30-second read
This post is derived from five conversations I had with in-house marketers over the last few weeks. This problem is most prevalent in B2B environments. Although I talked to some B2C marketers who are also feeling this pain.
When the market shifted and revenue declined, marketing budgets shrank—and the pressure to convert increased. (Understatement). This took budget that was previously divided between direct response and brand plays and moved it entirely to conversion channels.
Now a marketer's job depends on conversion metrics. If you’re told to convert and report, you have to place all your bets where you can report. Whether it’s working or not.
So what we currently have is an entire marketing industry investing in things that are performing even worse than before. They know this. And they’re forced to do it anyway. Because the powers that be—who are completely disconnected from how their customer actually makes a buying decision—love them some numbers. Even when those numbers say nothing at all.
Marketers have their hands tied. This is the only way they can cover their asses and save their jobs until the check writers catch on.
(Every marketer knows the power of brand. This opens up a big window for those that think differently and creatively about marketing and don’t believe in throwing money away at stuff that only exists on a dashboard.)