Digital marketing is a combination of art and science, though it’s probably better described as making art out of science! The job of the digital marketer is to use scientific principles to implement our artistry, all with the goal of growing the web presence of our businesses. Even if science was never wrong (it’s only ever right until new information becomes available), the artistic side of digital marketing ensures us that no marketing campaign will never be perfectly executed. In fact, dare I say, that at some point along the way a disaster is inevitable.
But just like in Star Trek, there is no disaster that you can’t overcome (though the same can’t be said about the Enterprise.) Mistakes will happen, problems will arise, and disasters can occur. Some of those will be man-made, and others will be a result of Romulan interference. But as we humans say, “stuff happens.”
Even though digital marketing isn’t all science all the time, that doesn’t mean we can’t learn some lessons from our logical Vulcan friends:
- Stay Calm: We all know that Vulcans have spent thousands of years learning how to suppress their emotions. And when they do have them, they never, ever let them show! There is no such thing as perfection in web marketing, so expecting it will only lead to disappointment. And if you never expect to be disappointed, the shock of it happening can lead to unneeded outbursts of emotion, and quite possibly, poor decision making. It can be hard–we are human after all–but keeping your cool is essential for a successful recovery.
- Be Logical: Vulcans are rooted in logic. Its difficult for them to fathom why we so often make emotional decisions. When diagnosing the problem, look for the facts. Follow the chain of events to determine what when wrong and why.
- Fix and Recover: Once you know the problem, the first order of business is to get it fixed. Find the problem, implement the solution. This is where Vulcans excel, even at their own personal expense. Get all hands on deck to ensure a speedy recovery, and you stay out of any long-term web marketing penalty box.
- Shore Up the Processes: With the problem resolved, you need to figure out where things went wrong in the process. Was something not being monitored? Was there a mistake made in the execution? Was no one verifying what was done? This is arguably the most important step in the process because it helps you ensure that whatever happened will never happen again. The enterprise was never destroyed the same way twice. That’s because they always learned their lesson so history wouldn’t repeat itself. We can only assume we learned this from watching Vulcans!
- Live Long and Prosper: Every disaster is an opportunity to grow, improve, and make things better. Life is a learning experience, and it doesn’t matter how experienced we are, there will always be more to learn–even from our own mistakes. It’s our ability to overcome mistakes made in our digital marketing campaigns that will bring us to long-term success. As I said, mistakes will happen. It’s how we deal with them that determines how far we can succeed!
Alright, Trekkies, what did I miss? What Vulcan lessons can you apply to your digital marketing?