3 Marketing Tactics It's Time to Ditch

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the world of marketing rarely stands still. The “Mad Men” days are long since gone, and now is not the time to get stuck in tarpits. Here’s three tactics that are swiftly going the way of the dodo.

Measuring the wrong metrics

Numbers such as website visits, Facebook likes, and Twitter followers are fun to watch (especially the bigger they get), but they’re called “vanity metrics” for a reason — they simply don’t tell you if your marketing efforts are successful.

You can have millions of people visiting your website, but if no one’s converting into customers, your marketing is failing. Vanity metrics can be helpful, but don’t depend on numbers that aren’t actionable.

Focus on capturing leads, growing your email list, and getting concrete customer feedback in the form of surveys and personal interactions.

Leaving leads hanging

Many companies have things like whitepapers, checklists, and other website resources available for prospects to download. Are you following up with leads who download these items? If not, you could be missing opportunities to turn them into qualified leads who decide to become customers.

I’m not saying you should call every lead you get; most people—unless they’re completing a form for a free consultation or a contact form—aren’t interested in talking to you yet.

However, you can use marketing automation to ensure that leads are sent a few follow-up emails with more helpful resources to keep you at the front of their minds over the next few months — by then they could be ready to buy, and if you haven’t been in touch recently, they may choose to work with a different company that has.

Constant self-promotion

If the only thing you do on your company blog and social media channels is talk about yourself and your products and services, you’re doing it wrong.

People want to work with other people, not a corporate logo. They care much more about why you do what you do (your company story, mission, and values) and how that solves their problem, than they do about product features and your latest press release touting new hires or a change in business location.

Stop talking about yourself and focus on giving customers what they want.

It’s time to evolve

Once you drop these tactics, it’s easier to concentrate on others that give you more bang for your buck. Content marketing incorporates blog articles and other helpful content, social media engagement, lead nurturing, and more, all based on solid metrics designed to help you realize a better ROI.

Leave old tactics where they belong — in the past.

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