I recently got a new car, which is a bit flasher than our old one with lots more features and buttons. One of the new buttons was cruise control. Not having used cruise control much before I wanted to see how it worked.
I have a client who I visit regularly. They are based out of town so I drive to see them. I started to use the new cruise control, setting it about 104 km/h per hour. Well, over the space of a few trips I found it took me less time to make the same trip. Confession – once in a while I may have gone a bit faster driving the old car and may have been a bit more aggressive but still setting a regular speed seemed to get me their faster.
Since this isn’t Top Gear, what’s my point? Well, consistency such keeping a set speed and focusing on the job at hand is not just helpful to driving is also crucial to marketing.
Does this sound familiar? Are you currently at an organisation that is full of reactive marketers? Or, maybe, they get a great idea, have a lot of energy around it and blast it off. But then they get busy and things get stalled. The print ad series never actually runs to completion, the customer survey is drafted but not deployed, analysed or findings implemented…. When the budget got tight the social media responsibility got canned.
Consistency is the plain but, very necessary, sibling of trust
Marketing success can become very hit or miss and is greatly influenced by lots of outside factors. Especially if there’s no consistency. And consistency is the plain but, very necessary, sibling of trust. Ultimately, very few brands can live without trust.
However, if your marketing is on ‘cruise control’ there’s a process that keeps moving no matter how busy you are. This consistency will speak volumes. You will be able to take advantage of the multiplier effect (some call it drip marketing) that allows you to just keep a steady stream of connectivity and relevant communication. This helps you bond with your audience. And when you need to build up your efforts, guess what? You have momentum.
Okay, in the real world things change. As marketers we have demanding stakeholders, competitors and budgets. Sometimes you need to put the hammer down, go for it, Shake it up. Throw out the rule book. Keep them guessing, etc…etc…Or, does simple consistency creates a more stable marketing platform that provides a robust platform that makes new stuff more successful, and makes your brand more resilient…as this a blog feel free to add comments.
Photo: Cruising by Paul Jerry