A Framework for
Marketing
How to Use
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There are a series of exercises and questions to ask yourself to build up and activate your company’s marketing courage, and earn your Badge of Courage.
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This framework is intended to introduce the concept of
and then help you get there.
This framework is about
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Therefore, it comes before your strategy.
That doesn’t automatically mean you have to toss out your current strategy, or that you wasted the last X months. But it does mean you need to reexamine the established strategy with a very critical eye.
Using this framework will likely push you to figure out how you can amp up the existing strategy from �solid to hell yeah.
This is good. Because it means you’re not going to play it safe anymore.
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Now, what do you get if you keep reading?
A Word about Uncertain Times
Courageous Marketing, Defined
4 Pillars of Courageous Marketing
Knowledge: Developing Your POV
Confidence: Fortifying Your Belief
Action: Taking Decisive Action
Evolution: Iterating Forward
Smart Resources
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A Word About
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We’re entering “uncertain times.”
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You’ve been hearing it for years now, but people still act as if it’s news:
(Deliberate scare quotes cuz you’re supposed to be scared—media, social media and consultants all thrive on scaring the bejeesus out of you.)
“Uncertain times” are not new. We’re not “entering” them; we’ve been operating in the midst of uncertainty for years now. This is reality. It’s also not nearly as scary as everyone makes it out to be.
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A quick retort:
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However, when the overriding emotion in the marketplace is fear, companies tend to lose their nerve.
They say, let’s hang back so we don’t make a mistake and blow our budget.
And they stand still,
The point: �If you’re standing still, you’re
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Did you know:
As of 2019, more than half of the companies in the Fortune 500 in the Year 2000 no longer exist?
So, we can all turtle up and wait for the storm to pass, or we can poke our heads out, realize the winds aren’t blowing that hard, and get on with our lives and jobs.
If you’re so afraid of the forecast that you never leave the metaphorical house, we have a problem. Because there’s always a storm coming.
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This deck is intended for people (well, marketers) who understand that, and are ready to boldly move forward.
Defined
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Marketing is a business discipline intended to hit grand slams. Which means taking big swings.
Marketing with courage � requires a willingness to
is rooted in Why You Exist.
It takes a stand it believes in, knowing that competitors—and maybe even some prospects—will disagree.
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Courageous marketing doesn’t follow what everyone else is doing.
It doesn’t get bogged down in industry best practices.
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On the other hand,
it isn’t reckless.
Courageous marketing is messaging that is unique, powerful and brave. No “innovative solutions” here.
The goal is to have a differentiated message and to tell it in a unique way.
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Courageous marketing doesn’t start with specific tactics and channels.
Courageous marketing doesn’t try to please everybody.
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And, yes, courageous marketing might fail.
This is why it requires courage. �You’re leaping into the big scary unknown.
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of Courageous Marketing
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EVOLUTION |
Iterating forward both your message and your tactics so that you stay a step ahead of the pack. |
KNOWLEDGE |
Based upon your team’s experience and know-how, developing a distinctive Point of View. |
CONFIDENCE |
Stress-testing your POV so that your belief in the concept will withstand criticism and disagreement. |
ACTION |
Activating your resolve to decisively launch the initiative into the marketplace. |
Pillar 1
Before we dive in, remember that earlier note about not being reckless? Before you go down this path, you need to get conceptual buy-in from your company’s leadership. Your idea isn’t even half-baked yet, but leadership needs to be on board with the idea of doing something a bit uncomfortable. Different.
And you need to keep them in the loop as you move along.
Once leadership blesses starting down this path, it’s time for assessing the organization’s self knowledge—a deep understanding of who you are as a company. Some companies have a solid understanding of what they are and what they aren’t. Most will need to work to get there.
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Consider and discuss �your company values. �How “activated” are �these values?
Pillar 1
Once you’re armed with this foundational self knowledge, it’s time to activate your team’s collective experience, know-how and vision into an industry Point of View that sets you apart from the pack.
This is not a one hour brainstorm. It is multiple meetings over a series of weeks. We could say months, but then you’re going to start talking in circles and talk yourself out of your best ideas.
But you need to come together, discuss, and then go away for a few days to think about where you’re headed. Check your skepticism at the door in these meetings; you are trying to build on each others’ ideas, not tear them down. You can contemplate more critically between meetings.
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It’s important to keep the pedal down and meet every 2-3 days. This will generate energy in the right direction.
Pillar 1
The Questions to Ask
Once you’ve spent time brainstorming, debating these questions and their answers, you should have a rock solid, contrarian, industry-challenging POV.
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This POV needs to be a Big Concept.
Something no one else is saying, even if they’re starting to think it.
Pillar 2
It’s one thing to come up with your company’s courageous idea; it’s another to stand by it when people start to pick it apart. Customers, prospects and competitors will come at you with their arguments. Some of them may have merit.
The best way to get in front of this is to pick it apart yourselves. You need to think critically to identify possible objections to your Big Idea.
This is how you fortify your organization’s belief in this courageous idea.
This requires facing your fears. Fear of failure, and all that it means—loss of status, loss of employment … all of it.
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You must build conviction in the idea so that you can keep pushing.
Pillar 2
The Questions to Ask
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When the arrows fly, will you stand your ground?
Pillar 3
(Creation)
There are two parts to the Action pillar.
Since we’re being courageous, think big. Big Ideas require big execution.
That means this isn’t just a blog post. It’s a campaign and series of assets—presentations and ad creative and ebooks and social campaigns and videos and whatever else you think will help to deliver this brilliant idea to your audience. You want to create “content experiences” that are worthy vessels of this great idea you’re so excited about.
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The copy must be written with zing and confidence.
The design must sparkle and kill.
Pillar 3
(Distribution)
You’ve done the hard work of coming up with an industry-shaping idea. You’ve gotten buy-in across the organization. You’ve battle-tested the concept. You’ve built out a wide array of assets.
Now it’s time to send your baby out into the world. Yup, it’s scary—ask any parent.
And just like any (good) parent, you don’t just shove ‘em out the door and hope for the best. There is a lot of work to be done here across a lot of different distribution channels.
Consider the “Hollywood Model,” in which at least 50% of a major movie’s budget is focused on promotion and distribution. Too many companies bust their hump creating high quality content, publish it on a blog, and then sit back and think SEO is going to do the work for them.
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Publish or perish. And then keep pushing.
Pillar 3
The Questions to Ask
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BONUS: �Question You Should �Not Ask
Should we buy an email list?
Pillar 4
One thing we’ve all learned about planning is that we never get it 100% right before we actually start doing.
That means that, even though we fortified our belief in this courageous idea, someone important is going to get cold feet. We’re going to realize that we need more content to explain a specific nuance. We’re going to be slapped in the face by the reality that one of our distribution channels just isn’t working for us.
We can’t just bang our heads against the walls we built in the planning phase.
We have to evolve.
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This is tricky. The line between “evolve” and “chickening out” is a thin one. And we know there will be pressure to chicken out.
Pillar 4
The best way to evolve mid-campaign is to game plan for different scenarios. Think through potential potholes, and identify how you’ll react and how big your reaction should be. This will help you to navigate the “fog of business.”
The Questions to Ask (before Action)
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During Action
Once the campaign is up and running, monitor your metrics just about every day. Talk about them with your team and your leadership. Act in an additive way.
But rarely divert your course.
Smart Resources
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Some additional reading
Thanks for spending time with this framework! Looking to dive deeper? Try these great resources:
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Who the hell are we?
We’re Scribewise, a brand dialogue agency.
We believe that all great companies have a great story, a compelling narrative that everyone inside and out knows, understands and believes in. When your story is well told and expertly delivered to your audience, it changes the trajectory of your company. Your story becomes a framework for growth.
Good news: �Storytelling is our superpower.
We work side-by-side with companies to bring their story to life, finding their marketing sparks and aligning everything around it.