Which is More Important: Creation or Promotion?

So for anyone with any level of marketing experience knows, there are a lot of different hats that a marketer must wear.  We’ll explore most of them in other blog posts, but today I want to talk about two fundamental modes (creation or promotion) that a marketer (or any business leader) must learn how to balance.

 

The Creative Engine

A big part of a business is output. That includes the creation and delivery of the products/services you offer, but also the creation of the materials to support and sell them.

A ton of energy is consumed by that effort.  Think of all that goes into bringing a successful product to market.

During the pre-launch phase, you’re gathering requirements, researching the market, developing messaging, building collateral, designing ads, et cetera.  The list of tasks can seem endless (and often is – there’s always more you can and “should” do to prepare).

I like to think of this phase as “being in the studio.”

For many marketing professionals, product managers, and other business leaders, this is actually the most gratifying part of the process.

You’re working on something new and exciting.  The opportunity for success has yet to meet the challenges and objections you’ll undoubtedly face when you launch.

Therefore, there may be a tendency to “stay in the studio” and continue to create past it’s point of usefulness while market opportunities pass you by.

When the timing’s right, you’ve got to get out of the studio and go on tour.  It’s time to launch.

 

The Hype Machine

Ok – so you’ve launched.  Time to switch gears – it’s time to go into promotion mode.

Likewise, as with the creative process, there are an endless of number of things you could do and feel like you should be doing to promote your project.

The first thing you’ll probably feel is overwhelmed.  Where do you begin?  I’m sure we’ll cover some specific strategies in future posts, but the main things is have a plan.  Make a list of the top 10 things you feel like you need to in order to successful promote your project and do them without fail.

The second thing you’ll feel is doubt.  At this point, you’ll probably have encountered some objections or a lukewarm response (if not chilly), and you’re wondering if you might have missed something.  Do I have the right message?  Do I have the right strategy?  Do I have the right product?   Do I have the right market?

Now these are all important questions to ask.  Every good marketing pro or business leader so be asking themselves those exact questions periodically.  But you’ll need to find a way to separate your mindset to not them affect you when you’re in promotion mode.

Stay confident about your plan and your product, particularly in the beginning of your launch.  Otherwise, there’s a risk of self-sabotage and you’ll never know if your strategy would have worked out.

Also acknowledge that it usually takes much longer for ideas/products/etc. to take off than people think.  [Yes, there are stories of over-night success, but let’s consider them edge cases.]

All that to say, protect your attitude and fuel the hype machine in order to give your project the best change of taking off.

 

Finding the Balance

It’s easier said than done, but it’s crucial for businesses to find the balance between creation and promotion modes.  I think it comes down to knowing yourself.

Be mindful that you’ll need to save energy for both.  You don’t want to spend all of your energy building up to launch only to realize that you’re team is doesn’t have the fuel in their reserves to execute it properly.

Also, be mindful of when you switch gears.  If you’re rushing to get to market, is the rush warranted, or are you slacking on necessary launch prep?  On the flip side, if you’re stalling, is the delay justified or are you getting comfortable being “in the lab?”

 

More Vennspire

That’s all for now.   Stay tuned for more posts.  In the meantime, go do something awesome!