Iron Triangle of Digital Marketing Success


In a perfect world, many often think that they can achieve digital marketing success in a quick and easy way. They assume that they can get high-quality results, they think that those results can come quickly, and they think that they can achieve these results on a low-cost budget that won’t send them into the deep end of debt. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world, and in the end, you’ll have to choose which two things you’ll want to prioritize for your long term digital marketing success.

The Iron Triangle of Marketing is a technique that I designed to help digital marketers understand the things they’ll have to face, and the reality of the marketing foundation they want to build. These three sides are as follows—results, cheap, and fast. You’ll need to choose two of these sides to put your energy into, and the third option will be affected due to the things that you’re prioritizing. Truthfully, there are no wrong combinations to go with—in the end, your digital marketing success relies on what you think is the most important part of your business. Putting your energy into the things that you know will breed you success makes the decision easier if you ask me.

If you want results, they cannot be both fast and cheap. If you want things to be done quickly, they cannot be affordable. If you want things to be inexpensive, then your results will suffer. Choosing what you want is the first place to start when building your foundation for your digital marketing success. Invest in what you think will help in the long run—being able to put money into your marketing will ensure that your results flourish at a more accelerated pace. On the other hand, if you want to make things more affordable, results will come slower, since you’ll be doing everything through trial and error, and on your own.

These three sides of the Iron Triangle of Marketing are standards that everyone needs to follow and understand. You cannot plan on luck happening, and having no plan going into starting a business is a very easy way to ensure that your idea never truly gets off the ground level. Make sure that you’re choosing what matters most to you, and your business, and stick to it.