I'm sure it seems obvious: nothing about growth is guaranteed.
In a little under a year of consulting and doing freelance marketing work it’s been fascinating to see how many conversations start with clients and potential clients believing they need a new marketing tool or product or tool to drive incremental growth. It's often said with a tone that conveys the idea, "It's the only way to continued growth."
It’s not just in consulting/freelance clients either.
The same was true as I led a team of 5 or 15+ and we evaluated new tools. “Once we have this tool we’ll be so much better at X and finally be able to do that thing we’ve talked about.” As a team member pitched for the budget to bring on a new tool.
While there are plenty of situations where a new tool can drive incremental growth, more often than not it's best to start with an exercise of getting more from what you currently have – really pushing into it and seeing if there are more capabilities within the existing tech stack. It feels hyper-relevant in the current market conditions, but if we're all being honest, it's a solid practice in any market condition. I've found in both leading teams and working with clients that there is always so much underutilized strength within the current tech stack that you have to take a second at least a few times a year to evaluate capabilities, connect the dots, or shed weight.
And not just when the contract renewal is coming up.
Just as an example, as so many companies feel the pressure to incorporate AI into their products and you potentially have new capabilities already at your fingertips, but your team might not be aware or know how to use them. Or I've also seen situations where some members of the team are starting to use AI features without ever having an open conversation as a team about it. Sharing those learnings can create an opportunity to save others hours in their day, unlock new ideas, and align everyone on how to protect the brand while using it.
The next tool always feels perfect in the sales process. The comment "This is going to make our lives so much easier" can often be followed by "I like it, but it would be awesome if it did this" just a few months later.
Another example is when I asked a recent prospect what happens when someone subscribes to their newsletter and the answer was they’re sent a single confirmation email with 10+ links of things they might find interesting (text format, single list) and then receive the same emails as the rest of the email audience from that point forward.
No welcome journey. No segmentation. No opportunity to see if they’ve already purchased the product or are in the market for it.
As a consumer, which we all are, we’ve all grown accustomed to the welcome journey that brands put us on to help us familiarize ourselves with their products while they familiarize themselves (or at least should) with where you might be in your customer journey and how best to educate you along the way.
And yet, this organization was putting a greater emphasis and pressure on themselves to figure out what to invest in next. The argument, “We need to do both” is one I’ve made before as a department leader, but it’s tough to defend that position when you’ve put off the welcome journey for years as this organization had.
You’ve got to spend money to make money – yes – but there's a good chance there are products in your tech stack that are growing with you while there are others that you've already outgrown. Get clarity before adding one more to the mix.
Need help getting clarity around your marketing tech stack? Tailwind Marketing Shop is here to help. Check out our services here.
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