into your target buyers—their pain points, what drives their decisions, and the outcomes they desire. If your marketing partner doesn’t know who they’re talking to, how can they craft a message that resonates?
3. Messaging House
Think of this as the foundation of your communication strategy. It defines the core messages for each segment of your audience and ensures that all communications are aligned and consistent.
4. Customer Journey Map
The buying process is rarely linear. A customer journey map identifies all the touchpoints a prospect encounters on their path to purchase. Knowing where a customer is in their journey helps you reach them with the right message at the right time.
5. Content Calendar
Avoid the noise. A content calendar helps plan communications, ensuring that campaigns are well-timed and messages are balanced, preventing both overcommunication and gaps in outreach.
6. A Measurable Goal
What does success look like? Setting a measurable goal allows your marketing partner to reverse engineer the campaign, bridging the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
At the end of the day, campaigns without these tools might succeed, but you’re leaving a lot to chance. The best way to avoid crossing your fingers and hoping for the best? Control your strategy, planning, preparation, and execution. That’s how experienced marketing partners drive real results.