Have you ever been truly excited to begin a project? You strive for perfection, yet there is some unexplained need for instant gratification. The marketing and advertising world is full of this excitement; ideas adjust daily:
Many studies break down the post timing of individual platforms, while noting that Facebook users tend to prefer short videos and Twitter users prefer images. Facebook posts should focus on what your company offers, while your Twitter account should relate to your audience on a personal basis – but don’t assume you’re reaching the same audience on both platforms.
Sound familiar and feeling slightly confused? Once you realize how many details are needed to create any successful strategy, it may feel easier to simply learn as you go.
Trust me, it’s not.
Enthusiastic Research versus Strategic Research
After some hard research (i.e. reading a few expert articles on Google), you probably felt fairly confident on your topic (let’s make it advertising). Feel confident enough to begin posting your brand’s exciting details on all social platforms? Ready to spend your hard earned money on deploying dedicated eblasts to your target audience with information that will simply excite them to no end? Maybe not just yet.
- Have you determined your goal?
- Do you want to create brand awareness or a call-to-action campaign?
- Who is your audience, what are their interests and where are they looking at specific times of the day?
Feel the need to do more research?
Building confidence with knowledge
Before you begin any project, it is a good idea to learn as much as you can about your topic. Why waste paid time coming up to speed on the basics? The importance of walking before you run - or in this case, learning before you pay, will save you significant time and money in the long run.
After you decide what strategy will work best for your goal and target audience, consider brainstorming with an industry expert. An expert can only offer a certain amount of advice free of charge, but a meeting of the minds will help you think outside of the box. Almost any piece of information available is invaluable to you exceeding your goal.
Don’t let pride get in your way!
I admit that I prefer to work independently, but there are times when knowledge needs to be outsourced. Deciding that you are the expert in any new field can be detrimental to your wallet and reaching your goal.
You could create and execute any campaign yourself, but your money spent won’t necessarily work as hard for you as it would with expert help – even if only to guide you in the right direction.
Never stop asking questions. Never stop learning!
