Why Your Digital Strategist Should Have Ripped Abs?

I took advantage of the COVID lockdowns to up the ante on my exercise routine. (Possibly inspired by watching super-fit people from S.W.A.T on Netflix.) I started by looking up “ab workouts” on YouTube.

Anyone who’s tried to use YouTube to find a fitness program will know how that went. There are 100s of 1000s of people claiming to know how to get you the most ripped abs. It was a major exercise "working out" who to listen to. (If you're wondering what this has to do with marketing bear with me)

Having spent a bit of time in Los Angeles some years ago, I remembered something I learned back then. The trainers who actually get lead actors in shape are some bad arse people - and the best people to listen to when it comes to getting in maximum shape in a short amount of time.

I wanted quick results and I knew that the top LA trainers could get movie stars ripped in a relatively short lead up time. So I started there - with the trainers to the stars. A good filter - but it still left a LOT to choose from.

Long story short - I ended up picking the trainer with the most ripped abs.

Why? Well he made sense and he was easy to understand. BUT most of all - he was ripped!

So why did I choose this guy? Well he had his shirt off. The end product was in my face. I decided that if he can get himself ripped like that, and these are the exercises that will get me there then I’m in.

Walk the walk
It got me thinking (while during a heap of crunches) - why do small businesses continually partner up with digital strategists that aren’t ripped?

Being “ripped” in digital marketing terms doesn’t just mean having lots of testimonials and case studies on their website. Anyone can fire up a list of quotes, stories and figures.

So what does an actual demonstration of digital marketing capability look like?

In Digital Strategy - or more broadly Digital Marketing - you’re looking for someone who leads by example. You’re looking for someone who demonstrates on their own website and in their own marketing material that they’re authentically and consistently following a strategy, philosophy and methodology that promotes their business brand AND their personal brand.

If you’re looking at a Digital Marketing Service and you can’t see things like:

• who are the people involved,
• what their values are,
• what their offer is, and
• what the benefits of their offer is

Then you could be looking at a digital technician whiz - but you’re not looking at ripped marketing abs.

Demonstrated expertise is a good starting point
Anyway, I signed up with that ripped trainer. The 6 exercises that (let’s call him Mr Ripley) was taking us through were pretty easy to understand. The execution was tricky in some cases and I knew it would take me a few weeks to actually move in the right way but he kept telling me I had to start somewhere and I would be building up to being awesome, just go at a pace that works for me.

I knew that - by getting my core strength to a new level - it would lead to a new plateau of fitness. And I knew that it wasn't going to mean that my body was “done”. I would still need to move on to other regimes to be a completely fit human. I was happy to fight this battle first.

In digital marketing I think there’s still way too much complexity - and certainly in the strategies and plans there’s a tendency to fight way too many battles at once.

Like fitness, marketing is a process that develops over time

Mr Ripley gave me a timeline of 22 weeks. Providing my fat percentage was 14% or under he said I could be ripped in that time frame (if I did the exercises every day). Of course to get the results I wanted, it ALSO meant I couldn’t eat crap or do things that will counteract the results in this time frame.

However, the fact that there was a realistic timeframe and that he was encouraging consistency made me feel confident that I could change my behaviour and develop some healthier habits in this time as well.

Marketing starts with branding
So many businesses are out there promoting their products and services WITHOUT any clear idea of their core brand elements.

They rush around and spend heaps of time and/or money on activities like creating content, starting conversations on social media and just talking WITHOUT having done the core strength work of defining who they are and what they stand for.

That’s like doing a whole lot of exercise WITHOUT thinking about your diet and your motivation and your goals.

Great branding starts with the inner game of YOU

Great branding is building a belief system around what you do and why you do it. It’s not just keeping a business running in an operational sense and hiring people to do stuff.

Great branding sets out to shift your relationship with your customers and forge a more purposeful identity. It’s about developing the core of your brand messaging and the look and feel that communicates that.

If you want your marketing to be “ripped”, then your core brand is a fundamental place to start (even if you think it is already strong). Like your abs, if you are strong and centred here you will have a better chance of success with your marketing efforts.

How much measurement is truly necessary?

Back to how ripped Mr Ripley is. It’s easy for me to see if I am in better shape by just looking down at my abs. That’s my ultimate dashboard (as well as how I feel within my body and mind naturally.)

With digital marketing having a goal, a strategy and a timeline is one thing.

But unless you can visibly see the progress there won't be much to drive you to keep going - let alone seeing the ultimate value you are getting from spending your time and investing our money

Too many businesses end up paying a fortune for a magic, man size shake (like the Man Shake) to save them doing all the necessary work of brand development. If there's a shortcut then it’s human nature to take the easy route - because the long game is way too much work.

However, marketing without branding is like exercise without an overall health strategy grounded in your personal values.

If you want to be successful in business, you have to market. But to market successfully, you have to start by taking ownership of your digital brand.

If you haven’t done much work on branding, then start with resources like StoryBrand and SPIN Selling.

If you’ve tried to work on your brand, but struggled to get a result, then you may need to find a digital strategist with ripped abs. If they show up with a great brand and a powerful online presence, chances are you've found "the one". If not, talk to us about one of our ripped service partners.

If you’re clear on your brand and your marketing strategy, then you can start measuring your digital marketing fitness with our SEI Tool.

  Author: Ian Hopkinson 

    Digital Madman, Founder of Terminology and Mad Scientist Digital

    Socials: Instagram / / LinkedIn 

    Websites: Terminology / / Mad Scientist / / Hopkinson Creative