How do I create the best marketing strategy?

The biggest piece of advice that I offer marketing teams and content teams is a term I call, Cross Channel Synergies. I create the best marketing strategies because im keeping it all super simple. Like most things in this world, especially things that abide by the laws of physics, objects that remain in motion together, remain intact. However, objects that are disrupted, well, you know the rest.

The goal of marketing campaigns is mistunderstood. Everyone want's to crack the code to creating the best marketing strategy. Channel managers are in competition with each other. The social media manager is holding onto their secret campaign driver and a budget for strategic influencer campaigns, while the paid media team is focused on the trends of next year, and the display team is trying to remain current with todays trends, and the email team is trying to retarget old customers, and the organic team is crying for more copywriters, and so forth and so on. Least of the alignment coming from the content topic that they all focus on.

I have built content strategies for a variety of industries and businesses and one thing is always true. The teams that synergize their efforts, and focus as a single marketing motion, led by the consumer audience, are always more durable, more effective, more genuine, and more lucrative.

Lets take a look at a pretend campaign across the major channels and lets unify ABC Corp. and their messaging around a new type of paper product.

Organic and SEO:

• Identified 3 keywords that have an appropriate audience for the product
  • Head Term: Wholesale White Resume Paper
  • Torso Term: Wholesale Textured White Resume Paper
  • Long Tail Term: Wholesale Textured White Resume Paper in Bulk
• These topics will be used in a /Blog-Post and on the /Product-Landing-Page, that will hopefully, link to each other.

Paid Ads:

• Paid campaigns will focus on these 3 core keywords and a handful of additional creative terms, and begin paying for positioning on the first page of Google.
• While organic takes its time to rank, at least the brand is there on page 1 capturing attention.

Social (Organic and Paid):

• All social content from the photos, to the infographics, to the influencer partners at the paper manufacturers or the printer companies, should all be focused around these core topics.
• The hashtag strategy and the descriptions across platforms should all unify around this core topic of White Resume Paper.
• The demographics and cohorts that will recieve the paid strategy are those looking to stock large quantities of office supplies, not students, or employers, or recruiters.

Email:

• Everything from the subject line, to the opening content, to the CTA's should all focus on this core term and it's supportive terms.

I know, I know, what is say is a bit idealistic and a bit utopian, perhaps even too oversimplified and boarderline dystopian, but like most things, humans overthink. We're focused on KPI's and ROI and forget that marketing is so much more elegant and simple than that.

I often ask myself:

• What do I want to be known for in the moment?

• What do I want to make sure the world knows about me, my product and the experience my customer should expect with my business?

Cross Channel Synergy is more about simplifying complex campaigns, and focusing on executing on core topics. The key to creating the best best marketing strategies is more about cross channel alignment then it is about a single viral campaign.