Get Scrappy

1. Adopt a Scrappy Marketing Mindset

Scrappy is thinking like an underdog (even if you aren't) with a winning and determined mindset.

Brains before budget. The scrappy mindset emphasizes using creativity and strategic thinking over throwing money at marketing problems. This approach allows businesses of all sizes to compete effectively in the digital landscape.

Effective and efficient. Like a mousetrap, scrappy marketing aims to be both effective in achieving goals and efficient in resource use. This dual focus helps marketers overcome the "Myth of Big" - the belief that only large companies with big budgets can succeed in digital marketing.

See ideas everywhere. Scrappy marketers look beyond their industry for inspiration, adapting successful strategies from diverse sources. This open-minded approach fosters innovation and helps brands stand out in crowded markets.

2. Build a Strong Brand Foundation

You have to be something before you can build something.

The brand blueprint. A strong brand foundation consists of five key elements:

• Spark: The core purpose driving the brand
• Promise: What the brand delivers and to whom
• Story: A concise three-word narrative
• Voice: The brand's distinct tone and personality
• Visuals: Consistent imagery that reinforces the brand

Clarity and consistency. A well-defined brand helps guide all marketing efforts, ensuring consistency across channels and touchpoints. This clarity is especially crucial in the fragmented digital landscape.

Internal alignment. Sharing the brand blueprint with your team ensures everyone understands and can effectively represent the brand, creating a unified front in all customer interactions.

3. Map Your Marketing Strategy

Like branding and eating vegetables, marketing strategy can seem like a chore. It's abstract, sprawling, and not always a whole lot of fun. But just as Alice eventually realizes, we have to get somewhere.

Define your destination. Start by selecting one or two primary business objectives from:

• Branding
• Community building
• Public relations
• Market research
• Customer service
• Lead generation/sales

SMART goals. Ensure your objectives are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This framework provides clarity and helps measure success.

Flexible planning. Think of your strategy as a map rather than a rigid plan. This approach allows for adaptability while still providing direction, helping navigate the ever-changing digital landscape.

4. Use a Digital Compass to Guide Channel Selection

To keep your marketing on the right path you need to focus on what helps you achieve your why.

Align channels with objectives. Your digital compass uses your business objective (the "why") as true north, guiding channel selection based on how well they serve that goal.

Consider your audience. The "who" is equally important in channel selection. Choose platforms where your target audience is most active and engaged.

Evaluate new opportunities. Use the digital compass to assess emerging platforms and technologies, filtering out "Shiny New Things" that don't align with your objectives and audience.

5. Fuel Content with Customer Questions

Questions are currency when it comes to driving your social media and content marketing.

Listen first. Before creating content, actively listen to your customers' questions, concerns, and conversations across various channels.

Question bank. Develop a system for collecting and organizing customer questions. This repository becomes a valuable resource for content ideas.

Content types:

• Blog posts answering common questions
• Videos demonstrating solutions
• Social media posts sparking conversations around customer concerns

Engagement boost. Content based on real customer questions tends to be more relevant and engaging, driving higher interaction rates and building trust.

6. Leverage Your Team's Potential in Digital Marketing

Your employees are your single greatest marketing engine.

Overcome internal obstacles:

• Time constraints
• Perceived lack of talent
• Fear of change

Cross-functional teams. Look beyond traditional marketing roles to involve diverse team members in digital efforts. This approach brings fresh perspectives and wider skill sets.

Clear communication. Share your digital marketing strategy and goals with the entire team. Provide guidelines on brand voice and social media use to empower confident participation.

External partnerships. Consider collaborations with agencies, influencers, and brand advocates to extend your reach and capabilities.

7. Integrate and Simplify Your Digital Marketing Efforts

Like the mousetrap, we have to create marketing that is more effective and efficient than ever before.

Connect digital dots. Ensure consistency and synergy across:

• Social media platforms
• Content marketing
• Email marketing
• Website
• Paid advertising
• Search engine optimization

Content repurposing. Maximize the value of your content by adapting it for multiple channels and formats. This approach increases efficiency and reinforces key messages.

Streamline workflows. Implement tools and processes that simplify content creation, scheduling, and measurement across channels.

8. Measure What Matters for Meaningful Results

Remember, it's not the size of the data, it's what you do with it.

Align metrics with objectives. Create "metric recipes" that combine various data points to measure progress towards your specific business goals.

Key data sources:

• Engagement metrics (likes, shares, comments)
• Sentiment analysis
• Website analytics
• Sales/conversion data

Simplify reporting. Develop a concise scorecard that highlights the most important metrics for your team and stakeholders. This focus helps drive action and improvement.

Look beyond vanity metrics. While follower counts and likes are easy to track, focus on metrics that demonstrate real business impact, such as lead generation, sales, or customer satisfaction improvements.

9. Create a Unified Brand Experience Across All Touchpoints

The whole is more than the sum of its parts.

Audit your brand experience. Examine all customer touchpoints, both online and offline, to ensure consistency and identify improvement opportunities.

Key areas to align:

• In-store signage and materials
• Product packaging
• Marketing collateral
• Customer service interactions
• Digital platforms (website, social media, email)

Cross-channel integration. Ensure that campaigns and messaging are cohesive across all platforms, creating a seamless customer journey.

Empower brand ambassadors. Train and equip all team members to represent the brand consistently, regardless of their role or department.

Continuous improvement. Regularly gather feedback and analyze data to refine and enhance the overall brand experience, adapting to changing customer needs and expectations.

Last updated: October 3, 2024