Digital marketers use the term optimization so often you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s just a buzzword.  But it’s actually an important concept that will help you plan for long-term success.

Many new businesses starting marketing want to think in terms of maximization.   They’d like to get the maximum conversions and maximum profit as fast as possible.

But imagine your marketing campaign is your car.  You’re going to drive from Denver to Las Vegas.

To get to Vegas fastest you have to maximize the output of your car.  You could drive 120 mph across the desert and – hypothetically – you’d get there much faster.  It would seem the best way to get what you desire quickly.

But maximization has a serious drawback.  Short-term output is high, but it also degrades the system.

In reality, you’d be lucky to make it all the way without your engine overheating.  Likewise, getting pulled over and possibly arrested is going to kill your outputs.

This is an analogy for how most digital marketing works.  Short-term maximization breaks from your main strategy.  You rush tactics, decisive but not incisive.

For example, you could create a PPC ad campaign, confident you have the wording and offer that will persuade your target audience.

To maximize results, you throw a huge budget at the campaign to dominate search.  You stock up on inventory, certain your stuff will fly off the shelves.

But what if you’re wrong about your target audience?  You’re reaching people who click on your ads but don’t convert.  Soon you’ve burned through a huge amount of your budget with no results.

Avoid this with the process of optimization.

You probably think of “optimizing” mainly as it connects to SEO (the O being optimization).  This fits.  Optimizing for search engines is a methodical process that stems from a broad content strategy.  You optimize for people and search engines, with maximization (page one ranking) being a long-term goal.

Optimization permits a system to deliver the best results long-term.  It develops sustainable growth while avoiding disasters and burnout.  It’s a concerted effort to avoid bad decisions by taking the time to be thoughtful, diligent, and thorough.

In marketing, the process of optimization is founded on data.  You choose a channel, create the collateral, and execute.  You’re explicit about the fact that you’re making assumptions.

You’ll pivot when the data gives a clear indication of the right direction.  Your decisions are informed and deliberate.

You make things better during planned time frames.  Hit benchmarks.  Reflect on your early assumptions, then make some more.

You take risks – but they’re practical.  Not driving into Vegas a la Hunter S. Thompson.

Start Optimizing

So you just got off the phone with your marketing executive.  She used the word optimization 5 times, optimize 3, optimized 7 and optimizing 8.

Sounds like a bunch of marketing gibberish…or does it?

Isn’t that very phone call an act of optimization?  Aren’t you optimizing right now by reading this article?

With marketing, you’re building a system you will rely on for the life of your business.  You want to earn money, and for certain efforts, you’ll maximize for fast gain.

But to get the maximum life out of your business, you’ll need to be optimal in your nature.

Optimal, after all, is related to optimism.  Hone your ability as a long-term, strategic thinker.

Inspiration thanks to Seth.