Hitting the ground running

There may be many reasons that you might consider outsourcing to a marketing agency. You are a man down and need some short-term support, you are grappling with a particularly tricky brief and need a fresh set of eyes, or you need a complete reboot and a refocus.

But the one thing all of the above have in common is that procrastination will kill your idea faster than the launch of the next latest, greatest security solution.

Sadly, we see this, not a lot but we do see it. Businesses stalling on the execution of a campaign because the board can’t agree on the messaging or, they want to take another quarter to review a different set of proposals or, some new bright shiny marketing tool has diverted their attention or, they simply can’t make a decision.

The problem is the longer you wait, the more likely it is that your competitors will steal your thunder and elbow their way into your space.

I’m not saying planning isn’t important. Robust planning is key to the success of any campaign, but once that’s done. It’s time for action. Nothing frustrates me more than an opportunity missed because no one was prepared to roll their sleeves up and get the job done. Like the publishing community and JK Rowling, or Decca turning down the Beatles … acting fast is important!

It’s rare you get your marketing campaign plan absolutely perfect first time, that’s what measurement and review are for (see 5 Steps to creating measurable campaigns this quarter). If you are nervous about pulling the trigger, start with something small and easy to measure and build from there. The best advice we were ever given when we started the agency was to start small. Do something small really well and take it from there.

Good Luck!