In his 2005 commencement address at Stanford University, Apple CEO Steve Jobs offered a "connect the dots" perspective on the random events that shaped his life.
You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards...
For B2B marketers, this "rear view mirror" approach to connecting the dots in your tactical tool kit makes great sense.
The underlying appeal of any connect-the-dots puzzle is based on seeing a recognizable image appear from an apparent hodge-podge of numbered dots, simply by following a prescribed path. But for most marketers, if the dots represent possible tactical solutions, then your challenge is that:
There are usually too many dots to choose from, and
The dots have no assigned numbers to follow
And that’s why Steve Jobs’ advice should be followed by marketers: Start with a specific business outcome you're seeking, and build your tactical strategy in reverse order. For example:
Step One: Create Your Picture One reason why average CMO tenure is so brief is because marketers often focus on the dots, rather than on the picture that the connected dots should create. If you're a B2B marketer, one picture you might want to create is making the "short list;" which means being contacted consistently by prospective (or existing) clients as a candidate for assignments. That's a picture your CEO understands and appreciates, because it can lead directly to revenue. It also leads to continued employment for CMOs.
Step Two: Ignore Your Dots With your picture defined, it can be difficult to resist the urge to open the tactical toolbox immediately. But prior to selecting and numbering the dots, you’ll need to sketch the path the dots will follow.
Using the “short list” picture, for example, you’ll first need to gain internal consensus on:
What your clients and prospects need right now or in the future
Why your firm is entitled to be on the short list (your value proposition)
How you stack up against other firms seeking a place on the short list
What’s likely to exclude your firm from short list consideration
How to quantitatively measure the effectiveness of your short list strategy
Step Three: Select and Number Your Dots
With your picture and path well defined, the selection and sequencing of tactical dots in often a no-brainer. To complete the “short list” picture example: your dots will likely involve:
Top-of-mind Awareness: You’ll need to establish an internal discipline designed to communicate directly and consistently (ideally on a quarterly basis) with clients, prospect and referral sources. The old adage “Out of Sight / Out of Mind” rings true in B2B communication, and don’t expect social media to address that requirement.
Thought Leadership: This label for intellectual capital may be a bit shopworn, but your firm must provide its target audiences with content (owned media or earned media) that validates intellectual capital and potential to add value. And you’re more likely to make the short list by providing content that's interesting and helpful to them, and not simply touting your own credentials.
Distribution Capability: This need not be an expensive or complicated CRM system. You simply need to build and maintain a robust database of targeted individuals, and use a distribution / tracking platform (such as Constant Contact) that gets your content to them easily, and in a professional format.
Step Four: Add Dots Selectively
When there’s little (or slow) progress being made toward completion of a “picture,” the temptation for marketers is to simply add more tactical dots, rather than trying to understand why the existing dots are not properly connecting. In general, additional dots should be applied only if they add incremental value to a picture that's already completed. For example, if your firm is regularly making the “short list,” but wants to eliminate competitors altogether, you might add a tactical dot involving pro-active outreach (in advance of any short list) to select prospects, to introduce a proprietary or solution tailored to their needs.
It’s unlikely that Steve Jobs had marketing in mind 10 years ago, as he connected the dots of his life experiences. But if you connect the dots in rear-view mirror fashion, we think it’s likely you'll produce tangible business results that are based on more than just passive, wishful thinking…as the second line of Job’s advice to Stanford grads suggests:
...So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.
Unfortunately for marketers, words like "trust" and "somehow" just don't past muster in the business world.