Harness the Exponential Power of Incremental Marketing

Marketers tend to think in terms of campaigns -- or projects, at a push. We take promotional ideas from conception to completion, mould them around the appropriate marketing channels, and monitor the results.  Once a campaign or initiative has run its course, we review performance, assess return on investment, and integrate our findings into the next campaign plan. And so it goes... Although this way of thinking is effective for individual campaigns, it leaves something to be desired in terms of consistency and long-term brand growth. For those aspects of your business marketing to bloom, it helps to think of it as a puzzle, with each campaign a piece that's intended to add to the bigger picture.

Explore Incremental Marketing

Although it's tougher to sell as a single campaign idea, incremental marketing is a sound way to keep all of your marketing initiatives pulling in the same direction. The idea is that every new campaign, marketing tool, and promotional channel can be unique, but it must also add something to brand awareness and be in line with the company's underlying mission. Here are some steps you can take to add incremental marketing to your outlook:

• If you haven't already, define your brand traits and your unique value proposition. When everyone understands them, it's much easier to root diverse marketing campaigns in a common mission or objective.

• Review past campaigns to look for any areas that are inconsistent with your brand, or areas that could be improved to make that connection more obvious. By highlighting what could have been done better in the past, you're more likely to put things right in future.

• Make use of a blended marketing campaign, which draws on the strengths of existing channels as much as it does. Marketing tools tend to work well together, providing you aim them all in the same direction and deploy a few versatile tools that can cover many channels.

• Take small steps, adding one tool and platform at a time. Learn how to use these items in your marketing toolkit to develop assets that are consistent with your brand.

[search-tag] Incremental marketing isn't a complicated idea, but it does require extra coordination and a deep understanding of your core brand. These ideas add up to a steady investment in your promotions that builds a base for all future marketing efforts. Add new elements to your marketing. Experiment with existing channels and new platforms that become available. Review what works and continue to develop new combinations that push the boundaries of what you've done before. When they're based in - and reflect - the core values of your brand, you'll be building an ever-expanding foundation for your company's marketing, from which new promotional ideas can take flight just as successfully, yet they'll also be contributing to the bigger picture.