The 13 Laws of Legacy Marketing

For something to be called a “law”, there’s got to be weight behind it. It’s got to be something you can test and take to the bank. You’ve got to be able to refer to it in good times and rely on it during difficult times.

If you’re a founder, CFO, Marketing Manager, Salesperson, or Marketing Consultant, you are responsible for the success of the business you’re associated with. You’ve got skin in the game. Whether you’re in charge of leading the marketing strategy or charged with supporting the existing one, you can take these 13 marketing laws to the bank.

I call these laws of “Legacy Marketing” because a legacy is something you invest in that pays dividends later on. It’s also something that may be old, and perhaps outdated. It may still work (like that flip phone you’re holding on to just in case), but there may be newer, faster, and downright better ways of getting the job done. Think 5G vs. dialup.

Yes, 13 seems like an unlucky number, especially as we leave 2020 behind, but I think these laws can add tremendous value to how you look at your marketing initiatives and examine how you invest your valuable marketing dollars.

The 13 Laws of Legacy Marketing

1.The Law of Black Bamboo

Nurture marketing guru,?Jim Cecil, introduced the parable of Black Bamboo. Essentially, he laid out the reasoning behind?nurture marketing?and?why?and?how?to build long-term?relationships with your customers and clients.?Why is it important? Building that long-term relationship is profitable for you and for them. Also, realize that your marketing strategy may bear fruit quickly but that the real prize is the?ROI at the RIGHT time.

2. The Law of the Billboard

The Law of the Billboard states that in order to reach your audience, you need to know?where?they are.?Billboards are set up along highways and roads. The more traveled a road, the more expensive it is to buy billboard space and the higher the visibility. The advertising dollars are worth it, but you need to know that your customers are, in fact, driving that road in order to justify the investment.

3. The Law of Relevance

While the Law of the Billboard states that you need to know?where?your target audience is,?the Law of Relevance is all about?who?your audience is. Develop your marketing around?personas: profiles created to detail your audience's pain points, the language they use, and the ways in which you can provide value to them. If your messaging is off-target, your audience will disengage. If your messaging is on-target?your audience will engage over and over with you and your brand.

4. The Law of Alignment

If your?marketing strategy?is not aligned with your company’s goals, that misalignment will cause issues later on. A car that is out of alignment may work for the short term, but if left unrepaired, can cause lasting damage to the car. Similarly, if your marketing tactics and overarching strategies are aligned with your goals, they can be very profitable, indeed. Setting smart goals, then screening your tactics and strategies through that filter, can help to keep them aligned. Additionally, making sure your specific marketing tactics are aligned well is important. Make sure your hiring blog or recruitment blog is aligned with the personas you've developed and with your distribution methods like?email marketing,?SEO tactics,?PPC,?and more.?

5. The Law of the Toolbelt

Unless you are a marketing company (and even still), you can only manage a certain amount of marketing tactics well. Instead of a garage full of tools you may or may not use,?choose a strategic set of tools?that you’ll use regularly and well. If you find that one of those tools works really well, you may purchase a higher quality version to employ. Marketing is similar. Find the tactics that work well and invest well in them. If you find that you need a different tool, make space by ditching a tool you haven’t used in a long time.

6. The Law of the Budget

Everything comes down to a?marketing budget, right? Or does it? Instead of a marketing budget, shouldn’t part of it be also labeled “recruiting budget” and “sales budget?” If you’ve created a marketing budget with no overlap with the money-making portions of your business, you’re probably not in alignment (see the Law of Alignment). Your goals should drive your strategy and your budget should support the tools at the tactical level (The Law of the Toolbelt) needed to reach those goals.

7. The Law of Adaptation (or Extinction)

This may seem like an exaggeration, but the facts don’t lie.?According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 25% of businesses last 15 years or longer.?What makes those “25-per-centers” successful? Some of it’s luck. Some of it’s strategy. Some of it is vision. Some nail the marketing right away. The point is. A company that is willing to adapt is more likely to succeed. A marketing strategy that can pivot quickly (think about all the changes that were made when COVID-19 hit) is going to have a higher chance of survival. Just remember a pivot doesn’t mean abandoning the ship just because there is a storm.

8. The Law of Buy-In

This can actually be split into two categories or sub-laws.?The Law of the Investor?and?the Law of the Stakeholder. If the person who is writing the check (the investor) doesn’t understand the ROI of a marketing strategy, the odds are, that the budget will dry up and get reallocated. If the board doesn’t feel that the pennies are making dollars, you’ll be made to do more with less. Furthermore, if the stakeholders (your salespeople, your admin team, and your recruiters) don’t understand the strategy or are unwilling to implement their part of the plan, that plan will fall flat on its face.

9. The Law of the Leaky Bucket

Your?marketing funnel?has many intro points where potential clients and customers can enter. The same is true for exits. Understanding where you are losing?potential candidates and clients?is important. Understanding that?outdated websites?can actually turn people away because they still aren’t?mobile-friendly?is essential for your team to understand (the stakeholders and investors alike). If your candidates on a job site are being shared with your competitors, that is a huge risk. Plug those leaks, and improve your funnel’s flow, for example, through better recruitment website design.

10. The Law of Vision (The Parable of the Eagle and the Mantis Shrimp)

This law is all about vision. The Eagle has the sharpest visions of any creature at a distance and often gets all the credit for incredible vision. However, the Mantis Shrimp has, quite possibly, the most complex vision capabilities of any creature. They can see more on the light spectrum than anything else because they have more photoreceptors. The key? Different parts of their eyes service a distinct purpose, and they all work in tandem (this is why the Law of Alignment is so important). It’s important to have the long-sighted vision of the Eagle and to be able to travel there quickly. It’s just as important to see and understand the complexities of an aligned and multi-faceted?marketing strategy. Whether you a using recruiting?automation tools?or more hands-on tactics, understanding how they fit together matters more than understanding the ROI just from the one.

11. The Law of the Level

A level can assist in making sure that how something is constructed is well balanced both esthetically and functionally. A marketing plan should be put to the test and measured regularly. Additionally, being level-headed can also ensure that you don’t abandon a marketing tactic just because the business had a bad month or quarter. The law of the level can also help you not invest time and money in something that’s flashy but doesn’t actually provide a return.

12. The Law of Timing

Wow! If?2020?didn’t show us anything, it was that?certain marketing tactics?were going to work well, and some, for a time wouldn’t work at all. If a company decided to pull back on their digital marketing tactics in March, they simply disappeared, because so many people were then working virtually. The worst thing a business can do during tough times is reduce visibility. Their customers may simply assume the business ended up being a casualty, and move on to a different provider. Also, understanding that some marketing tactics provide more immediate returns and some provide longer-term benefits (but equally measurable), is important.

13. The Law of Legacy

This all ties back into law number 1. When you understand that there are stages to your marketing efforts it builds in perspective. For a time, you may not see the return. It may become frustrating. The key is understanding that what you’re planting may take longer to grow. When you focus on updating your messaging, for instance, you may not see an immediate return. However, when you are able to effectively communicate what?differentiates your company?from the competition in a current and relevant way, you're setting yourself up for more success. Legacy can also be a reminder to change out the tools in your tool belt from time to time, just because they need updating. An old tool may be just as useful as it was when I was new. However, a newer tool may be more efficient, safer, and easier to use. It may help you get the job done faster, better, and with all your fingers in place.

Why Do These Laws Matter?

If you’re looking to build a new marketing strategy or revamp a current or outdated one, it’s never too late. Walk through the laws on a regular basis to test the components of your marketing strategy for weaknesses and be willing to adjust accordingly. From setting relevant smart goals to developing your messaging and value propositions, your marketing matters.