Why Your Strategic Marketing Should not Include the Kitchen Sink

...at least not at first.

Two words marketers hate to hear are—opt out. This occurs, of course, when someone decides that what he/she is reading no longer offers enough value to continue. While it is inevitable that some will opt out of receiving/reading your marketing materials, there are three things you can do to greatly decrease the number who do.

1) Match your content to your audience.

The more you can determine what your readers are most interested in reading about and write to that narrow knowledge vertical, the better. This blog, for instance is about strategic market planning and strategic marketing case studies, tips and relevant information that help marketers make informed strategic decisions. The more you know about your readers, the better you’ll be able to write to their needs.

2) Optimize, optimize, optimize.

Probably one of the most important things you can do is conduct a communications review of your online and downloadable information. Once a year at a minimum, go through everything and ask yourself, “Does this information match up to what our company is currently offering? Does it bear the corporate branding that our newest materials are using? Those two and other questions will guide you in your spring cleaning of what to keep or discard.

In all cases, resist the temptation of including everything you can say about your brand. Frankly, the more you say can actually end up hindering your marketing effectiveness. Busy people don’t appreciate busy websites that are difficult to navigate and find what they are looking for. The expression of including everything, but the kitchen sink, is not going to help your cause.

3) Be responsive.

As a blogger and strategist, I receive dozens of email solicitations and I’m always amazed how few follow-up with my reply email. Or worse, when I have found a company offering a service I was interested in and send the company an email requesting someone contact me, no one responds!