Adobe conducted a study of 1,004 U.S. marketers and found that 49% of marketers report “trusting my gut” to guide decisions on where to invest their marketing budgets. Why are half of all marketers spending their dollars on hunches? How can this be prevented?
At Franchise Ramp, we don’t “throw things at the wall and see what sticks.”
Marketing has become more real-time and metrics-focused, and when put into the hands of experts, allows us to manage and interpret your data with a forward-looking approach. Looking at your campaign performance in a reactive sense is no longer the most productive way to prepare your long-term strategies.
What is proactive marketing?
Proactive marketing is an analytical approach that allows marketers to be agile, real-time, data-driven, and adaptable to the ever-changing needs and wants of both current and future customers. It encompasses all forms of marketing, and focuses on building strategies with a detailed understanding of a campaign’s audience, impact, and metrics for success — before executing the actual campaign.
Basically, it means getting the most out of your marketing dollars.
The top four benefits of employing a proactive marketing approach are:
Making Efficient Use of Your Marketing Budget
At Franchise Ramp, we subscribe to the philosophy, “what is measured is managed.” Proactive management of ad spend is a cornerstone of our mission and the primary reason why we are able to make the most out of every penny spent on your digital marketing efforts.
Allowing You to be Flexible and Agile
Crises are not stagnant. The constant use of the word “pivot” is exemplary of that fact. The pandemic will continue to shift the social climate long after the coronavirus is under control. Proactive marketing allows you to stay ahead of developments and adjust your plan as changes come in waves.
Keeping Your Brand Top-of-Mind
People want to know that you’re there for them, and they also want to know how they can continue to support your business. You can stay better connected to your audience and provide them with the information they need through a proactive approach.
Providing Your Audience with the Help They Need
Every person in your target audience has been affected by this crisis in some way. By identifying what you can offer and how you can be of the most help, you can support your customers, just as they’ve supported you over the years.
As complicated as the times are, our job remains a crucial requirement for recovery: to reassure your consumers about the future and give them some sense of confidence that the future is something that they should invest in.
Reactive Analytics: Your Marketing Blind Spot
Reactive behavior is second nature to us as human beings so it’s no surprise that many organizations function the same way. Be wary of agencies that moan on about “staying on course” when your marketing dollars seem to be evaporating into thin air.
In a real-life scenario, by the time you’ve analyzed all the data and scored your last campaign, your next campaign is already in motion. This delay in analysis created a blind spot for marketers, during which they have no insight into what’s working and what isn’t.
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced nearly every business in the world to evaluate how they spend their resources. Every industry is asking: How can we get the most out of what we have? Reactive marketing is designed without prior analysis and planning, and the results of any given campaign are determined at the end. This strategy creates inefficiencies in the marketing budget because time and resources are quickly wasted.
Big Takeaway: As franchisees, you and your staff undoubtedly have long to-do lists. With a proactive marketing approach, you’re far less likely to waste investment dollars or precious time repairing costly issues. In practice, being proactive means benchmarking in real-time, analyzing data on the fly, and optimizing your campaigns for higher overall brand value.
