It is fair to say that there are few things more integral to our lives than marketing. Whether or not you think that’s a good thing, bad thing, or simply an inevitable part of modern life, the fact remains that advertisements are all around us. That being said, as with all fields and walks of life, there are good ads that stick with us, do their job, and sometimes even charm us and then there are those that are forgettable or else best left forgotten.
While ads themselves can range widely in terms of style and content, those people behind the ads who are most successful tend to have at least one thing in common: they view marketing as both an art and a science. Given the posters, jingles, and acted-out ad campaigns on radio, TV, YouTube, and beyond, the “art” part is evident but the science? That requires and merits more explanation.
- Data, Objectivity, and Decision Making
Scientists make use of the scientific method of trial and error, which in turn depends greatly on empirical, peer-reviewed, trustworthy data. The same holds true for successful marketing campaigns. Rather than merely guessing at what will sell, you need to gather data to support your hypothesis.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you need to be beholden to data as though you were merely a robot. Rather, you need to view it with scientific objectivity and use it to inform your decision-making process.
- Analyze Behavioral Patterns
While you shouldn’t start treating customers as if they were lab rats, analyzing behavioral patterns is nevertheless a huge part of effective marketing. You need to know how your customers act and think. As the old saying for writing and marketing newspapers goes, “Give the people what they want.” That means knowing what they want, which in turn means market testing, focus groups, and consumer behavior data.
- Putting Theory Into Practice
Above all, successful marketing is similar to successful engineering — a way of taking theories and putting them into practice. Follow the scientific process. Observe, gather data, hypothesize, test, draw your conclusions and only then concoct a plan for what to do with them.
By viewing marketing as more of a science, you can achieve the greater results that you’re looking for.