I’ll shout this from the mountaintop: When it comes to your business, dial-in something simple before getting more complex.
An example from the beer brewing world…
I’m not a fan of Coors Light, but I respect the heck out of its brewers.
Why? Because it’s impossible to hide a flaw in that beer.
Coors Light is so darn simple, so clean, and so light that any flaw would stick out like a sore thumb.
Yet, Coors Light tastes exactly the same every time. That’s impressive.
(Side note: As opposed to what many people say, I don’t think beers like Coors Light taste bad. I think they lack flavor. There’s a difference.)
On the other hand, take a much bigger and more complex beer. Say, a 10% alcohol imperial stout with coffee, chocolate, and caramel.
If there is a flaw in that beer? It’d be easy to hide.
That’s why, when I was teaching beer brewing classes, I always gave my students this advice:
“Brew a good stout before you attempt a chocolate stout.”
The idea is to first dial in a simple recipe and prove you can brew that base beer well. Only then should you open your pantry and start tossing in exotic ingredients.
I recommend the same approach in your marketing.
Most marketing efforts start way too complex, meaning all sorts of flaws can creep in and go unnoticed.
Instead, start with a clean, simple, and effective campaign.
Dial in your core message before adding a bunch of bells and whistles. This will be a forcing function to make sure your core marketing message is solid.
Brew a good stout before attempting a chocolate stout.