Quick Tip
Baseball, apple pie, and cliches
"You're gonna have to learn your clichés. You're gonna have to study them, you're gonna have to know them. They're your friends."
Crash Davis - Bull Durham
Cliches give baseball players something to talk about when they don't have anything to say.
Marketing "gurus" also have their cliches. Earlier this week I heard another one trot the old "Strategy vs Tactics" chestnut.
Did you ever notice that when experts talk about Strategy vs Tactics, they present it as an either-or choice?
It isn't.
Yes, tactics that are informed by a strategy will lead to greater success. I'm not dismissing the importance of strategy.
But...
Strategy without tactics (execution) is little more than mental masturbation.
We need both strategy AND tactics.
Here's what I've noticed over the past 15 years,...
Those who execute a tactic(s) consistently enjoy more success than the haphazard marketer.
A strategist who doesn't execute (via tactics) struggles and often concludes "marketing doesn't work for my type of business".
Those who consistently execute tactics that are informed by a well-developed strategy generate a consistent flow of clients while spending less time on marketing.
Your business needs both roles. It might be on you to perform both roles. Or, you can get some help.
So, yes, spend time working on your strategy.
But focus the bulk of your effort on executing.
Yours for smarter marketing,
Bill
913.962.9261
News, Tips, & Tricks
5 Storytelling Ideas to Steal From Sports Writers
Want to improve the effectiveness of your marketing content? Start with this tip - write for your audience. Don’t write for everybody who might consume the content.
Research: How to Get Better at Killing Bad Projects
Whether you are a 1-person operation or part of a large organization, knowing when to kill losing projects is an important skill.
This article from HBR explains how the old way of determining when to kill a project may actually be delaying project cancellations in counterintuitive ways.
Soundproof Wall Panels for Your Home Office Studio
Whether you are broadcasting vlogs or podcasts, soundproof wall panels will provide a much quieter space for professional-grade results for your content.
Tamara Rodman on the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer
Last week I mentioned 2021 Edelman Trust Survey. If you didn't have time to read the report, you can listen to Edelman's Executive Vice President Tamara Rodman, share key insights from the report.
Book of the Week
How to produce new ideas
A Technique for Producing Ideas outlines a simple five-step formula for producing ideas.
Read more on Amazon (affiliate link)
Tool of the Week
Why is your site slow?
This chrome extension will help you find out.
Lighthouse is Google’s site speed test tool that can quickly produce some ideas about what might be slowing a site down.
Like This Newsletter?
Let me know. Reply, email me at Bill[at]RebarBusinessBuilder.com, or find me on LinkedIn to hit me with some feedback. I’d love to know what you think.
Thanks for reading.
Bill
913.962.9261
P.S. - And whenever you are ready, here are 3 ways I can help you grow your business:
1) Get a copy of my free guide - Create a Content Calendar for a Whole Year in 3 Easy Steps. Just reply to this email with "Calendar" and I'll shoot you a copy.
2) Try the Marketing Mindset Scorecard See how each mindset is helping to grow or slow your business. Click here
3) Work with me 1-on-1 to build your sales funnel. Just reply to this email with "1-on-1" in the subject line... tell me a little about your business and what you'd like to work on together, and I'll get you all the details!