The marketing industry has been built on basic fundamentals. A lot has changed over the years, with many technological innovations becoming available to marketers. AI is marketing’s latest shiny new toy. 

But no matter how many changes come along, marketers would be wise to rely on established principles. Here are five fundamental principles to consider when planning marketing strategies.

• AI is for strategy support, not replacement. While AI can be invaluable for tasks such as analysis, execution, and optimization, your marketing strategy should be based on human input and insight. For AI to create a marketing strategy, it must work with the same data pool as everyone else using the tool, so the strategy AI generated would be generic and without differentiation for your brand.
• UI and UX are necessary, not optional. It is imperative that your website is optimized for two key audiences:
  • Customers - they want a clean, user-friendly interface that enables them to find what they need. This helps to build trust and drive conversions.
  • Search engines – for optimal search results, you need a site that is well constructed for ease of crawling and indexing is necessary for organic rankings and AI visibility.
• Core metrics > advanced analytics. While advanced analytics have become easier to obtain with technological advancements, the basics are still fundamental to getting users to your website. CPC, conversion rates, and acquisition costs are the data needed to show what is working consistently for your site.
• Planning before spending. A well-researched and planned advertising strategy is the basis for success in meeting your ad campaign goals.
• Consider return on ad spend (ROAS) later rather than sooner. Of course, you want to know if your ad campaign is bringing results. But it’s important to know the whole story to effectively evaluate your ad efforts. It may take several months for the full effect to become known, so looking at ROAS immediately can lead to abandoning a strategy that’s actually working.

By sticking to marketing’s basic principles, you can create predictable, effective, and lasting marketing strategies.