As marketing continues to evolve, more insights into the concepts and components that make for a winning strategy come to light. Although certain portions of the marketing arena have evolved quickly, leading to perpetual changes to best practices and successful approaches, the broader perspectives on what it takes to create a unique brand image that entices target markets are somewhat steady, at least in the short term. It is important to mention that each small business owner will need to decide upon a customized approach to his or her marketing plans. There is no such thing as a cookie-cutter approach that can benefit all companies, and if anyone tries to sell you such a concept, move on. There is simply no way that the optimal brand image, and the communication involved therein, will be sculpted from a standardized set of practices. However, guiding points can always help to get the gears turning and brand voice moving in the right direction. So, aside from having tight control and plenty of evaluation involved in each campaign, ranging from email marketing and direct mail to social media and beyond, entrepreneurs might want to begin to consider some of the overarching techniques and underlying components of branding that can set them up for success.

2. STOP WISHING
START WINNING
STOP WISHING
START WINNING
As marketing continues to evolve, more insights into the concepts and components that
make for a winning strategy come to light. Although certain portions of the marketing
arena have evolved quickly, leading to perpetual changes to best practices and successful
approaches, the broader perspectives on what it takes to create a unique brand image that
entices target markets are somewhat steady, at least in the short term.
movingtargets.com

3. It is important to mention that each
small business owner will need to
decide upon a customized approach
to his or her marketing plans. There is
no such thing as a cookie-cutter
approach that can benefit all
companies, and if anyone tries to sell
you such a concept, move on. There is
simply no way that the optimal brand
image, and the communication
involved therein, will be sculpted from
a standardized set of practices.
movingtargets.com

4. However, guiding points can always help
to get the gears turning and brand voice
moving in the right direction. So, aside
from having tight control and plenty of
evaluation involved in each campaign,
ranging from email marketing and direct
mail to social media and beyond,
entrepreneurs might want to begin to
consider some of the overarching
techniques and underlying components of
branding that can set them up for success.
movingtargets.com

5. aspects to
consider
TOP
7
movingtargets.com

6. 1CONSISTENCYBrand consistency is more important than many would
believe, as consumers are highly skilled in identifying irregularities within marketing
content, especially across campaigns. This is not to say that every marketing
communication should be homogenous, but rather that the running image of the
brand should have plenty of symmetry over time.
movingtargets.com

7. 2
ANALYTICSThe use of intelligence
solutions in marketing campaigns is nothing new,
but it has gone from a somewhat optional
matter to one that is vitally important from a
competitive standpoint. Companies that are
using analytics technology to better craft and
execute advertising programs will tend to enjoy
more efficiency and higher returns on campaign
investments, and those that do not will rarely be
able to keep up.
movingtargets.com

8. 3BUY-IN Employees should be involved in ad planning as much as possible, and not
just those working in the marketing department. Instead, involving operational staff and
others can go a long way toward ensuring that the consistency is kept on track across
various ad initiatives. When businesses get more of their employees on board with the
strategic aspects of the marketing projects, they will be better prepared to define and
deliver a strong brand message.
movingtargets.com
movingtargets.com

9. REFINEMENT Sometimes a campaign will work so well that the marketing
department will think to itself: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” However, this is never going
to be true. Even the most popular advertisements that world has ever seen will get old
eventually, and many will run their course within the first few views. On the flip side of
that coin, bad campaigns need to be analyzed and avoided in the future. Marketers who
focus on continuous performance improvements through the refinement of campaigns
will likely succeed more consistently over time.
4movingtargets.com

10. 5
CONVERGENCE If your social media marketing team is completely separate from
those who write your content advertising materials, you are missing opportunities, and not
really using either type of medium properly. This goes for any and every type of marketing
medium you can imagine. Always focus on the convergence aspects of campaigns, working to
ensure that visibility is maximized through a robust program that brings all ventures together
into a unified package.
movingtargets.com

11. FEEDBACK Looking at conversion,
bounce and engagement rates will certainly
help to inform campaigns in the future, but
these should not be the only types of
measurements in place. There are so many
factors that could impact a conversion rate,
for example, but only one standardized
number will be offered. Using surveys and
questionnaires for customers can help to
improve campaigns on deeper levels, as
direct insights will be offered that explain
the “why” better than hard metrics will.
6 movingtargets.com

12. FORESIGHT Because winning brand management and marketing
strategies will tend to take a bit of time to create and get rolling, foresight must
be a focus right from the start. Perhaps the best way to incorporate foresight into
the planning process is to have benchmarks that range from the first week to a
year down the road, or even further. This way, campaigns will not get derailed six
months in because of a factor that could have been identified in the beginning.
7 movingtargets.com

13. Have questions?
cheers@movingtargets.com
800.926.2451
Let’
s talk

14. movingtargets.com
800.926.2451
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Modern Perspective.
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