As a marketing agency owner who has shiny object syndrome, my quest for the next great tool that will solve everything has to stop.
A marketing agency could be run on Google's free suite of tools – from forms to slides – and perhaps one marketing pro subscription in your zone of expertise. One like HubSpot.
I think we are too reliant on tools to do the job for us, when really we need a really smart innovate strategy with lots of experimentation baked in, and lots of freshness. It's competitive out there.
Quick bullet points on my thoughts:
- Marketing tools are seen as godsends to help us do great marketing
- They position themselves as the solution to “xyz”
- But they delay what you need to do best and first: have a clear marketing strategy & execution playbook
- Marketing strategy is nothing without execution, execution is random without strategy. You heard that here first.
- Chris of Refine Labs had a good quote on this – about how martech companies have been pushing their tools on us, yet they don't have our best interests in mind all the time.
- The goal of martech companies is to sell us on their software – of which they get very nice software margins of 80-90% plus.
- But imagine that you are running lean as a marketing agency owner, yet you have been convinced that you need to pay $500 – 2,500 a month to get your tools running.
- The more you use tools the more you have to context switch
- My God, does anyone actually properly use Zapier? I have been subscribed forever out of FOMO (along with Typeform)
- Honestly, at the end of the day, I think this is the huge argument for HubSpot existing.
- I will say there's 3 types of people: 1) Everything free, lean assassins (Design Joy) 2) Lean, top class tools at 80% of value, 20% of cost (Apollo vs Zoominfo?)
What to do instead:
- I think you should get really clear on marketing strategy first and foremost, based on proven marketing frameworks
- Have clear, achievable goals that drive business value in the marketing strategy
- Do it all on free tools first – only when you stretch the limits of free tools should you slowly start adding in selective powerful tools when it's clear how to speed up workflow
- Less tools and less context switching is always best to allow high performers to perform
- Steps and tools on how to do the work are clearly needed for juniors. The pros who get really good in their position and career need the tools the least.
