Making time to ask and understand ‘why’ is such a simple step which we can all do to put a strategic lens on marketing and communication tactics. So why do marketers rush to deliver?
As a profession we are generally good at understanding the who, what, how and the when but in my experience, we often overlook the ‘why’.
We don’t clearly define or understand “for what reason or purpose” are we doing something. Instead of spending time on strategy, we jump straight to execution.
I wonder is it the lure of the new bright shiny toy, the need to be seen as responsive, or that we haven’t trained our marketers to question and think strategically?
Whatever the reason, not asking ‘why’ is a mistake that often leads to failure as the marketing tactic/s don’t meet either the audiences’ or businesses’ needs.
Knowing ‘why’ helps us to understand the possibilities as well as the boundaries and constraints, consider the audience needs and create more effective marketing activities.
So, what can you do to address the ‘why’ of marketing tactics?
Having a Brand and Marketing Strategy is the best place to start, followed by developing the strategic thinking skills of your marketing and communications people.
Strategy: Invest the time to create a Brand and Marketing Strategy so you know your audience and have agreed goals, approach and positioning as well as identifying what tactics will actually support your approach.
Educate: Make sure your people have the right skills. Give them training or coaching in marketing strategy, strategic thinking/decision making and influencing techniques.
Process: Build ‘why’ conversations into process – whether a 15-min chat or 2-hour workshop, ensure that the business and marketing teams agree on the purpose of an activity.
Templates: Include a ‘why’ section in all briefing and planning templates to document the reason for doing something, connecting it to an objective.
Question: Use common questions to extract the ‘why’ from your stakeholders:
- Why are we doing this?
- Is there problem we are trying to solve?
- Is there opportunity are we looking to seize?
- How is this relevant to the business strategy?
- Why would customers / employees want or value this?
Remember, to deliver better marketing and communication tactics ask and truly understand why or for what purpose or reason.
