There’s no beginning or end to this mess!

I’ve done it again!

I’ve over-engineered a marketing campaign and made it complicated enough to forget the basics, which in turn made sure I was not going to get the results I wanted.

It’s easy to do, isn’t it?

Especially in this age of whizz-bang-pop digital technology.

It was an article that I read at the weekend which really made me realise that this project of mine was fast becoming an over-engineered monster.

It was an article on Wired. They were reporting on a recent talk given by Evan Williams, founder of Twitter, at the XOXO conference in Portland, Oregon (I’m still trying to track down a video of the speech so if you come across it, please shot me the link – thks!).

You can check out the full article right here. But there was one particular paragraph that I loved.

“Here’s the formula if you want to build a billion-dollar internet company,” Evan said. “Take a human desire, preferably one that has been around for a really long time…Identify that desire and use modern technology to take out steps.”

Huh?

When I read that it was like being slapped across the face with a wet fish.

Of course. It’s what I teach my clients. KISS: keep it simple, stupid!

It’s the “There’s an app for that” environment that is supposed to make things easier for us as human beings to do stuff. And yet, it’s the same shiny shiny app that can suck us in to believe that we have to have the next shiny shiny app. And the next. And the next.

Before you know it, you’ve added this plugin to that one and bolted on a fancy-smancy piece of kit that makes your clients a cup of tea whilst they read your sales pages (ooohh, wouldn’t that be lovely LOL)

“Use modern technology to take out steps.”

Now that’s a powerful idea, indeed.

I’m not asking you to think of a new piece of software to develop. No, no, no.

But I am asking you – as I am asking myself! – to make sure you are only using technology that gets you closer to your goals.

Don’t get sucked into shiny shiny toys because they are on special beta-testing offer. Avoid downloading widgets and gadgets that end up taking hours of your time to install and get working (and then often don’t which causes you to spend even more hours on the darn things).

Forgot about throwing yourself into a whirlwind of SEO-ing your website when you’ve got a mailing list of previous customers waiting to hear from you.

Know where you are headed and be clear on what it is you are trying to achieve.

Know how much time and money you have available to achieve what it is you want to achieve.

Know that if you don’t have the time resources to do what it is you want to achieve, then hire someone who has.

And know that technology is there to make your life easier and simpler. And if it doesn’t, bin it!

How easy is it to just be simple?

It’s not … but hopefully by reading this article it’s made you consciously aware of any over-complicated monsters you are in the process of creating.

And know that this over-complication process hits us all.

Let’s fight this thing together x

How do you over-complicate your marketing? How do you keep it simple?

I would love to read your thoughts and ideas so please leave a comment below.