Howdy folks!
It’s been a bee-zee Jan so far and I’m looking forward to Feb when it’s a little less cold and I’m a little more productive 😂
Chuckling? Well, you’ve got to agree, it takes massive loads of willpower to get up in the morning when a warm blanket is competing for your attention.
Speaking of competition, I’ve got you some expert insights from Campaign Monitor’s Director of Marketing, Adam Cohen.
Truth be told, I was pretty stoked to talk about navigating a competitive landscape because Adam himself runs marketing in a highly saturated industry (email software). So getting to find out how he thinks was exciting.
With that, let me share all the exciting advice nuggets I’ve managed to get my hands on.
As is the drill, I asked Adam the go-to 3Qs:
A mistake he has made while marketing in a competitive landscape.
An actionable tip to get you one step closer to beating your competitors.
And, a secret tip to help you navigate through competition.
Here we go.
👉 Learn from Adam’s mistake: Not pausing to assess the situation.
“There’s a tendency in competitive landscapes to treat content creation like an assembly line with a big red button (that stops the line) that you’re never supposed to press,” Adam explains.
“A mistake I’ve made as a content lead is not pushing that button.”
“It feels scary to pause and reassess,” he admits. “There’s a feeling of safety in churning out content on a regular basis so that you can point to it and say, ‘look, we made a thing.’”
However, “sometimes you’re better off taking a step back and using all available attention and resources to evaluate what you’re doing and build a better path forward.”
👉 Do this today: Watch your timing.
I’ll let Adam elaborate – he has a top metaphor that explains his point beautifully.
“There’s a concept in football known as ‘throwing your receiver open.’ It’s when a WR looks like he’s covered by the defense, but the QB throws to spot where a receiver is going to be rather than where they are.
It’s about timing, but more importantly, anticipation.”
“A competitive, high maturity category isn’t going to get any less competitive,” observes Adam.
So “rather than trying to win by brute force (in the spirit of continuing the metaphor, this would be forcing the ball into a tight window),
try to anticipate how your market is going to shift and incorporate a few smaller bets tailored specifically to that future
“Easier said than done, of course, but the risk is worth the reward if you can get the timing right,” Adam shares.
👉 The secret tip for handling competition well: Utility is king.
“The brands I trust and the content that I return to over and over again is the stuff that helps me solve problems and get better at my job,” Adam says and I agree 💯
“Above all else, don’t lose sight of delivering legitimate value.”
So today’s takeaways:
Step back to see what you’ve accomplished and identify the next best steps.
Watch industry timings. Do what you think your future audience will appreciate.
Focus on value first, second, third.
That’s all folks.
Here’s me heading back to my work,
Masooma