Internet marketing is all about using current technology and trends to create a plan and outsmart the competition online. It takes lots of research and paying attention to what today’s audience is looking for in a particular niche to decide what goes into a strategy. Unfortunately, many marketers fall for “shiny object syndrome.” This means that they are attracted to new buzzwords, trends, and channels and feel that they must use them on their target audience. Here are some things to think about before adding these new concepts to your marketing plan.
While “shiny object syndrome” can be fun, exciting, and unexpected, the problem lies with the fact that the marketers that jump at a chance to use them don’t take time to see if these are things that the target audience is really interested in. Just the fact that they are new and “shiny” means that they are “hot” and should be used to blow away both the audience and their competitors. This can backfire on the marketer if it’s not interesting to the audience, or worse yet, it prevents them from getting the valuable information that they need. Readers will leave sites in a heartbeat if they can’t get the information that they need, no matter how “hip” the marketing is.
Consider your current business strategy before trying new concepts. Think about the problems that you are trying to solve, how you reach your customers, the number of visitors that use your information, your resources, and whether you are considered an expert. If these new concepts do not fit within each one of the goals that you have for these considerations, you chance having your marketing plan, and ultimately your audience, turn against you. On the flip side, if you don’t completely understand these considerations beforehand, the chances of the new concepts being added to your plan will most likely fail.
Do not use new tools just to use new tools. For example, just because a new social media site comes out does not mean that you have to jump on it right away. It may not even be appropriate for your target niche and when it comes to marketing, your time is precious. Don’t waste time on items that won’t help your business. Before you start adding anything new to your plan, you must make sure your current plan is already succeeding. Adding something new without understanding why your current one is failing will most likely still result in failure. Be sure everything is in place for success before you start adding and shuffling things around in your marketing plan. Be sure that whatever methods you decide to use are also appropriate for targeting your particular audience. For instance, you are targeting women of a certain age, make sure that whatever is in your strategy is appropriate for that audience.
As previously described, as an Internet marketer is is of utmost importance to not fall for “shiny object syndrome.” You are more than allowed to use new things in your strategy, but you must consider your current one, what you are trying to achieve with your plan overall, and if what you want to add or change is appropriate to your audience.
