actionable marketing guide

Dear ,

Greetings—one day late.

As a publisher, consistency is key but sometimes life interferes in ways we can’t control.

That happened to me on my way home from vacation in Portugal. Fortunately, it occurred in the Lisboa airport so it didn’t tarnish our vacation.

So what do you do in this situation?

As my mother would say, “You get up and put one foot in front of the other to get back on track.”

For those of you who’ve never been to Portugal, it’s a treasure of a country filled with sweet egg yolk pastries and amazing design. Everywhere old tiled structures and cobblestone streets meet modern artistic graffiti.

Outside the towns and cities, roads scale mountainsides with hairpin turns and breathtaking vistas.

I highly recommend putting this hilly destination on your travel bucket list especially if you’re looking for creative inspiration.

Along the Douro River outside of Porto where port wine is grown, I learned an important marketing lesson.

Every inch of land is planted in green-ridged patterned rows.

Beyond this natural design these farmers are smart. They don’t wait until late in the season to determine if their crop will be good or bad.

They plant roses.

Yes you read that correctly.

I thought the roses were for personal use and delight.

But our guide explained that these delicate flowers don’t exist solely for their beauty.  They play an important role for the farmers.

Roses are an early indicator system.

If the flowers fail to bloom properly in the Spring, the farmers know they have to make adjustments to their vineyards or loose an entire year’s crop. The farmers know where they make their money.

While not every year yields a stellar vintage, you still must maximize your results.

As marketers do you take the time to ensure your programs will yield the maximum results?

Do you test your marketing?  This includes everything from your major pieces of content to your forms to your payment process.

What early indicators do you have that there’s a problem before you’ve got a campaign that underperforms or worse causes a social media firestorm?p

Bear in mind that having a marketing plan aligned with your long-term strategy is a good start.

But you must ensure that everyone in your organization is trained and empowered to act to achieve the maximum results.

Ask yourself how you can incorporate roses in your marketing.

Take the time to examine every step of the process that your audience takes. ​​​​​​​

While I’m on the topic of marketing planning and travel, please join me at Content Marketing World 2017 this September in Cleveland – “The Best Location in the Nation”.

This is a must-attend event for every marketer regardless of your business focus or level.

Content Marketing World is a stand out event for the people who go there!  You need to be where the top marketers are to make the face-to-face connections and to learn the latest trends. (Sorry Cleveland!)

Unlike many conferences, Joe Pulizzi and his team get the best people to provide the information you need to improve your business. Even better they make sure you have fun in the process.

Happy Marketing
Heidi.

Heidi Cohen
Actionable Marketing Guide

• Henneke gave Heidi Cohen a shout out for our pithy tagline. If you’re looking for another source of marketing writing information, sign up for her Enchanted Marketing Newsletter. Every post has her hand drawings.