Why? Why? Why? Asking the Important Questions

Pop quiz: What are the three most powerful letters in the alphabet?
Answer: W-H-Y

Think about it. “Why?” has the potential to change everything.

• Why would someone watch (and share) the video we’re about to produce?
• Why would we want a Pinterest page?
• Why are we printing these brochures?
• Why are people buying my products/services?
• Why aren’t they?

“Why?” keeps you from going through the motions. It makes you look at your work with a fresh perspective (and, remember, that perspective should be your audience’s view, not your personal one). It sharpens your marketing efforts and hones the effectiveness of each tactic before it’s implemented.

But “Why?” can also drive you crazy. Just as the incessant “Why? Why? Why?” of a three-year-old can make a person run screaming from the room, too much questioning can be counterproductive.

So save your “Why?”s for the things that matter. Those moments usually come when you’re starting something new or evaluating the results of a campaign. But don’t forget to ask yourself “Why?” when you’re executing some of your basic, ongoing marketing strategies. Those can often be the most transformative “Why?”s to your campaigns because they reveal areas where your tactics have grown stale and failed to keep pace with what your audience expects.

So why are you doing whatever it is that you’re doing today?