I’ve seen discussions about whether Marketing is an Art or a Science of something of both. To be successful, I believe it is wisest to approach marketing as a discipline – with disciplined and continued effort.
As a consultant/freelance writer, I am usually called on to implement specific, one-time projects. But these efforts must fit into larger marketing processes that are repetitive, ongoing, and, well, disciplined.
For example:
• Maintaining a website is like painting the Golden Gate Bridge – once you’ve gotten to the end, the beginning needs more work.
• Crafting an effective email blast is good, but a multi-touch campaign is better and more effective … and once you have those responses you are just at the beginning of a longer nurturing effort.
• Social networks can be valuable in nurturing customer loyalty but require constant maintenance and participation.
• Pay-per-click campaigns need regular revisiting and tuning.
In today’s interactive, relationship-driven business environment, it’s not enough to do clever, “hit-and-run” marketing campaigns or projects. Marketing organizations, increasingly held accountable for performance, must exhibit some of the ongoing discipline and process of the Accounting team – together with the creativity usually associated with marketing.
Anne Janzer 