Marketing is better when you’re not that obedient
Down with this pre-planned, cookie cutter, safety-in-numbers parade of banality. Get free with creativity.
I know that sounds weird but… Marketing is better when you’re not that obedient
Think of those times where you log onto a social media platform and your irritation increases.
The more you intersect with posts you don’t like, posts of a similar sound and rhythm, the more annoyed you become.
Gah, not more “it’s been a while since I introduced myself” posts.
Not another rage bait moment!
I can’t stand those emoji encrusted “I’m the answer to your prayers” deals.
Ugh. Keep your six figure/seven figure epiphanies to yourself.
Oh cool, an obvious take on a problem trying to be quirky. I’ll comment once my eyes stop rolling!
But they keep happening. And the more you notice, the more irritated you become.
Before you know it, the dialogue shifts from post to platform.
You can’t move on Substack for all the people trying to monetise Substack.
Everyone on Instagram is so vain and fake!
LinkedIn is filled with self-hyping marketers who just copy each other all the time.
I couldn’t care less about what someone on Facebook has to say.
Reels and Tik Tok are big recycling depots!
The new platform comes, and people claim they are finding a better experience. That is, until the brands and the marketers turn up to infest it all over again.
But what is happening isn’t the posts and their repetitive nature. Or the platforms and their algorithms that promote content of the same ilk.
It is that uncertainty gets the better of people, good people, who have interesting stories to tell. And that uncertainty runs so deep, they listen to people who sell the idea of visibility, platform prestige, and analytics as a measure of success.
So, what we end up with are people learning the formula of what a post should look like. Or how to act a certain way on a platform. And because it is taught at course level, they find community in people who have had their doubt removed by these techniques.
Not because the techniques are actually audience-friendly or even pay off. They might. But because we assume that if everyone’s doing it, there must be some value in it. And that’s more about the fear of uncertainty than evidence it is working.
Kant said, “immaturity is the inability to use one’s experience without the guidance of another.”
The marketing might be more frequent and run to a timetable. But it lacks depth and maturity. It isn’t innovative, it’s repetitive.
This is the trouble with internet marketing goldrush millionaires. Like their historical predecessors, they sell the maps, picks, and shovels. It all gets a little hazy when you request proof of successful prospecting.
Yet, it serves a purpose. It dulls the sharpness of uncertainty. It creates enough distance between an empathetic, creative thinker and their self-doubt by giving a map. A map that generally gives as much comfort as it does mediocrity.
Marketers need to feel uncomfortable. It keeps us honest and on our toes.
We must traverse concepts and feel a little wind on our bottoms to create anything remotely meaningful and transformative. Risk tolerance is a necessity for experimentation so we can learn why the things work and when they don’t, and to adjust their sails accordingly.
Instead, visibility creates a reality TV effect on social media, with people cheering. Not because of the value of the information, but because the simplicity alleviates more stress.
We see what’s out there and cry “Is that all it takes?! Great! I can do that!” furthering the proliferation and the flotsam everywhere.
It makes it easier to justify producing posts and personas that fit a mass market promotional approach. It justifies using AI, especially in a naïve way, to get it over and done with. It creates the conditions for marketing that becomes diluted by death by committee scenarios. It births campaigns that reflect the safety-first attitude of the organisation’s least risk-tolerant decision-maker.
The best example of this is the current trend of people attempting to be respected thought leaders by copying posts verbatim, passing them off as their own, and seeing where it gets them. The worst example is the rise of MRRR marketing.
From an audience perspective, it becomes that irritating blended noise. The lack of depth and the Fisher-Price approach is borderline insulting.
There’s barely any recall to be had. Posts and claims become indistinguishable.
And when none of it works, what gets blamed? Marketing again.
And this is why I am telling you marketing is better when you’re not that obedient.
Marketing was never designed to be so dull and boring.
But marketing platforms (and marketing courses) are optimised to encourage you to be obedient to structure and process. But not because they want you to have a successful campaign. They want you dancing a gig to a timetable to help with data mining.
Image: a wooden dinosaur on an arm rest. The wooden, dated techniques keep coming.
How do you break away from tick it off the TO DO list marketing?
With the mechanics:
· If you don’t know why a technique works, don’t use it until you do. Otherwise, you won’t be able to spot why it doesn’t work
· If you use AI, start with layered prompts, aim for precision outcomes, know the telltale signs of blanding in your industry and edit the output content properly
· Forget the daily splat posting schedule; focus on dependably real, valuable, and consistent messaging instead
· Recognise that after about six to eight weeks, you should be looking for a new campaign or marketing offering. Don’t keep sticking to the same tired thing
· Don’t post anything before you’ve articulated the Background, Objectives, Execution, and desired Results to a one page campaign outline to keep you honest
With the messaging:
· Aim for the future you want to have – be aspirational about the change you can be, the impact you can make, and invite the audience along
· Don’t fall for the trap of simplicity – be prepared to dig, experiment, learn, fail, and know the techniques well enough to question their value
· Prompt for action. And I don’t just mean a cutesy call to action. Get the audience thinking, digging, wondering, participating alongside you
· Respect the audience. They don’t care that you think you’re amazing. They care how amazing you make them feel
With the storytelling:
· Map out the storytelling elements your campaign contains
· Know which story elements you’ll be messing with to make a splash
· Speak to a member of your audience that you really want to connect with
· Entertain them first. Then hit ‘em with a message