Every advertiser needs an online marketing coach
A tennis coach watches their student. They analyse every aspect of the player’s game. Are they getting enough power on their serve? Are they positioning themselves correctly on the court?
Canton believes in the power of coaching and thinks we can apply a lot of lessons from tennis into business.
The coach will look at the ‘what is’ and seek out the differences to the ‘what should be’; where are the weaknesses and how can we turn these into strengths.
Roger Federer (arguably one of the best tennis players in the world ever) needs a coach; someone to take a step back and look for the key areas of his game that need improving, to ensure that he stays at the top.
The key to a good coach is their ability to set out a program to resolve issues, in order to enhance the strengths for the future.
Business is like tennis; coaching is prevalent in both professions.
The notion of ’kaizen’, continuous improvement, is strong in both the office and on the court.
Sir John Whitmore, business coaching pioneer, describes individuals and businesses as small acorns. With the correct nourishment, encouragement and light, they can grow to become the oak tree that was already within them; the understanding that, sometimes, we need assistance to realise our full potential despite the fact it is already there waiting to be explored.
Within the ever changing marketing world, there are few marketers that have the perfect marketing set up due to the industry gaps that are constantly opening up. These gaps stem from the plethora of technology that is continually being upgraded, as new versions of gadgets and online systems are introduced to the market daily. There is a huge requirement for data within online marketing too, and how this is installed within a company is extremely important in order to prosper. Therefore, it is not surprising to see that this is an area that advertisers need help.
The traditional media audit is evolving
In order to improve, many firms look to bring in an independent voice to understand their performance. Whilst most internal teams are very capable, they often lack the exposure required to develop, or their development is overly driven by the major platforms who have an inherent bias.
Also as in all areas of life, companies are quick to look to where their strengths lie, and neglect to appreciate the weaknesses (or outright damaging elements) that should be targeted, for fear that by showing these areas, they will in some way be damning.
Historically, traditional auditing has been utilised, which all too often provides just a list of the challenges, rather than solutions, facing the in-house teams. These traditional auditing companies focus on the cost of media, and therefore struggle to handle the world of biddable advertising.
Consequently, these audits are unsuccessful at delving deeper into the inner runnings of the company, failing to provide an action plan or playbook on how to make the correct improvements.
This is where companies such as Canton come into play.
Not only can they provide an auditing service, scrutinising and evaluating every operation within the company; but they are then able to take it one step further.
As a coach, Canton can produce a goal setting action plan that will enable companies to understand the areas that need reformation, and then will help to navigate the changes to ensure the migration into the desired future state.
They can help you to slightly change the grip on your metaphorical tennis racket in order to achieve the desired shot, as even the slightest of modifications to the way you play the game, can make a whole measure of difference.
Nick King, CEO and founder at Canton.
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