When Is a Good Idea a Bad Idea?

Marketing is fun again.  I look around at all the tools and mediums and feel like a kid in a candy store.  It reminds me of my early days in relationship marketing when things like "personalization engines" and "flash banners" were new.  So many shiny objects to play with...but also so distracting.

Wideeyedkitten
The frequency at which these shiny objects appear has a direct correlation to the amount of pressure and urgency one feels, and right now the frequency is really, really high.  However, when that frequency is this high if you play with every shiny object and evaluate their potential you will NEVER get anything done.  So a single word of advice, FOCUS.  Once you've placed your bets and begun execution of a program put your head down and EXECUTE.  It doesn't matter if a new shiny object shows up that you think is a great idea, set it aside and continue moving forward, it'll still be there when you're done.

This is also why you need to break large initiatives into small chunks, because the flip-side is that if you keep your head down too long you may miss those occasions when the world has shifted and is leaving you behind.  In my experience that timeframe is about three months.

Let's review:
  1. Once you've defined your program, the tools, and the mediums then put your blinders on and execute
  2. Break down large initiatives into smaller pieces that can be executed from start to finish in no more than three months.
  3. Upon completion, stick your head up, have a beer, take a breath, and play with those new shiny objects that stacked up while you were busy.
  4. Rinse, and repeat.
Posted on Tuesday, Sep 21, 2010 by