One of the pitfalls affecting agencies today is the tendency toward siloed expertise. Agencies tend to be great at certain tactics or broad-stroke strategies: SEO, paid social, or earned. But do they fit together as well as they should? Our guest on the Test. Learn. Grow. podcast this week, Eric Papzcun, strives to break these siloes. His vision for marketing and brand strategy, as he puts it, “answers the questions you didn’t think to ask” by refocusing everything around the buyer.
Putting together a marketing strategy is a complex undertaking. We love Eric’s framework, which quickly identifies strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities from the perspective of what the customer wants, and how smoothly they reach their decision.
IT comes down to visibility, relevancy, and trust. Or as he calls it: VRT.
The VRT Marketing Strategy Framework
Visibility – How readily can consumers find your product? Are you a well-known legacy brand or a startup launching a new product?
Relevancy – Can you effectively solve the buyer’s problem? Where do you stand vs. the competition? Relevancy helps brands connect with the customer’s needs.
Trust – Will your reputation accelerate the sale, or give pause? Are your past and current customers satisfied?
Toward a Holistic Marketing Strategy
We love the VRT framework because it provides a foundation for any type of business. It can inform go-to-market plans for B2B, eCommerce, and direct-to-consumer — anyone who sells anything online. It’s a jumping-off point for building a mix of strategies to address shortcomings. It also measures a brand on a relative scale vs. the competition, immediately helping marketers see where they sit in the marketplace with concrete, actionable scores.
For example, if someone scores low for visibility, we can recommend organic and SEO, paid media, and even earned. Crisis of trust? Consider reputation management and a website overhaul.
Listen to this episode for a full breakdown of VRT.
Interested in learning how a VRT can support your marketing strategy? Get in touch with us today.
