Negative Signals are KILLING Your Marketing Strategy | Bathroom Break #55 🚽

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Negative Signals are KILLING Your Marketing Strategy | Bathroom Break #55 🚽"

Release Date: May 12, 2025

Hosts:

• Daniel Murray – Host of The Marketing Millennials
• Jay Schwedelson – Host of Do This, Not That Podcast and SubjectLine.com

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Introduction

In the 55th episode of the Bathroom Break series, hosts Daniel Murray and Jay Schwedelson delve into the often-overlooked concept of "Negative Signals" in marketing. This episode serves as a crucial guide for marketers aiming to refine their strategies by avoiding pitfalls that can inadvertently harm their brand's reputation and effectiveness.

Understanding Negative Signals

Daniel Murray opens the discussion by defining "negative signals" as the inadvertent dissemination of subpar or irrelevant content that damages a brand's reputation and disconnects with its audience. He emphasizes that while marketing efforts are generally perceived as positive contributions, not all content or strategies yield favorable outcomes.

"Negative signal is when you're putting out below average, below par, not on brand, things that actually hurt your brand's reputation, your brand's expertise."
— Daniel Murray [02:16]

He further elaborates that consistent, high-quality content is beneficial, but consistently delivering mediocre content can alienate the audience and deter potential followers or customers.

Common Negative Signals in Marketing

Jay Schwedelson identifies several prevalent negative signals that marketers might unknowingly employ:

1. Outdated Content:

   • Example: Sending a "2025 Outlook" piece in May 2025, leading to irrelevance as the content becomes stale.
   • Impact: Demonstrates a disconnect with current trends and can portray the brand as out of touch.

   "If you're sending out 2025 outlook now as your content piece, you're an idiot... It's a negative signal on what you're doing."
   — Jay Schwedelson [03:49]

2. Trigger-Based Emails Without Audits:

   • Issue: Automated emails triggered by outdated behaviors or unmonitored events, such as abandoned carts from a year ago.
   • Impact: Creates confusion and frustration, indicating a lack of organization and attention to detail.

3. Irrelevant Automated Communications:

   • Sending emails or messages that do not align with the recipient's current interests or interactions with the brand.

4. Generic and Boring Content:

   • Utilizing clickbait headlines that do not deliver on the promised value or relevance.
   • Impact: Erodes trust and reduces engagement as the audience feels deceived or uninterested.

5. Long-Tail Content Mismanagement:

   • Failing to maintain updated and relevant content for events like webinars or sales, leading to dead-ends when interested parties engage later.

   "There's nothing here for you to see... you're not organized, you don't know what you're doing and that is a fail."
   — Jay Schwedelson [04:55]

Tactics to Avoid Negative Signals

Daniel Murray and Jay Schwedelson provide actionable strategies to mitigate negative signals:

1. Content Relevance and Timeliness:

   • Regularly update content to ensure it remains pertinent to the current market and audience interests.
   • Avoid recycling old content that may no longer resonate or provide value.

2. Audit Automated Systems:

   • Periodically review marketing automation workflows to ensure triggers are still relevant and functioning correctly.
   • Remove or update outdated email sequences and automation triggers.

   "Nobody really tracks in marketing... everybody thinks of LTV of a customer, but nobody thinks of LTV for an audience."
   — Daniel Murray [03:20]

3. Quality Over Quantity:

   • Focus on delivering high-quality, inspired content rather than bombarding the audience with frequent but irrelevant messages.
   • Ensuring each piece of communication adds value to the recipient increases engagement and loyalty.

   "If you send a lot of irrelevant, uninspired, boring and doesn't your customers don't care because you can always send a lot of emails if they're relevant to your customer."
   — Daniel Murray [05:00]

4. Audience Segmentation:

   • Target specific segments of the audience with tailored content to ensure relevance and resonance.
   • Avoid a one-size-fits-all approach that may not address the diverse needs and interests within the audience.

5. Consistency in Messaging:

   • Maintain a consistent brand voice and message across all channels to build trust and recognition.
   • Avoid misleading headlines or promises that are not fulfilled by the actual content.

6. Focus on Core Channels:

   • Instead of spreading efforts across numerous platforms, concentrate on mastering a few key channels to enhance overall effectiveness and brand strength.

   "Focus is so important in marketing because we get so inundated of so many channels that if we just focus on a few channels and win on them, we actually win in the long run."
   — Daniel Murray [06:00]

Real-World Examples and Insights

Jay Schwedelson shares practical scenarios and personal anecdotes to illustrate the detrimental effects of negative signals:

• Promotional Efforts Gone Awry:

  • Reiterating outdated promotions or failing to update sale pages can leave interested customers frustrated.

• Viral Content Pitfalls:

  • While going viral can increase visibility, it may also attract irrelevant followers who do not align with the brand's target audience, leading to decreased engagement.

  "By the way, going viral doesn't do anything for you. I got all these people following me that are like, I have a donkey farm. I'm like, congratulations. What do I do with that?"
  — Jay Schwedelson [09:31]

Daniel Murray adds that negative signals can also manifest in over-communication, where the frequency of messages overshadows their quality and relevance. He advocates for a balanced approach where communication is both consistent and meaningful.

Addressing Negative Signals in Personal Communication

In an engaging tangent, Jay Schwedelson and Daniel Murray briefly explore how the concept of negative signals extends beyond marketing into personal interactions, particularly in digital communication among younger generations.

• Double Texting and Messaging Etiquette:

  • Repeated messaging can be perceived as intrusive or desperate, leading to negative perceptions.
  • The nuances of digital communication require sensitivity to how and when to engage effectively.

  "People like playing mind games now."
  — Daniel Murray [08:26]

This discussion, while brief, underscores the universality of negative signals and the importance of mindful communication across all facets of interaction.

Conclusion and Takeaways

The episode concludes with a reinforcement of the importance of avoiding negative signals to maintain and enhance a brand's reputation and effectiveness in marketing. Daniel Murray encourages marketers to internally assess their strategies and content to ensure they surpass average standards and genuinely resonate with their audience.

"If it's not, then don't send that email. No. Or don't make that post."
— Daniel Murray [06:50]

Key Takeaways:

• Prioritize Quality and Relevance: Ensure all content and communications are valuable and timely.
• Regular Audits: Continually review and update marketing automation and content strategies to prevent outdated or irrelevant outputs.
• Audience-Centric Approach: Tailor content to specific audience segments to foster deeper connections and engagement.
• Consistency and Focus: Maintain a consistent brand voice and focus on mastering select marketing channels for long-term success.
• Mindful Communication: Apply the principles of avoiding negative signals not just in marketing but also in personal interactions to build positive relationships.

Final Remarks: Both hosts encourage listeners to engage with their respective platforms and share feedback. Daniel Murray invites the audience to join The Marketing Millennials community and stay tuned for more insightful discussions. Jay Schwedelson mentions the mixed outcomes of going viral, highlighting the importance of targeting the right audience over chasing fleeting popularity.

"Peace out."
— Daniel Murray [10:04]

This episode serves as a compelling reminder for marketers to critically evaluate their strategies and content, ensuring that every touchpoint with the audience adds value and strengthens the brand's position in the market.

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Connect with the Hosts:

• Daniel Murray: Twitter | LinkedIn | Newsletter
• Jay Schwedelson: Do This, Not That Podcast | SubjectLine.com

Join the Conversation:

• LinkedIn: The Marketing Millennials
• Instagram: @the_marketing_millennials

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Transcript

[Daniel Murray]

Foreign. Welcome to a new special series called the Bathroom break. That extra 10 minutes you either have to listen to marketing tips or use the bathroom. Or both. But I don't recommend both. But that's your choice.

[Jay Schwedelson]

This collab is going to be super fun. We have Daniel Murray from the Marketing Millennials and me, Jay Schwetelson from the do this not that podcast and subjectline.com each episode in the series, we are going to go over quick tips about different marketing top topics. And if you want to be in the bathroom, fine, just don't tell us about it. Thanks for checking it out. We are back for the Bathroom Break. This is Jay Schwedelson from Do this, not that podcast. I'm here with the great Daniel Murray from the Marking Millennials podcast. And before we get into our episode today, which is going to be about Negative Signal, which is going to be very interesting, useful, boring. I'm not sure what right now it's like prom season. My kids are in high school, and so they're all in on prom. When I was going to prom, I didn't know anything about this promposal stuff where people have to be very creative and ask their boyfriend, girlfriend, whatever they're doing to go to prom in a very interesting way. So, Daniel, I'm a billion times older than you. Did you have a promposal situation when you were in high school?

[Daniel Murray]

I. This is so lame. But I got like a fish tank of fish and then I put like a note in the fish tank that was said, you're the only fish in the sea. Will you go to prom with me?

[Jay Schwedelson]

Did she take the fish bowl?

[Daniel Murray]

I don't know what happened with the fish after that, but she said, you name the fish. No, do not name a fish. I just thought it was like, I would try to be creative, but she seemed to like it. People thought it was cute back then, but that's special.

[Jay Schwedelson]

It would be cool if, like, you, like, you know, you're all football, you took the fish. You just swallowed it.

[Daniel Murray]

Yeah, that would be dramatic. But what are we talking about today? Because this is don't want to go back to prom memories.

[Jay Schwedelson]

We're talking about Negative Signal. This is something that really, I really learned a lot from you. And I want to get into some tactics to avoid right now to not allow your brand to be running into Negative Signal. But I don't think enough marketers are really thinking about this. So can you explain kind of what it means?

[Daniel Murray]

So everybody thinks that, like, putting out content and giving content in the world is a positive thing to the world. Like just doing marketing is a net positive. But negative signal is when you're putting out below average, below par, not on brand, things that actually hurt your brand's reputation, your brand's expertise. So for example, I always say to people that yeah, like posting on social, consistently you win on that. But if you're gonna do below average posts, you're just turning off your audience and actually turning off followers. And I, I have this theory that nobody really tracks in marketing. I don't know how to track. And if you can learn how to track, this would be good. But everybody thinks of LTV of a customer, but nobody thinks of LTV for an audience. And there is an audience of people who are lurking at your brand, lurking to that want to buy from your brand. And every time you do something negative or send them a spammy email or send them an extra text that is, or double text them, you actually are turning off people that could have bought from you in a month or two or three. So negative signal is that where you are putting out negative things into the world that are actually turning off future buyers that would buy from you or future people who read your newsletter or future people who would do X?

[Jay Schwedelson]

Yeah, they're basically silent killers. And I'm going to rattle off some specific ones that a lot of us are doing that we may not realize. And a lot of it has to do with, some of it has to do with trigger based email communications. For example, if you're not going through. A lot of us are using marketing automation tools. Somebody goes to a particular page on your site, it fires off an email. Abandoned cart, fires off an email, hasn't opened or clicked on an email in this period of time, fires off an email. All of these different triggers, if you're not going through and auditing that and looking what's in there. I cannot tell you how many times we look at our clients automations and they're firing off something from literally a year ago and they didn't realize it was in there. Or a piece of content that makes no sense. A great example of content right now that's a negative signal that not enough people realize is we're sitting here right now in May. Not to date the episode, but it's May. And so many markers are still sending out the 2025 outlook for whatever content that was made probably sometime in November, December. The world has changed in the last 60 days. If you're sending out 2025 outlook now as your content piece, you're an idiot. I mean it's just. It's a negative signal on what you're doing. And then the last one would be to think about the long tail of your content. Right? So let's say you have a webinar that you put out there or you have some sort of sale and somebody goes, they click on that email or that promotion 60 days after the webinar is passed or 60 days after that sale is over and they click on that email because they're still interested. And then they go to a page and the pages I'm sorry, there's nothing here for you to see which we all have seen. Or they take you to a sale page has nothing to do with the original product. That is a negative signal that you're not organized, you don't know what you're doing and that is a fail.

[Daniel Murray]

Yeah. I mean there's ways in your business right now that you can look if you're doing negative signal things. And Jay said a couple but first, like are you over communicating in an irrelevant way? I think you always talk about it's good to send a lot of emails, but if you send a lot of irrelevant, uninspired, boring and doesn't your customers don't care because you can always send a lot of emails if they're relevant to your customer. If they are irrelevant, that's number one. Number two is like are you targeting the wrong audience? That is negative signal too. Like are you like sending this piece of content to this part of your audience versus this, this ad to this p that's negative signaling too because people are like what are you doing this this content is doesn't have anything to me, I think the biggest one that I see is generic boring content meaning like clickbait headlines like a clickbait just to get a high open rate with content that doesn't match immediate negative signal or a clickbait ad that doesn't match in a landing page Clear negative signal. These things are stuff that you are hurting your brand over time and you want as marketers to do actions that are so I rather my ass is like I rather do the your test internally and say is this going to. Is this going to hurt or would my audience care about this? Is this better than the average in the market? If it's not, then don't send that email. No. Or don't make that post. That's why I think focus is so important in marketing because we get so inundated of so many channels that if we just focus on a few Channels and win on them. We actually win in the long run.

[Jay Schwedelson]

Yeah. And, you know, before we wrap up, I. I learned really, the. In regular life how you could have a negative signal in your social life. I didn't really understand it that much because, like, I'll say to my kids, who are teenagers, they'll be like, oh, I messaged so and so on snap or whatever they say, and they didn't. They didn't open it or they didn't do whatever. I'm like, I would just message them again or snap them again. They're like, what? No, if you do that, then this horrible thing happens. But, like, what is the protocol? So you don't have a negative signal when you're trying to, like, you know, get with somebody or what? How does that work?

[Daniel Murray]

That's not something you should ask me. That's. That's usually. We should bring, we should bring your kids on the podcast and talk about negative signals of communication in this era. Because, yeah, a double snap or double text, but some people are very double texters. Like, some people like a double text. So I don't know the rules of communication anymore, but that, that, that seems like bad advice to double send a picture to someone.

[Jay Schwedelson]

Right, right. But even it's like, you could, like, open it but not open it or what? I don't know. It's just too, too complicated now. I don't get it.

[Daniel Murray]

People like playing mind games now.

[Jay Schwedelson]

Oh, when I was young, because I'm such an old loser, you know, we had our regular phones, like, no cell phones. And then we would put somebody on the party, they had a party line, and you tell them to be quiet. And then you would call up the person that they either liked or didn't like or whatever, and then you'd say them, hey, what do you think of Jen and the person? Like, oh, I really like them. And then all of a sudden, Jen would be on the line and chime in, like, I'm here. And it was amazing.

[Daniel Murray]

That was like, that's mod. You're a matchmaker back then.

[Jay Schwedelson]

That's right. That's right.

[Daniel Murray]

But what if they said no? That would be a horrible experience.

[Jay Schwedelson]

Horrendous. It was terrible. It was one sideways. Another very important episode of the bathroom break. We really crushed it today. Listen, everybody, if you go ahead on Instagram and you tag the market, Millennials or me about this show, we will reshare it to our. Daniel's got like a gabillion followers. And yeah, check out the market. Millennials do this. Not that podcast and keep it real.

[Daniel Murray]

One. One thing I'm going to say is congrats to Jay. He went viral on his. On Instagram recently. So go to Jay Sweaters. And look, he went viral. Like, 3 million views. Like, crazy. Yeah.

[Jay Schwedelson]

So, by the way, going viral doesn't do anything for you. I learned. I got, like, all these people following me that are like, I have. They're like, hi, I own a donkey farm. I'm like, congratulations. What do I do with that?

[Daniel Murray]

Well, that was great. Talk to y' all later.

[Jay Schwedelson]

Later, Daniel. Come on, man. I gotta get back to work. Get out of there. All right, while he's still in there. This is Jay. Check out my podcast, do this, not that, for marketers. Each week we share really quick tips on stuff that can improve your marketing and hope you give it a try. Oh, here's Daniel. He's finally out.

[Daniel Murray]

Back from my bathroom break. This is Daniel. Go follow the market. Millennial podcast, but also tune into this series. It's once a week, the Bathroom Break. We talk about marketing tips that we just spew out. And it could be anything from email, subject line to any marketing tips in the world. We'll talk about it. Just give us a shout on LinkedIn and tell us what you want to hear. Peace out.

[Jay Schwedelson]

Later.