This morning, I rolled out of bed, laced up my New Balance, zombie-walked through the hotel lobby and started yet another self-guided tour of a strange city. And, like so many runs lately, I had no idea how far I would go.
You see, I have hundreds of track and cross country miles on a young, energetic body and on my less-young, less-energetic body, I have multiple marathons, ultra-marathons, a triathlon and countless trail races. I've trained to injuries and through injuries and, after 41 years, I've decided it's finally time for my body to have a loud vote in my training.
I, of course, had a minimum and a stretch goal in mind heading out the door, but there was nothing serious driving either. After 3 minutes, my body's loud vote was screaming that the minimum goal was looking pretty darn good. My legs were heavy, I was still waking up and I was ready to bail on the run.
Luckily, I have a basic rule ...
Never make any significant decisions in the first mile.
The same holds true for your marketing plans and campaigns. You should go in with a minimum and stretch goal, but don't ever bail in the first mile. Just as you need to give your muscles and chance to warm up, you also need to give your plans a chance to take root.
Budgets are limited and time lines are tight. But if you've done your upfront homework and your strategy is sound - give your plan time to work. You should monitor and tweak where necessary to hit or destroy your goals, but never bail in the first mile.
Budgets are limited and time lines are tight. But if you've done your upfront homework and your strategy is sound - give your plan time to work. You should monitor and tweak where necessary to hit or destroy your goals, but never bail in the first mile.
This morning, I adjusted my pace, fell into a good stride and easily passed my stretch goal ... and you can too.
Run on my marketing friends.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
With more than 180,000 visits worldwide, we hope that you enjoy this blog. If you find it helpful, please share it with your colleagues. Also, check out our YouTube Channel for short video blogs about financial marketing. We bring these marketing philosophies to community banks and credit unions nationwide, and would love to bring them to your institution too. Contact us to see how.
MarketMatch is also a nationally and internationally requested speaker. Contact us to bring our marketing ideas to your next conference.
No comments:
Post a Comment