The short answer
Random acts of marketing are marketing activities that each made sense on the day but are not connected by a strategy, so nobody can say which worked or what they were for. Common signs: no clear core message, an ideal customer of “anyone,” tactics that change with every new trend, and reporting on activity instead of enquiries and revenue.
Most businesses that come to us are doing plenty of marketing. They post. They've run ads. They redid the website two years ago. They tried a newsletter. What they can't tell you is which of it worked, or what any of it was for.
We call this random acts of marketing. Each act made sense on the day. Together they don't add up, because nothing connects them. That's a strategy problem, and no amount of extra activity fixes it.
Six signs
You can't finish this sentence. "People choose us over the alternatives because..." If the answer takes a paragraph, or changes depending on who you ask, you don't have a core message yet.
Your ideal customer is "anyone who needs what we sell." When you're for everyone, your marketing has to be vague enough to suit everyone, and vague marketing persuades no one.
Your marketing changes with the last thing you read. A podcast says video, so you make videos. A competitor joins a new platform, so you join it. Three months later it's something else.
Every vendor has given you a different plan. The web agency says it's the site. The SEO firm says content. The ads person says budget. Each is right about their own piece, and none of them is looking at the whole.
You measure activity. Posts published, emails sent, impressions. Ask what any of it produced in enquiries or revenue and the room goes quiet.
Referrals carry the business. That's fine until they slow down and you find there's nothing else bringing people in.
Why more tactics won't help
Tactics are answers. Strategy is the question they're answering: who are we for, what do we promise them, and how do they get from stranger to customer? Without that, you can't tell a good tactic from a bad one. You can only tell a busy month from a quiet one.
It's also why hiring another specialist rarely fixes it. A specialist will do their specialty well. They can't tell you whether it's the thing you should be doing.
What to do instead
Stop adding. For the next month, don't start anything new. Then answer three questions in writing:
- Who are our three best customers, and what do they have in common?
- Why did they choose us, in their own words?
- What does someone need to see, and in what order, to go from never having heard of us to buying?
Your answers will be rough. They'll still be more strategy than most of your competitors have. Everything you do after that either fits those answers or gets cut.
If you want help doing it properly, that's what Strategy First is. If you'd like to know how bad it is first, take the assessment. It takes a couple of minutes, and the lowest band really is called "Random acts of marketing."
Frequently asked questions
What are random acts of marketing?
Marketing done without a strategy connecting it: posts, ads, a website refresh, a newsletter, each reasonable on its own but adding up to nothing anyone can measure or explain.
How do I know if my business has a marketing strategy problem?
You cannot say in one sentence why people choose you, your ideal customer is “anyone,” your tactics change with the last thing you read, each vendor has a different plan, you measure activity rather than results, or referrals are the only thing bringing people in.
Why doesn't adding more marketing tactics fix the problem?
Tactics are answers, and strategy is the question they answer: who you are for, what you promise and how people get from stranger to customer. Without that, you cannot tell a good tactic from a bad one.
What is the first step to fixing random acts of marketing?
Stop adding new activity for a month, then answer three questions in writing: who your three best customers are, why they chose you in their own words, and what someone needs to see, in what order, to go from never having heard of you to buying.
How long does it take to put a marketing strategy in place?
A complete strategy and 90-day plan can be built in 30 to 45 days. That is the scope of our Strategy First engagement.
Stephen Conley
Founder of The fCMO Agency and Gisteo, and a Certified Duct Tape Marketing advisor.
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