Is there a magic marketing bullet? No, just a set of effective BBs.

One of the secrets to a successful marketing consultancy is the ability and willingness to pivot on an almost daily basis. This means being open to new marketing tools, evaluating them for each client and adopting what is truly cost effective.

It also means standing strong when clients balk at using legacy tools, such as media releases and blogs, as long as they still work. And explaining why some tools, that everyone else is using, such as Facebook, are probably not going to be cost-effective.

So, years of experience have taught me that there is no magic bullet, but there are proven marketing principles and dozens of tools that can be very effective when customized for each individual client. The key to success is adapting these tools in the right combination and evaluating their effectiveness on a weekly basis.

So, some marketers say the discipline has become too complex and achieving results requires time and effort they are no longer willing or able to expend. But the only real effort required is continually being mindful of the tools you are using and mindful of marketing innovations as they arise. If you become bored easily, like me, today’s marketing environment isn’t complex—it’s exhilarating.

The bottom line is if you are waiting for a magic marketing bullet to come along and deliver results all by itself, you will have a long time to wait. The surer road to success is choosing the most effective set of BBs and changing them out when they no longer work.

There is a good list of tools here (some old, some new).