Marketing has often been likened to a race.
The traditional view of marketing — especially that of most short-term campaigns — has long resembled a drag race: launch hard, burn gas, go-go-go!
A lot of what I hear in meetings with prospective clients is directly tied in to this “need for speed”: how quickly will social media spike our sales? Boost our traffic? Increase our donations?
But in my view, marketing — especially social marketing — is more like the 24 Heures du Mans.
The 24 Heures du Mans is unlike any other car race. It’s an old race — the oldest endurance race in the world, in fact — held annually since 1923 near the town of Le Mans, Sarthe, France. There are older races, yes; the first organized auto race was in 1894. There are other endurance races, as well; the Rolex 24 at Daytona is held at the Daytona International Speedway every January.
But what makes Le Mans unique is that is is run on public roads — more slippery and treacherous than smooth, purpose-built racetracks — and, instead of racing to a predetermined number of laps, the winner is decided by who goes the farthest over a 24 hour period.
This means, to win, you don’t just have to beat all the other drivers, you have to make sure you, your team, and your vehicle are equipped to run for one full day. You need to strategize your pacing, your fuel consumption (Audi, above, uses diesel engines for this very reason – and wins), your pit stops and driver changes.
Similarly, with social marketing, your goals will take time to achieve, and require similar endurance and long-view strategies. Where should we put our resources to ensure we don’t run short? What metrics are going to be most vital to monitor to keep our engine running smoothly? Who’s going to create our strategy (race captain) and who is going to execute our plans (driver)?
Keeping on the automotive theme, when Ford hired Scott Monty to run their social media efforts, they weren’t just hiring someone who could write a blog post or send a tweet (believe me, he can do both). They were hiring someone to develop achievable, long term goals, and then manage a team to achieve those goals. In the year and half or so he’s been there, he’s seen ups and downs.
Surely, the day of the RangerStation fire felt like a get-it-done-NOW kind of race. But throughout, Scott has maintained concrete goals for what he wants his team to achieve — and worked with the understanding that it takes time, stamina, and determination to see it through.
Take a look at your goals with social media. Are you trying to win on a 1/4 mile dirt track, some smooth-as-glass speedway, or are you turning into the Tetre Rouge, ready to hit 200mph on the Mulsanne Straight for the first time? Are you prepared to go on and on, through the smooth and the bumpy, until the ultimate victory?
(photo via
