New marketing plan a risk worth looking at

THERE are plenty of risks in running a business, but have you considered taking risks with your marketing creative? The temptation with marketing is, of course, to rely on numbers and to fall back on what’s worked before.

The problem is that the context of marketing is accelerating on a trajectory defined by technology and an emphasis on consumer experience.

It should be no surprise, then, that the top marketers are predicting a return to fearless creativity.

So when should you become bold in your marketing?

Your competitors are all doing the same thing.

Perhaps there are good reasons the competition are doing the same thing? After all, their strategy will be based on research.

However, when everyone is saying the same thing on the same channels, they start to blend.

Taking risks means standing out and developing a unique persona that catches consumer attention.

Your current tactic is an industry “standard”.

While similar to my first point, it’s worth breaking down. The reason is, creative has become so ingrained in some sectors, it’s institutionalised.

The temptation is to believe that “if it ain’t broke”, you don’t need to try something different.

However, just because the standard is offering decent results, that doesn’t mean that something new isn’t going to blow those results out of the water.

Remember, taking risks with your marketing isn’t the same thing as trying to push your brand so far out of the box you don’t have a leg to stand on.

Reaching beyond the industry standard could mean many things, from adding radio advertising or another new channel to your marketing mix, or experimenting with new creative elements and storytelling tactics.

You need to capture a new audience.

If you’ve hit marketing gold using a particular creative method with a particular segment, that’s great. But it’s important to remember that different markets have different preferences and needs.

They’re going to approach your brand from a different perspective.

Reaching them is going to require understanding and meeting their unique needs, and trying to use what worked for one segment simply isn’t going to be as effective for all. To look at it from another perspective, taking the creative risk to experiment with new marketing techniques could bring in a new market segment you hadn’t even thought of trying to reach.

Doing the market research to take those risks could unveil new market needs your business can provide solutions for, which could further broaden your audience.

Your current creative isn’t working.

As the saying goes, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly, while expecting different results.

It’s all too easy to revert to your comfort zone when confronted with initial failure or negative responses from competitors.

If your current creative strategy is mediocre at best, this reaction is more harmful than helpful.

To be specific, cutting through the competitive noise of advertising can mean taking an approach where your ads don’t look or sound like ads.

There’s a good chance your marketing creative isn’t working because it’s trying too hard to pitch a sale, and no one wants to be sold to.

Take a risk and find what grabs your audience’s attention.

Now that you know when you should be taking risks with your marketing, audit your current strategy before you start your next campaign.

There’s plenty of new outlets that will help you create and capture customer moments.

Be bold and truly creative, and you’ll discover the benefits of taking risks with your marketing when you establish your brand as unique, engaging, and the top choice for your audience.

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