Rules, rules, rules!
Whether they come in the form of dated or traditional “best practices” or as one of the seemingly endless changes we’re constantly adapting to in the digital realm, our industry is oversaturated with “dos” and "don'ts.”Trying to abide by all of them all the time is exhausting. It’s also a great way to fall into the trap of mistaking safety with complacency.
Playing it “safe” just because we’re supposed to has never really been our thing (mostly because it is REALLY boring). So, here’s a handful of old-school marketing rules that we’ve been shamelessly breaking on purpose, and an invitation for any B2B brands who are bold enough to cause a ruckus and move things forward by breaking them with us.
You might be familiar with the “Rule of 7,” but very few of us know where it came from. It's attributed to Dr. Jeffrey Lant and dates back to the 90s. The two-part rule insists that a brand must “touch” a prospect, or be seen/heard by them at least seven times before they’ll take action or engage with your products and services, and ideally, those seven touchpoints should happen in no more than 18 months in order to be effective. Naturally, since this adage was written before the height of the digital age where people are now estimated to be “touched” by an average of 4,000 ads per day, before they even get out of bed in the morning, it refers rather exclusively to the print advertisements and in-person touchpoints the ad industry relied on at the time.
BREAK THE RULE: Make Every Interaction Count
In today’s world, your chances of reaching any prospect without an intentional and clearly-defined strategy are slim to none. And even if seven identical touchpoints were a guarantee, they’d likely fall on deaf ears, because few things feel less personal or inspire less action than generic, repetitive ads. Rather than focus on the quantity of those interactions, we think it’s better to make every interaction count by making them as personalized, intentional, and as valuable to our audience as possible. It’s equally important to ensure that your brand presence is consistent, and that it’s strategically integrated into all of the diverse channels and platforms modern audiences now utilize so that the touchpoints you’re creating are cohesive and strategic. We’d take one meaningful and memorable brand interaction over a thousand mindless and repetitive encounters any day, and we’re confident that your audiences will prefer that approach too.
Even on its own, the word “slick” conjures images of some schmoozy, smarmy, Mad Men archetype. And sure, there’s no denying that those “traditional” ad men characters had a certain style, but all of that bravado doesn’t do much when it comes to inspiring trust or fostering authentic, human connections with an audience. Spoiler alert: No matter how polished or “slick” a sales sheet or elevator pitch may be, it won’t do much better than our Mad Men friend would.
HOW TO BREAK IT: Prioritize Human Connections
While there’s nothing wrong with going in with a solid sales pitch, it’ll never be a suitable replacement for a genuine, human connection. Don’t undervalue the power of authentic interactions or strong storytelling, or the many ways storytelling can help your sales team out by aligning their efforts with your marketing strategy. Story alignment will not only give your sales team more talking points to back up their pitch, it also sets them up to present that pitch in a way that will truly resonate with the person on the other end. Crafting a solid story can help you highlight the value you have to offer while communicating it in a narrative that your audiences can connect with emotionally. Humans are wired for relationships; we’re wired to connect, which is why being “sold to” will never feel good when being understood is the alternative.
“Not all rules are made to be broken. But as marketers, we know that there are always exceptions, because true innovation is what happens when we break the right rules the right way.”
Rules like this have haunted copywriters and content creators for decades. This one is rooted in the belief that the specific words we use have more power than the way we use them. And sure, words can be powerful on their own, but we’ve found that pretty much any message becomes meaningless when it’s not crafted and presented with intention, no matter how many fancy words it’s sprinkled with.
HOW TO BREAK IT: Send the Right Message
Overusing a buzzy search term or trying to shoehorn an unhealthy amount of keywords into an email subject line is an easy trap to fall into. But the reality is simple and uncomplicated language beats technical jargon everytime. What matters is delivering a clear, personalized message to the right person, in the right place, at the right time.
We suspect that this long-accepted rule of thumb is yet another relic from the pre-digital age. This “do whatever it takes” mentality isn’t inherently bad, but it’s left a lot of marketers feeling like the only way they can effectively drive results is to adopt a pushy, relentless, “in your face” approach. There’s no denying that interruption-based marketing tactics like these get people’s attention, but at what cost? If the interaction you’ve “won” leaves your audience feeling annoyed or aggressively targeted, then it’s hardly a victory.
HOW TO BREAK IT: Disrupt and Invite Action
None of us go through our day hoping to be interrupted by abrasive ads or spammy, impersonal messages that we delete .02 seconds after they land in our inbox. Yes, as marketers, it is our job to make sure our messages reach the people they’re intended for. But, rather than demanding more of our audience’s attention, which is likely spread far too thin as it is, we believe it’s way better to earn that attention instead.
Personalized and intentional messages will always earn attention. Use simple and direct calls to action and invite your audience to engage—don’t force them.
B2B marketers are under a lot of pressure to present their brands in a way that makes them seem “polished”at all times. There’s an often unspoken rule that being too informal in your marketing efforts will put your brand at risk of being labeled unprofessional, or that utilizing a more casual tone in your content will undermine your industry expertise. As a result, B2B brands in particular tend to shy away from any types of content that feel too silly, subversive, or satirical. But, many do so without realizing that there’s a cost to favoring poise over personality.
HOW TO BREAK IT: Don’t Be Afraid to Have Fun
The thing is, formality isn’t fun. It’s also a recipe that typically yields dull, impersonal, and at worst, totally forgettable content. We encourage the B2B brands we work with to embrace authenticity whenever they can by allowing themselves to focus on human-generated content that leads to more genuine interactions. Incorporating a little humor into your approach or using human-led content to give your audience an unfiltered look into your business will make your brand stand out by subverting those expectations of formality on purpose.
Our advice? Never be afraid to balance formality with fun. Especially now, when the channels and platforms our B2B audiences live in every day are flooded with overly-technical terminology, overused, LinkedIn-esque industry jargon, and subject lines that are drier than the Sahara, something that looks, sounds, and feels more human is, more often than not, a welcome surprise.
Not all rules are made to be broken. But as marketers, we know that there are always exceptions, because true innovation is what happens when we break the right rules the right way.
At CID, we’re passionate about disrupting the status quo because we know that strategic disruption is a catalyst for real momentum. We dare the B2B brands we partner with to defy those boundaries with us, and if you’re reading this, you’ve just been dared as well.
Psst! Hey kid, wanna break some rules together? Our gang of digital marketing strategy rebels can help you break away from dated rules and tired tactics and break into real brand momentum instead. You want in? Click this link. Let’s cause a ruckus.
"Bring in the Klinkhammer," they said...and we did! Amy is part of our award-winning marketing & strategy team where she writes for ads, email, the web, video and so much more. She also drinks too much coffee and spends too much time debating the Oxford comma.