Marketing Principles That Work
I’ve been practising marketing now for more than two decades. I’ve read many books, applied many theoretical marketing principles, stolen many successful ideas, and generated millions of dollars in revenue for my clients and employers.
In July 2023, I decided to go and build my own business. I am now a marketing consultant. I am also a social media freelancer. It took me a while to decide and refine what to call myself. It wasn’t easy to summarise two decades of experience under two defining titles.
The same goes for my marketing. Initially, I learned the fundamental marketing principles from my teachers. Then I learned them from my managers and team members from Hasbro, JB Hi-Fi, LEGO, Sydney University, Crimson, and Online Marketing Gurus.
Consider all the courses I’ve taken on copywriting, Google Ads, and certification training, as well as those from Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Add to that the insights from books by Robert Greene, Seth Godin, Alex Hormozi, Tim Ferriss, Neil Patel, David Ogilvy, Dan Kennedy, and many others. Combine all of these with over eleven years of intensive digital marketing and application on hundreds of real accounts that need to make money and grow. Voila! You arrive at these principles.
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The Principle of Insight
Marketing is about understanding the collective mindset of the target audience. It delves into consumer behaviours, needs, and emotions, crafting messages that resonate on a personal and collective level.
To understand marketing, one must understand the collective mind. Marketing is about resonating with the collective mind and speaking to the individual mind because the individual is part of the collective.
The Principle of Insight in Marketing
The Principle of Insight emphasises the importance of a deep understanding and intuition about the consumer’s mindset. This isn’t just about knowing what a customer might want, but also why they want it, how they decide to want it, and what emotions or logic drive that decision.
The Principle of Insight In Traditional Marketing
Market Research: Conduct surveys, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews to gain insights into the customer’s mind.
Segmentation: Breaking down the larger market into sub-groups based on distinct needs, preferences, or behaviours.
Persona Development: Creating detailed profiles of hypothetical customers to guide marketing strategies.
Emotional Engagement: Crafting messages that not just inform, but resonate emotionally, ensuring a deeper connection with the brand or product.
The Principle of Insight in Digital Marketing
In the realm of digital marketing, the Principle of Insight is about leveraging technology and online platforms to gain a sharper and more real-time understanding of consumers.
Data Analytics: With tools like Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics, marketers can see where their traffic comes from, what pages users spend time on, and where they drop off.
User Experience (UX) Analysis: Tools like Hotjar or Crazy Egg can show heatmaps of where users click, move, and scroll, offering insights into their digital behaviour.
A/B Testing: Marketers can test different versions of webpages, emails, or ads to determine which resonates more with the audience.
SEO and Keyword Research: Understanding what users are searching for gives insight into their needs, questions, and pain points.
The Principle of Insight in Social Media Marketing
In the context of social media marketing, the Principle of Insight is about understanding the behaviours, preferences, and conversations of users on various platforms.
Engagement Metrics: Monitoring likes, shares, comments, and direct messages helps understand what type of content resonates most with the audience.
Social Listening: Tools like Brandwatch or Mention allow brands to monitor conversations about them (or their competitors), providing insights into customer sentiments and emerging trends.
Influencer Collaborations: By partnering with influencers, brands can gain insights into niche communities and the preferences of their followers.
Audience Insights: Platforms like Facebook and Instagram provide demographic and behavioural data about a brand’s followers, allowing for more tailored content and ad strategies.
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The Principle of Reflection
Effective marketing mirrors the desires and needs of its audience. As a company’s products or services evolve, so should its marketing strategies to ensure they remain relevant to the target demographic.
The Principle of Reflection in Marketing
The Principle of Reflection in a marketing context emphasises the idea that a brand’s marketing efforts should mirror or reflect the desires, needs, values, and aspirations of its target audience.
If a marketing message or campaign doesn’t resonate or feels misaligned with the audience’s perceptions or values, it can fall flat or even backfire.
The Principle of Reflection in Traditional Marketing
Brand Messaging: The narratives and stories told by brands should reflect the aspirations or challenges of their target audience.
Product Positioning: How a product is presented about its benefits, features, or the problems it solves should mirror the genuine needs or desires of the consumers.
Feedback Loops: Regularly collecting feedback ensures that brands stay aligned with evolving consumer expectations.
Cultural Sensitivity: Ensuring advertisements and promotions are attuned to the cultural and social nuances of different audience segments.
The Principle of Reflection in Digital Marketing
In digital marketing, the Principle of Reflection becomes even more dynamic due to the rapid feedback mechanisms and data availability.
Website Personalisation: Tailoring website content based on user behaviour or preferences ensures the digital experience reflects individual user needs.
Email Customisation: Segmenting email lists and customising content to fit different audience segments ensures messaging that reflects the recipient’s interests or past behaviours.
Retargeting Campaigns: Ads that are displayed based on past online behaviours or searches, ensuring the promotions reflect the user’s recent interests.
Content Marketing: Creating articles, blogs, or videos that address the specific questions or interests of the target audience, reflecting their informational needs.
The Principle of Reflection in Social Media Marketing
On social media platforms, where interactions are more personal and immediate, the Principle of Reflection emphasises authenticity and relevance.
Community Engagement: Brands that actively engage with their followers in meaningful ways, reflecting the values and interests of the community.
User-Generated Content (UGC): Encouraging and sharing content created by fans or customers, showcasing real-life reflections of the brand experience.
Trend Participation: Engaging with trending topics or challenges in ways that are authentic to the brand and its audience.
Real-Time Responsiveness: Actively addressing concerns, feedback, or questions on social platforms, showing that the brand is in tune with its audience’s needs and sentiments.
The Principle of Reflection underscores the need for brands to continuously align themselves with the requirements, desires, and values of their target audience.
Whether in traditional marketing, digital spaces, or on social media, this principle is about creating a mirror where the consumer can see a reflection of their aspirations, needs, and values in what the brand offers and how it communicates.
The Principle of Adaptability in Marketing
The Principle of Adaptability suggests that, like vibrations that are never static, marketing strategies should not remain static either. Markets, consumers, technologies, and economies are constantly shifting, and a brand’s success is often defined by its ability to adapt to these changes.
The Principle of Adaptability In Traditional Marketing
Market Evolution: History has shown that brands that failed to adapt to changing market conditions have suffered. For instance, Kodak’s initial resistance to the digital photography revolution led to its decline.
Consumer Behaviour Analysis: Monitoring and adapting to shifts in consumer behaviour is crucial. The rise of health consciousness drastically changed the fast-food industry, pushing giants like McDonald’s to introduce salads and healthier options.
Regulatory Changes: Brands need to adapt their marketing strategies based on changing regulations. For example, when regulations on cigarette advertising tightened, tobacco companies had to pivot their marketing approaches.
Competitive Landscape: As new players enter the market or existing competitors pivot, brands must adjust their strategies. The rise of disruptive brands like Tesla forced traditional automakers to expedite their electric vehicle initiatives.
The Principle of Adaptability in Digital Marketing
The digital world is fast-paced, with constant shifts in technologies, platforms, algorithms, and user behaviours.
Search Algorithm Updates: Google, the dominant search player, frequently updates its algorithms. Marketers must adapt their SEO strategies in response to maintain or improve rankings. Brands that ignored mobile optimisation, for instance, suffered during Google’s Mobilegeddon update.
Evolving Ad Platforms: As platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Ads introduce new features or change their algorithms, marketers need to adjust their ad strategies for optimal ROI.
Technological Disruptions: The rise of voice search, ChatGPT, MidJourney, AI, augmented reality, and chatbots requires brands to adapt their digital presence and strategies.
Data Privacy Laws: GDPR, CCPA, and other data privacy regulations have forced marketers to reevaluate how they collect, store, and use customer data.
The Principle of Adaptability in Social Media Marketing
Social media platforms are especially volatile, with trends, algorithms, and user preferences constantly in flux.
Platform Algorithm Changes: When Instagram shifted from a chronological feed to an algorithmic one, brands had to adapt by creating more engaging content to ensure visibility.
Emerging Platforms: Brands that quickly adapted to the rise of TikTok gained a competitive advantage. Thread started strongly and took aim at X (aka Twitter). Conversely, brands that remained overly committed to declining platforms risked missing out on vast audiences.
Trend Lifecycles: Social media trends can be short-lived. Marketers need to be agile, participating in trends while they’re relevant and quickly moving on when they’re not.
Crisis Management: Social media blunders or PR crises require swift and adaptive responses. The speed and tone of a brand’s response can make a significant difference in public perception.
The principle of adaptability, in marketing, demands that brands remain agile, proactive, and responsive.
This requires a combination of continuous learning, robust data analytics, a finger on the pulse of current trends and technologies, and a willingness to pivot strategies when required.
In a world defined by constant change, adaptability isn’t just a competitive advantage—it’s a necessity for survival and sustained growth.
Marketers and business leaders must internalise this principle to ensure their brands remain relevant, effective, and successful in the ever-shifting marketplace.
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The Principle of Differentiation in Marketing
The Principle of Differentiation underscores that for a brand to be successful, it must distinguish itself from others in significant and meaningful ways. This principle aligns with the age-old marketing adage: “Differentiate or die.”
The Principle of Differentiation In Traditional Marketing
Unique Selling Proposition (USP): The concept of a USP is fundamental in marketing. Vegemite, an iconic Australian brand, has differentiated itself as a unique and quintessentially Australian spread. Despite Marmite and other yeast extracts being available, Vegemite’s marketing reinforces its position as an Australian favourite.
Brand Positioning: Brands strategically position themselves in the consumer’s mind. Qantas, for instance, has long positioned itself as the “Spirit of Australia” emphasizing safety, reliability, and an unmistakable Australian touch.
Niche Marketing: Brands can target specific segments of the market, offering specialized products. A2 Milk Company targeted a niche segment of consumers looking for A1 protein-free milk, differentiating itself from regular milk producers.
Sensory Branding: Tim Tam’s marketing, beyond just the taste, taps into the sensory experience of the ‘Tim Tam Slam’ – a unique way Australians enjoy their biscuits with tea or coffee.
The Principle of Differentiation in Digital Marketing
In the digital realm, differentiation becomes even more crucial as the world is inundated with content and digital touchpoints.
Website User Experience (UX): A well-optimised, user-friendly website can set a brand apart. Companies like Canva, an Australian graphic design tool, differentiate themselves with an intuitive, easy-to-use platform.
Content Marketing: Creating unique, high-quality content that provides value can set brands apart. Atlassian, for instance, offers extensive documentation and tutorials, ensuring users can make the most of their products.
SEO Strategy: In a sea of content, ranking on the first page of Google requires a differentiated SEO approach. Brands often target long-tail keywords or specific niches to achieve this.
Personalisation: Brands that offer personalized digital experiences stand out. Australian retailers like The Iconic use personalised recommendations to enhance the shopping experience.
The Principle of Differentiation in Social Media Marketing
In the world of social media, where trends often dictate content, maintaining differentiation is a nuanced challenge.
Unique Brand Voice: Having a distinct voice on social media can set brands apart. Frank Body, an Australian skincare brand, uses cheeky, playful language, positioning itself as a fun, down-to-earth brand amidst a plethora of ‘serious’ skincare companies.
Engaging Formats: Using unique formats or interactive content can help brands stand out. For instance, some Australian brands leveraged the “Instagram Guides” feature as a differentiated content form when it was newly introduced.
Community Building: Brands that build and nurture tight-knit communities on platforms like Facebook or Instagram differentiate through strong customer relationships. Bonds, an Australian clothing brand, has fostered a loyal community by showcasing real people and stories, further emphasizing their commitment to authenticity.
Local Collaborations: Collaborating with local influencers or businesses can carve out a unique space on social media. Many Australian brands collaborate with local figures, tapping into their audiences while emphasizing their Aussie roots.
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The Principle of Timing
Marketing campaigns have their phases. Brands need to discern when to launch, sustain, or wind down a campaign. Synchronising your marketing strategies with market trends and consumer behaviour is pivotal for success.
The Principle of Accountability
Every marketing decision has results. Using analytics and feedback, businesses can gauge the success of their efforts and refine their strategies for better outcomes.
The Principle of Balance
Effective marketing strikes a balance between assertive strategies (like direct promotions) and more receptive approaches (like community engagement or content marketing). Balancing these approaches ensures a holistic marketing strategy.
In this reframed context, marketing can be seen as a discipline requiring insight, reflection, and adaptability, underscored by principles of differentiation, timing, accountability, and balance.
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