You Aren't a Dog, Stop Mindlessly Chasing Marketing Trends
Stop wasting time on every “game-changing” tip. Real marketing success comes from clarity, consistency, and using what you already have and know.
Watching marketers chase the next viral trend is like watching a dog chase its tail.
Every now and again, if the tail is long enough and there’s just enough dexterity and luck, the tail is caught.
Immediately after which the tail escapes. Lather, rinse, and repeat until the poor pup (and marketer) is a little dizzy, no further ahead, and in need of a nap.
Stop running in circles. It’s exhausting.
The truth: most new tactics aren’t new; they’re either distractions or, sometimes, old lessons applied to new delivery methods (which can be valuable).
You don’t need the next big thing to succeed. You need to focus on what works.
Tuning Out the Noise
If you’re constantly trying to keep up with every “game-changing” idea tweeted by the latest guru, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Been there, done that, have the T-shirts.
About two years ago (and then again over the past few weeks), I hit peak "shiny object syndrome." I spent so much time researching the latest tools, trends, and “hacks” that I wasn't actually doing anything with consistency.
Now that I’m deliberately tuning out the noise I’m moving forward again.
Choosing to be selectively deaf is one of the most productive things you can do.
Selective deafness lets you focus on what really matters: the basics. Can focusing on the basics be boring? Yep.
You know what’s NOT boring? Watching your business — and bank account — grow.
It's not the viral TikTok dance that'll grow your brand — it’s the day-in, day-out, quality work that earns trust.
Says who? Marketing pros. A 2023 Content Marketing Institute report found that 76% of the most successful B2B marketers prioritize delivering consistent content over trend-chasing tactics.
Less Hare, More Tortoise
We all know Aesop’s fable: slow and steady wins the race.
Instead of jumping on every new channel or tactic, focus on doing a few things really well. Take email marketing and newsletters; I still giggle a bit at all of the social tools that were going to kill email back in the early 2000s – all of which relied on email for password recovery, alerts, etc.
Email remains an essential piece of every marketing toolbox.
The customer’s inbox, after they share an email address with you, is still the only one-to-one communication you control. Social media algorithms change on a whim, but your email list? That’s gold.
There’s a mythical stat about email marketing that everyone uses: email delivers a $36 return for every $1 spent. (If anyone knows the origin of this statistic, please share!)
However, regardless of the exact ROI figure; email works. And unless someone develops another communication platform that everyone has equal access to it’s not going to be replaced.
Stop trying to go viral and start building something sustainable. Even BuzzFeed-style viral factories A/B tested 50+ versions of content and still struck out more often than not.
The best part about building slowly is that if you ever go viral you will have tons of resources to encourage folks to stick around.
Don’t Be Afraid to Keep It Simple
The temptation to use jargon or, worse, business-speak, to sound smart is real. Don’t. You don’t need to “synergize client-centric paradigms” — you need to say what you mean.
Most website advice says to write for an 8th grade reading level… that’s easy to read, comprehend, and skim. Though this might need revision downward as recent research indicates average reading level may be a 5th or even 3rd grade level.
Here’s a practical example: “Implement multi-factor authentication to enhance security” vs. “Use two steps to log in: your password and a code sent to your phone.” The second one is clearer, more relatable, and more likely to actually be followed.
Clarity is strategy. It’s also SEO. Google prioritizes content that answers questions clearly and directly. Though Google is also using our content to answer questions directly on its SERP (search engine results page), hurting content marketing efforts as they attempt to shift money into their ad program (but that’s a topic for another day).
The Experts Are in Your Office — Use Them
Some of the best marketing content comes from non-marketers. The folks who do the work — your engineers, your techs, your support staff — are gold mines of stories and hard-earned customer service lessons.
I remain amazed at learning from copier repairmen that 1. People really did copy their butts (and break the glass) during the 90s and 2. Rats can get inside and die in a copier’s paper tray!
The most popular post for one copier client was written by one of their copier techs and focused on formatting tips in Word for better copies. It wasn’t an idea I ever would have thought of. He could because he spoke to customers daily and knew this was a challenge for many of them. That post led to a number of sales opportunities.
Chris Riley comes to mind as another great example. During my time as magazine editor, Chris contributed a few articles as both vendor and consultant. He wasn’t a writer, but he wrote killer posts about document capture and OCR.
He needed a little editing loving, but I just cleared away the debris so that his points and knowledge shined through. He knew what he was talking about because he did the work.
Even if people are afraid to write, help them through that.
You don’t need to understand every grammar rule to write effectively. Remember the grammar “rules” exist to create clarity. If a “rule” gets in the way of clarity; ignore it.
You can set your in-house experts up for success by making the process easy and judgment-free. Your content will get way more real—and way more effective.
Stop Chasing. Start Building.
Stop chasing trends. Focus on what works: simplicity, consistency, and tapping into the expertise you already have.
Marketing isn’t about being flashy; it’s about being effective.
The next big thing will come and go. But useful, trustworthy, clear content?
The fundamentals?
The fundamentals of content marketing always work.
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One song I listened to while editing this post. Because every day is better with music!
This morning, I posted on LinkedIn after 8 months.
The shiny box started popping up, urging me to pay for visibility.
“Fuck that shit.” Hahahaha.
I deleted it and moved on.
Right after, I stayed on the feed and noticed every post talking about “best practices” after some big LinkedIn algorithm shift.
I refuse to be that dog.
Clarity is important, but as you said, the fundamentals haven’t changed.
There’s very little ROI (in terms of dollars) for me in posting on LinkedIn. I do have friends there and feel bad for not staying in touch and supporting. Posting is a way to bring people together but at this point time is $$
end rant-ish
Happy April Bryant.